Loading & Linking

Before running a story, you need to produce StoryData and link it into a Program.

Producing StoryData

There are two paths:

From .ink source (native compiler): compile_path returns a CompileOutput; its .data field is the StoryData.

use std::path::Path;
let output = brink_compiler::compile_path(Path::new("story.ink"))?;
let story_data = output.data;

From .inkb bytes (pre-compiled binary):

let bytes = std::fs::read("story.inkb")?;
let story_data = brink_format::read_inkb(&bytes)?;

Linking

let (program, line_tables) = brink_runtime::link(&story_data)?;

The linker resolves all DefinitionId references to compact runtime indices, validates the container graph, and initializes global variable defaults. It returns the immutable Program together with the story’s line tables (Vec<Vec<LineEntry>>) — the localizable rendering data, kept separate so it can be swapped for a locale overlay or hot-reloaded without rebuilding the program.

Creating stories

let mut story = Story::new(&program, line_tables);

Story borrows from Program and owns the line tables it renders with. You can create multiple stories from the same program for parallel execution or replaying with different choices.

Error cases

• Decode — corrupt or incompatible .inkb file (wrong magic, bad checksum, truncated data)
• UnresolvedDefinition — a container references a DefinitionId that doesn’t exist in the story data
• NoRootContainer — the story has no entry point container