Structs (v0.2.1)

Overview

Structs group related fields under one type. Each field has a name and an explicit type.

They are useful for records, configuration values, handles, and small pieces of program state.

When a struct has rules about valid values, use helper functions to create or update it in one place.

Primary source: syntax/structure/structure.md

Syntax Signatures

struct Pair @public {
    left: s32,
    right: s32,
}

var p: Pair = new Pair {
    left: 1,
    right: 2,
};

Behavior and Use

Use field access to read or write named fields. If a field must stay consistent with another field, keep that update in a helper function.

For structs shared with C code, check field order and field sizes against the C definition.

Best Practices

• Initialize every field explicitly in helper constructors.
• Avoid structs that group unrelated data.
• Use dedicated functions for mutation when fields must stay in sync.

Fields and Construction

A struct value is built by naming each field and assigning a value.

• Each field has its own explicit type in the struct declaration.
• new StructName { ... } creates a value with the listed field values.
• Use helper constructors when a struct has required defaults or related fields that must agree.

Layout and Interop

Structs used across FFI boundaries need stable field expectations.

• Field order matters when matching an external layout.
• @packed changes padding behavior. Use it only when the external format requires it.
• When a struct is shared with C code, verify field sizes and alignment with compile-time builtins.

Example

struct Config @public {
    threads: u32,
    verbose: bool,
}

fn defaultConfig() Config @public {
    return new Config {
        threads: 4,
        verbose: false,
    };
}

Back to language reference