ref-struct-delegates

name

ref-struct-delegates

description

Replace Func<> and Action<> with custom delegate types when any parameter or return type is a ref struct (Span<T>, ReadOnlySpan<T>, etc.). Ref structs cannot appear as generic type arguments, so Func<ReadOnlySpan<byte>, bool> is a compile error. The fix is a named delegate. USE FOR: writing public APIs that accept callbacks involving spans, storing span-accepting lambdas in fields, wrapping IJsonPathFunction or similar interfaces with delegate-based factories. DO NOT USE FOR: APIs where all parameters are regular (non-ref-struct) types — plain Func<>/Action<> is fine there.

Ref Struct Delegate Translation

The Problem

Func<>, Action<>, and Predicate<> are generic types. C# forbids ref structs (Span<T>, ReadOnlySpan<T>, ReadOnlyMemory<T>.Span, etc.) as generic type arguments. This means:

// ❌ COMPILE ERROR — ReadOnlySpan<T> is a ref struct
Func<ReadOnlySpan<byte>, bool> predicate;
Action<Span<char>> writer;
Func<ReadOnlySpan<JsonPathFunctionArgument>, JsonWorkspace, JsonPathFunctionResult> evaluator;

The Fix: Named Delegates

Define a named delegate type with the ref struct parameter directly:

// ✅ COMPILES — named delegates can have ref struct parameters
public delegate bool SpanPredicate(ReadOnlySpan<byte> data);
public delegate void SpanWriter(Span<char> buffer);
public delegate JsonPathFunctionResult JsonPathFunctionEvaluator(
    ReadOnlySpan<JsonPathFunctionArgument> arguments,
    JsonWorkspace workspace);

Translation Rules

1. Identify the offending Func/Action

Find every Func<> or Action<> where any type argument is a ref struct.

2. Create a named delegate with the same shape

Original (broken)	Replacement
Func<ReadOnlySpan<T>, TResult>	delegate TResult MyDelegate(ReadOnlySpan<T> items);
Func<ReadOnlySpan<T>, TOther, TResult>	delegate TResult MyDelegate(ReadOnlySpan<T> items, TOther other);
Action<Span<T>>	delegate void MyDelegate(Span<T> buffer);
Predicate<ReadOnlySpan<T>>	delegate bool MyDelegate(ReadOnlySpan<T> items);

3. Replace all usages

Fields, parameters, locals, and lambda assignments all change from the Func<>/Action<> type to the named delegate. Lambda syntax remains identical — only the declared type changes:

// Before (broken):
Func<ReadOnlySpan<byte>, int, bool> check = (span, len) => span.Length >= len;

// After (works):
public delegate bool SpanCheck(ReadOnlySpan<byte> span, int minLength);
SpanCheck check = (span, len) => span.Length >= len;

Convenience Factory Pattern

When building factory methods that wrap lambdas into an interface (e.g. IJsonPathFunction), split the API into two tiers:

1. Convenience overloads — use Func<> with non-ref-struct projections of the data (e.g. copy ReadOnlySpan<T> to T[] before passing to the delegate):

// Nodes are copied to an array so Func<> works
public static IJsonPathFunction NodesValue(
    Func<JsonElement[], JsonWorkspace, JsonElement> func)
    => new DelegateFunction(
        JsonPathFunctionType.ValueType,
        [JsonPathFunctionType.NodesType],
        (args, ws) => JsonPathFunctionResult.FromValue(
            func(args[0].Nodes.ToArray(), ws)));

2. Full-control overload — use the named delegate for zero-copy access:

public delegate JsonPathFunctionResult JsonPathFunctionEvaluator(
    ReadOnlySpan<JsonPathFunctionArgument> arguments,
    JsonWorkspace workspace);

public static IJsonPathFunction Create(
    JsonPathFunctionType returnType,
    JsonPathFunctionType[] parameterTypes,
    JsonPathFunctionEvaluator evaluate)
    => new DelegateFunction(returnType, parameterTypes, evaluate);

This gives callers a choice: simple lambda with a small allocation (Func<T[], ...>) or zero-allocation with the named delegate.

Storing the Delegate in a Field

Named delegates are regular reference types and can be stored in fields, unlike the ref structs they accept:

private sealed class DelegateFunction : IJsonPathFunction
{
    private readonly JsonPathFunctionEvaluator evaluate; // ✅ field storage works

    public DelegateFunction(JsonPathFunctionEvaluator evaluate)
    {
        this.evaluate = evaluate;
    }

    public JsonPathFunctionResult Evaluate(
        ReadOnlySpan<JsonPathFunctionArgument> arguments,
        JsonWorkspace workspace)
        => this.evaluate(arguments, workspace);
}

Naming Convention

Name the delegate after its purpose, not its shape. Good names describe what the callback does:

✅ Good	❌ Bad
JsonPathFunctionEvaluator	SpanFuncDelegate
SpanPredicate	ReadOnlySpanBoolFunc
BufferWriter	SpanAction

Scope

This applies to all ref struct types, not just spans:

• Span<T>, ReadOnlySpan<T>
• Custom ref struct types in the codebase
• Any future ref struct added by .NET

Cross-References

• For the stackalloc/ArrayPool rent pattern that produces spans, see corvus-buffer-and-pooling
• For ref-struct collections in this codebase, see corvus-low-alloc-data-structures