Built-in Macros

Macroforge comes with built-in derive macros that cover the most common code generation needs. All macros work with classes, interfaces, enums, and type aliases.

Overview

Macro	Generates	Description
`Debug`	`static toString(value: T): string`	Human-readable string representation
`Clone`	`static clone(value: T): T`	Creates a deep copy of the object
`Default`	`static defaultValue(): T`	Creates an instance with default values
`Hash`	`static hashCode(value: T): number`	Generates a hash code for the object
`PartialEq`	`static equals(a: T, b: T): boolean`	Value equality comparison
`Ord`	`static compareTo(a: T, b: T): number`	Total ordering comparison (-1, 0, 1)
`PartialOrd`	`static compareTo(a: T, b: T): number \| null`	Partial ordering comparison
`Serialize`	`static serialize(value: T, keepMetadata?: boolean): string`	JSON serialization with type handling
`Deserialize`	`static deserialize(input, opts?): { success: true; value: T } \| { success: false; errors }`	JSON deserialization with validation

Using Built-in Macros

Built-in macros don't require imports. Just use them with @derive:

TypeScript

/** @derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq) */
class User {
  name: string;
  age: number;

  constructor(name: string, age: number) {
    this.name = name;
    this.age = age;
  }
}

Interface Support

All built-in macros work with interfaces. Interfaces have no class to attach statics to, so they get standalone functions named {typeName}{Operation} taking the value as the first parameter. When generateConvenienceConst is enabled (the default), a grouping const is also emitted so you can call them by short name:

TypeScript

/** @derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq) */
interface Point {
  x: number;
  y: number;
}

// Generated standalone functions:
// export function pointToString(value: Point): string { ... }
// export function pointClone(value: Point): Point { ... }
// export function pointEquals(a: Point, b: Point): boolean { ... }
// export function pointHashCode(value: Point): number { ... }

// Plus a grouping const (generateConvenienceConst, on by default):
// export const Point = {
//   toString: pointToString,
//   clone: pointClone,
//   equals: pointEquals,
//   hashCode: pointHashCode,
// } as const;

const point: Point = { x: 10, y: 20 };

console.log(pointToString(point));      // "Point { x: 10, y: 20 }"
const copy = pointClone(point);         // { x: 10, y: 20 }
console.log(pointEquals(point, copy));  // true

// …or via the grouping const
console.log(Point.toString(point));

Enum Support

All built-in macros work with enums. For enums, methods are generated as functions in a namespace with the same name:

TypeScript

/** @derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Serialize, Deserialize) */
enum Status {
  Active = "active",
  Inactive = "inactive",
  Pending = "pending",
}

// Generated standalone functions:
// export function statusToString(value: Status): string { ... }
// export function statusClone(value: Status): Status { ... }
// export function statusEquals(a: Status, b: Status): boolean { ... }
// export function statusHashCode(value: Status): number { ... }
// export function statusSerialize(value: Status): string { ... }
// export function statusDeserialize(input: unknown): Status { ... }

// Enums use namespace merging for the convenience names:
// namespace Status {
//   export const toString = statusToString;
//   export const serialize = statusSerialize;
// }

console.log(statusToString(Status.Active));                // "Status.Active"
console.log(statusEquals(Status.Active, Status.Active));   // true
const json = statusSerialize(Status.Pending);              // "pending"
// Note: enum deserialize throws on invalid input rather than
// returning a success/errors union.
const parsed = statusDeserialize("active");                // Status.Active

Type Alias Support

All built-in macros work with type aliases. Object type aliases get field-aware standalone functions, plus the optional grouping const:

TypeScript

/** @derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Serialize, Deserialize) */
type Point = {
  x: number;
  y: number;
};

// Generated standalone functions:
// export function pointToString(value: Point): string { ... }
// export function pointClone(value: Point): Point { ... }
// export function pointEquals(a: Point, b: Point): boolean { ... }
// export function pointHashCode(value: Point): number { ... }
// export function pointSerialize(value: Point, keepMetadata?: boolean): string { ... }
// export function pointDeserialize(input: unknown, opts?): { success: true; value: Point }
//                                                        | { success: false; errors } { ... }

const point: Point = { x: 10, y: 20 };
console.log(pointToString(point));      // "Point { x: 10, y: 20 }"
const copy = pointClone(point);         // { x: 10, y: 20 }
console.log(pointEquals(point, copy));  // true

Union type aliases also work, using JSON-based implementations:

TypeScript

/** @derive(Debug, PartialEq) */
type ApiStatus = "loading" | "success" | "error";

const status: ApiStatus = "success";
console.log(ApiStatus.toString(status)); // "ApiStatus(\\"success\\")"
console.log(ApiStatus.equals("success", "success")); // true

Combining Macros

All macros can be used together. They don't conflict and each generates independent methods:

TypeScript

const user = new User("Alice", 30);

// Debug
console.log(User.toString(user));
// "User { name: Alice, age: 30 }"

// Clone
const copy = User.clone(user);
console.log(copy.name); // "Alice"

// PartialEq
console.log(User.equals(user, copy)); // true

Detailed Documentation

Each macro has its own options and behaviors:

Debug - Customizable field renaming and skipping
Clone - Deep copying for all field types
Default - Default value generation with field attributes
Hash - Hash code generation for use in maps and sets
PartialEq - Value-based equality comparison
Ord - Total ordering for sorting
PartialOrd - Partial ordering comparison
Serialize - JSON serialization with serde-style options
Deserialize - JSON deserialization with validation