68 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
68 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
# cty
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`cty` (pronounced "see-tie") is a dynamic type system for applications written
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in Go that need to represent user-supplied values without losing type
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information. The primary intended use is for implementing configuration
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languages, but other uses may be possible too.
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One could think of `cty` as being the reflection API for a language that
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doesn't exist, or that doesn't exist _yet_. It provides a set of value types
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and an API for working with values of that type.
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Fundamentally what `cty` provides is equivalent to an `interface{}` with some
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dynamic type information attached, but `cty` encapsulates this to ensure that
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invariants are preserved and to provide a more convenient API.
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As well as primitive types, basic collection types (lists, maps and sets) and
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structural types (object, tuple), the `cty` type and value system has some
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additional, optional features that may be useful to certain applications:
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* Representation of "unknown" values, which serve as a typed placeholder for
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a value that has yet to be determined. This can be a useful building-block
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for a type checker. Unknown values support all of the same operations as
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known values of their type, but the result will often itself be unknown.
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* Representation of values whose _types_ aren't even known yet. This can
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represent, for example, the result of a JSON-decoding function before the
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JSON data is known.
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Along with the type system itself, a number of utility packages are provided
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that build on the basics to help integrate `cty` into calling applications.
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For example, `cty` values can be automatically converted to other types,
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converted to and from native Go data structures, or serialized as JSON.
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For more details, see the following documentation:
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* [Concepts](./docs/concepts.md)
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* [Full Description of the `cty` Types](./docs/types.md)
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* [API Reference](https://godoc.org/github.com/apparentlymart/go-cty/cty) (godoc)
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* [Conversion between `cty` types](./docs/convert.md)
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* [Conversion to and from native Go values](./docs/gocty.md)
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* [JSON serialization](./docs/json.md)
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* [`cty` Functions system](./docs/functions.md)
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* [diff and patch for `cty` values](./docs/diff.md)
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---
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## License
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Copyright 2017 Martin Atkins
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Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
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of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
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in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
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to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
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copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
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furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
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The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
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copies or substantial portions of the Software.
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THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
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IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
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FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
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AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
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LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
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OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
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SOFTWARE.
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