trying random stuff, nothing serious yet

src/main/java/com/falsepattern/chunk/api/ChunkDataManager.java

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+package com.falsepattern.chunk.api;
+
+import net.minecraft.nbt.NBTTagCompound;
+import net.minecraft.network.PacketBuffer;
+import net.minecraft.world.chunk.Chunk;
+
+/**
+ * Singleton instances that can manage custom in chunks.
+ * Note: All the methods should be thread-safe and stateless unless otherwise specified.
+ */
+public interface ChunkDataManager {
+    /**
+     * The unique identifier of your data. The common convention is <code>modid:dataid</code>.
+     * @return The unique identifier of your data. Should be unique across all mods.
+     * @apiNote Ideally, this should be an interned string for maximum performance. (see {@link String#intern()}).
+     * @implNote This is used to identify your data in packets and NBT tags.
+     */
+    String id();
+    /**
+     * Initializes your data in a chunk. This is called when the chunk is first created.
+     * @param chunk The chunk to initialize.
+     */
+    void init(ModdedChunk chunk);
+    /**
+     * The amount of bytes your data will take up in a packet.
+     * @param chunk The chunk that the data is in.
+     * @return The amount of bytes your data will take up in a packet. -1 if the data is not present.
+     */
+    int getPacketSize(ModdedChunk chunk);
+    /**
+     * Serializes your data into a packet. Not called if {@link #getPacketSize(ModdedChunk)} returns -1.
+     * @param chunk The chunk that the data is in.
+     * @param buffer The packet buffer to write to.
+     */
+    void writeToPacket(ModdedChunk chunk, PacketBuffer buffer);
+    /**
+     * Deserializes your data from a packet. Not called if {@link #getPacketSize(ModdedChunk)} returned -1 on the other end.
+     * @param chunk The chunk that the data is in.
+     * @param buffer The packet buffer to read from.
+     * @return The deserialized data.
+     */
+    void readFromPacket(ModdedChunk chunk, PacketBuffer buffer);
+    /**
+     * Serializes your data into an NBT tag. This is used when saving the chunk to disk.
+     * @param chunk The chunk that the data is in.
+     * @param tag The tag to write to.
+     */
+    void writeToNBT(ModdedChunk chunk, NBTTagCompound tag);
+    /**
+     * Deserializes your data from an NBT tag. This is used when loading the chunk from disk.
+     * @param chunk The chunk that the data gets loaded into.
+     * @param tag The tag to read from.
+     */
+    void readFromNBT(ModdedChunk chunk, NBTTagCompound tag);
+}