about summary refs log tree commit diff
path: root/nix/yants/README.md
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'nix/yants/README.md')
-rw-r--r--nix/yants/README.md88
1 files changed, 88 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/nix/yants/README.md b/nix/yants/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..98e6642e2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nix/yants/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+yants
+=====
+
+This is a tiny type-checker for data in Nix, written in Nix.
+
+# Features
+
+* Checking of primitive types (`int`, `string` etc.)
+* Checking polymorphic types (`option`, `list`, `either`)
+* Defining & checking struct/record types
+* Defining & matching enum types
+* Defining & matching sum types
+* Defining function signatures (including curried functions)
+* Types are composable! `option string`! `list (either int (option float))`!
+* Type errors also compose!
+
+Currently lacking:
+
+* Any kind of inference
+* Convenient syntax for attribute-set function signatures
+
+## Primitives & simple polymorphism
+
+![simple](/about/nix/yants/screenshots/simple.png)
+
+## Structs
+
+![structs](/about/nix/yants/screenshots/structs.png)
+
+## Nested structs!
+
+![nested structs](/about/nix/yants/screenshots/nested-structs.png)
+
+## Enums!
+
+![enums](/about/nix/yants/screenshots/enums.png)
+
+## Functions!
+
+![functions](/about/nix/yants/screenshots/functions.png)
+
+# Usage
+
+Yants can be imported from its `default.nix`. A single attribute (`lib`) can be
+passed, which will otherwise be imported from `<nixpkgs>`.
+
+TIP: You do not need to clone the entire TVL repository to use Yants!
+You can clone just this project through josh: `git clone
+https://code.tvl.fyi/depot.git:/nix/yants.git`
+
+Examples for the most common import methods would be:
+
+1. Import into scope with `with`:
+    ```nix
+    with (import ./default.nix {});
+    # ... Nix code that uses yants ...
+    ```
+
+2. Import as a named variable:
+    ```nix
+    let yants = import ./default.nix {};
+    in yants.string "foo" # or other uses ...
+    ````
+
+3. Overlay into `pkgs.lib`:
+    ```nix
+    # wherever you import your package set (e.g. from <nixpkgs>):
+    import <nixpkgs> {
+      overlays = [
+        (self: super: {
+          lib = super.lib // { yants = import ./default.nix { inherit (super) lib; }; };
+        })
+      ];
+    }
+
+    # yants now lives at lib.yants, besides the other library functions!
+    ```
+
+Please see my [Nix one-pager](https://github.com/tazjin/nix-1p) for more generic
+information about the Nix language and what the above constructs mean.
+
+# Stability
+
+The current API of Yants is **not yet** considered stable, but it works fine and
+should continue to do so even if used at an older version.
+
+Yants' tests use Nix versions above 2.2 - compatibility with older versions is
+not guaranteed.