Using an event for the device interaction is better. If I get to where there's tons of devices then I'll rethink it but right now this is less convoluted.

assets/config.json

@@ -8,6 +8,6 @@
   "worldgen": {
     "enemy_probability": 20,
     "empty_room_probability": 20,
-    "device_probability": 20
+    "device_probability": 100
   }
 }

assets/devices.json

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
     "components": [
       {"type": "Tile", "config": {"chr": "\u2ac5"}},
       {"type": "Device",
-        "config": {}, "actions": ["StairsDown"]
+        "config": {"test": true}, "events": ["Events::GUI::STAIRS_DOWN"]
       }
     ]
   },
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
     "components": [
       {"type": "Tile", "config": {"chr": "\u2259"}},
       {"type": "Device",
-        "config": {}, "actions": ["StairsUp"]
+        "config": {"test": true}, "events": ["Events::GUI::STAIRS_UP"]
       }
     ]
   }

components.cpp

@@ -4,38 +4,31 @@ namespace components {
   void configure(DinkyECS::World &world, DinkyECS::Entity entity, json& entity_data) {
     for(auto &comp : entity_data["components"]) {
       json& config = comp["config"];
+      const string comp_type = comp["type"];
 
-      if(comp["type"] == "Weapon") {
+      if(comp_type == "Weapon") {
         world.set<Weapon>(entity, {config["damage"]});
-      } else if(comp["type"] == "LightSource") {
+      } else if(comp_type == "LightSource") {
         world.set<LightSource>(entity, {config["strength"], config["radius"]});
-      } else if(comp["type"] == "Loot") {
+      } else if(comp_type == "Loot") {
         world.set<Loot>(entity, {config["amount"]});
-      } else if(comp["type"] == "Tile") {
+      } else if(comp_type == "Tile") {
         world.set<Tile>(entity, {config["chr"]});
-      } else if(comp["type"] == "EnemyConfig") {
+      } else if(comp_type == "EnemyConfig") {
         world.set<EnemyConfig>(entity, {config["hearing_distance"]});
-      } else if(comp["type"] == "Combat") {
+      } else if(comp_type == "Combat") {
         world.set<Combat>(entity, {config["hp"], config["damage"]});
-      } else if(comp["type"] == "Curative") {
+      } else if(comp_type == "Curative") {
         world.set<Curative>(entity, {config["hp"]});
-      } else if(comp["type"] == "Motion") {
+      } else if(comp_type == "Motion") {
         world.set<Motion>(entity, {config["dx"], config["dy"], config["random"]});
-      } else if(comp["type"] == "Device") {
+      } else if(comp_type == "Device") {
-        Device device{.config=config, .actions={}};
+        Device device{.config=config, .events={}};
-
+        device.configure_events(comp["events"]);
-        for(auto name : comp["actions"]) {
-          if(name == "StairsUp") {
-            device.actions.push_back(StairsUp);
-          } else if(name == "StairsDown") {
-            device.actions.push_back(StairsUp);
-          }
-        }
-
         world.set<Device>(entity, device);
       } else {
         dbc::sentinel(fmt::format("ITEM COMPONENT TYPE MISSING: {}",
-              std::string(comp["type"])));
+              std::string(comp_type)));
       }
 
       // json config variable dies

devices.cpp

@@ -1,19 +1,22 @@
 #include "devices.hpp"
 #include "events.hpp"
+#include "dbc.hpp"
 
 namespace components {
-  void StairsDown(DinkyECS::Entity player_ent, json &, DinkyECS::World &world) {
-    world.send<Events::GUI>(Events::GUI::STAIRS, player_ent, {});
-  }
-
-  void StairsUp(DinkyECS::Entity player_ent, json &, DinkyECS::World &world) {
 
-    world.send<Events::GUI>(Events::GUI::STAIRS, player_ent, {});
+  /*
+   * Note: This should go away or at least the event names to
+   * numbers should probably be automatically created.
+   */
+  void Device::configure_events(json &event_names) {
+    for(string name : event_names) {
+      if(name == "Events::GUI::STAIRS_DOWN") {
+        events.push_back(Events::GUI::STAIRS_DOWN);
+      } else if(name == "Events::GUI::STAIRS_UP") {
+        events.push_back(Events::GUI::STAIRS_UP);
+      } else {
+        dbc::sentinel(fmt::format("Unknown device event {}", name));
       }
-
-  void Device::hit(DinkyECS::Entity ent, DinkyECS::World &world) {
-    for(auto& action : actions) {
-      action(ent, config, world);
     }
   }
 }

devices.hpp

@@ -6,14 +6,10 @@
 namespace components {
   using namespace nlohmann;
 
-  typedef std::function<void(DinkyECS::Entity ent, json &config, DinkyECS::World &world)> Action;
-
-  void StairsDown(DinkyECS::Entity player_ent, json &data, DinkyECS::World &world);
-  void StairsUp(DinkyECS::Entity player_ent, json &data, DinkyECS::World &world);
-
   struct Device {
     json config;
-    std::vector<Action> actions;
+    std::vector<int> events;
-    void hit(DinkyECS::Entity ent, DinkyECS::World &world);
+
+    void configure_events(json &event_names);
   };
 }

events.hpp

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 namespace Events {
   enum GUI {
-    START, COMBAT, LOOT, DEATH, STAIRS
+    START, COMBAT, LOOT, DEATH, STAIRS_UP, STAIRS_DOWN
   };
 
   struct Combat {

gui.cpp

@@ -262,8 +262,13 @@ void GUI::handle_world_events() {
         }
         break;
 
-      case eGUI::STAIRS: {
+      case eGUI::STAIRS_UP: {
-          $status_ui.log("You can go down stairs!");
+          $status_ui.log("You can't go back, only forward.");
+       } break;
+      case eGUI::STAIRS_DOWN: {
+          auto& device = std::any_cast<Device&>(data);
+          $status_ui.log(format("Up stairs has test {}.",
+                (bool)device.config["test"]));
        } break;
       default:
         $status_ui.log(format("INVALID EVENT! {},{}", evt, entity));

systems.cpp

@@ -217,6 +217,10 @@ void System::pickup(DinkyECS::World &world, DinkyECS::Entity actor, DinkyECS::En
 
 void System::device(DinkyECS::World &world, DinkyECS::Entity actor, DinkyECS::Entity item) {
   auto& device = world.get<Device>(item);
+
+  for(int event : device.events) {
+    world.send<Events::GUI>((Events::GUI)event, actor, device);
+  }
+
   println("entity {} INTERACTED WITH DEVICE {}", actor, item);
-  device.hit(actor, world);
 }