Open code, practice, and notes →
Download source with English comments · for reading
WGSL · 08 Address Spaces and Access Modes
Series contents · Technology map
Stage: Resource Declarations and Memory Layout · Editable example · Storage ID: wgsl-step-08
Goals and learning outcomes
- Choose address spaces.
- Respect resource access permissions.
Prerequisites
Continue using the output and records from Unit 7. Before experimenting with Address Spaces and Access Modes, preserve the previous inputs and reference outputs.
Key concepts and explanations
Address Spaces
function, private, workgroup, uniform, and storage determine value lifetimes and sharing scopes. Even similar-looking names have different sets of invocations that can access them.
Write Permissions
Writing to a uniform or read-only storage violates its contract. Specify storage read or read_write access according to the actual operation.
Practice setup
First check the execution scope guidance on the example screen. The following describes the environment needed to extend the assignment in a separate project. This document-guided exercise requires your own implementation in a separate localhost or HTTPS project. Check the secure context, navigator.gpu, and adapter request result, and provide an unsupported-environment message. Retain device.lost handling and resource cleanup.
The linked example is a starting point. It does not implement every task below. Complete work beyond its supported scope in a separate project.
Practice tasks
- In spaces.wgsl, declare a read-only uniform, read storage, and a read_write output.
- Add comments distinguishing a function-local accumulator from a private variable.
- Create an error by writing to a read-only input, then restore the code by writing to the output.
Variables to observe
| Variable | Baseline | Change | Expected change / hypothesis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input access | read | Attempt to write to the input | Validation or shader diagnostics are expected to reveal the contract violation. |
Predictions in this table are not measured results. Change one condition at a time and record why the actual result differs.
Completion criteria
- Tabulate the sharing scopes of the five address spaces.
- Write results to a separate output without changing the read-only input.
Self-check
- Is a private variable shared by all invocations?
- Can workgroup memory be used in the same way in the fragment stage?
Official references
Linked example and execution scope
Example source · Runtime environments and limits
Runs actual WebGPU/WGSL. Requires HTTPS/localhost and a supported adapter; unsupported environments display a reason, and CPU results are not presented as GPU results.
Source code and records are not overwritten automatically. Resetting an existing example also preserves your notes.
Next learning
Previous: Interpolation and Stage Interfaces · Next: Groups, Bindings, and Host Connections