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StaticGenerics for Delphi

StaticGenerics is a project aimed at generating fully typed, static collection classes (Lists and Dictionaries) for Delphi at compile-time. It leverages code generation to produce concrete implementations for specific types, offering a powerful alternative to Delphi's runtime generics (TList<T>, TDictionary<K,V>).

🚀 Why StaticGenerics?

⚡ Drastic Compile-Time Improvements

One of the primary motivations for this project is performance during the build process.

  • Faster Compilation & Linking: Heavily using standard generics in large Delphi projects can significantly increase compilation and linking times due to the way the compiler instantiates generics for each type. Static classes are pre-generated source code, allowing the compiler to process them much faster, just like regular code.
  • Reduced Binary Size (Code Bloat): While Delphi's linker is smart, excessive use of generics can sometimes lead to "code bloat". Static generation gives you precise control over what gets generated.

🛠️ Strong Typing & Interoperability

  • Clear Interfaces: Instead of generic signatures like IList<Integer>, you work with explicit interfaces like IList_Integer. This is often cleaner and safer, especially when exposing interfaces across package or DLL boundaries.
  • Tailored Implementations: The templates allow for specific optimizations based on the type (e.g., special handling for Strings or Interfaces) that generic implementations might handle less efficiently.

⚙️ How It Works

The system uses a custom tool, TmplCodeGen, to generate Pascal code based on templates and JSON configuration files.

  1. Configuration (*.json): You define the types you need collections for.

    • System.List-conf.json: Defines list types (e.g., Integer, String, TGUID).
    • System.Dictionary-conf.json: Defines dictionary key-value pairs.

  2. Templates (Templates\*.TMPL.pas): Mustache templates define the structure of the Pascal code for Lists and Dictionaries.

  3. Generation Process:

    • _RunTmplCodeGen.bat executes the generator.
    • It creates temporary Pascal fragments based on the configurations.
    • It injects these fragments directly into the source files (System.Collections.Interfaces.pas and System.Collections.Factory.pas) into designated {$REGION} blocks.

📂 Project Structure

  • Source/: Contains the core library files where the generated code is injected.
    • System.Collections.Interfaces.pas: Definitions of interfaces (e.g., IList_Integer).
    • System.Collections.Factory.pas: Implementation logic and factory methods.
  • Templates/: The Pascal code templates used for generation.
  • *-conf.json: Configuration files defining which types to generate.
  • _RunTmplCodeGen.bat: The script to trigger the code generation.

📦 Usage

To regenerate the collections after modifying a JSON config or a template:

  1. Run _RunTmplCodeGen.bat in the root of this folder.
  2. The files in Source/ will be updated with the new definitions.

📝 License

Licensed under the MIT License.