Add support for C++-26 reflection (#713)

Author: liuzicheng1987

.github/workflows/linux.yaml

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ name: linux
 
 on: [ push, pull_request ]
 
-env: 
+env:
     VCPKG_BINARY_SOURCES: "clear;x-gha,readwrite"
 
 jobs:
@@ -15,32 +15,45 @@ jobs:
         compiler-version: [11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18]
         cxx: [20, 23]
         exclude:
-          - compiler: gcc 
+          - compiler: gcc
             compiler-version: 16
-          - compiler: gcc 
+          - compiler: gcc
             compiler-version: 17
-          - compiler: gcc 
+          - compiler: gcc
             compiler-version: 18
           - compiler: llvm
             compiler-version: 11
-          - compiler: llvm 
+          - compiler: llvm
             compiler-version: 12
-          - compiler: llvm 
+          - compiler: llvm
             compiler-version: 13
-          - compiler: llvm 
+          - compiler: llvm
             compiler-version: 14
           - compiler: gcc
             compiler-version: 11
-            cxx: 23 
+            cxx: 23
           - compiler: gcc
             compiler-version: 12
-            cxx: 23  
-          - compiler: llvm 
+            cxx: 23
+          - compiler: llvm
             compiler-version: 16
-            cxx: 23 
+            cxx: 23
           - compiler: llvm
             compiler-version: 17
-            cxx: 23  
+            cxx: 23
+          - compiler: llvm
+            cxx: 23
+            format: "CBOR"
+          - compiler: llvm
+            cxx: 23
+            format: "UBJSON"
+          - compiler: llvm
+            cxx: 23
+            format: "benchmarks"
+          - compiler: llvm
+            cxx: 23
+            format: "headers"
+          # TODO: Include reflection runners, once gcc-16 is in the repo.
     name: "${{ github.job }} (${{ matrix.format }}-C++${{ matrix.cxx }}-${{ matrix.compiler }}-${{ matrix.compiler-version }})"
     concurrency:
       group: "linux-${{ github.ref }}-${{ github.job }}-${{ matrix.format }}-C++${{ matrix.cxx }}-${{ matrix.compiler }}-${{ matrix.compiler-version }}"
@@ -64,7 +77,11 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           sudo apt update
           if [[ "${{ matrix.compiler-version }}" == 11 ]]; then
-            sudo apt install -y ninja-build g++-11 
+            sudo apt install -y ninja-build g++-11
+          elif [[ "${{ matrix.compiler }}" == "gcc" && "${{ matrix.compiler-version }}" == 16 ]]; then
+            sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:ubuntu-toolchain-r/test
+            sudo apt update
+            sudo apt install -y ninja-build g++-16
           else
             sudo apt install -y ninja-build
           fi
@@ -78,25 +95,29 @@ jobs:
             export CXX=g++-${{ matrix.compiler-version }}
           fi
           $CXX --version
+          EXTRA_CMAKE_FLAGS=""
+          if [[ "${{ matrix.reflection }}" == "on" ]]; then
+            EXTRA_CMAKE_FLAGS="-DREFLECTCPP_USE_CPP26_REFLECTION=ON -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=-freflection"
+          fi
           if [[ "${{ matrix.format }}" == "JSON" ]]; then
-            cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=${{ matrix.cxx }} -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=20 -DREFLECTCPP_BUILD_TESTS=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
+            cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=${{ matrix.cxx }} -DREFLECTCPP_BUILD_TESTS=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release $EXTRA_CMAKE_FLAGS
           elif [[ "${{ matrix.format }}" == "benchmarks" ]]; then
-            cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=${{ matrix.cxx }} -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=20 -DREFLECTCPP_BUILD_BENCHMARKS=ON -DREFLECTCPP_ALL_FORMATS=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
+            cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=${{ matrix.cxx }} -DREFLECTCPP_BUILD_BENCHMARKS=ON -DREFLECTCPP_ALL_FORMATS=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release $EXTRA_CMAKE_FLAGS
           elif [[ "${{ matrix.format }}" == "headers" ]]; then
-            cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=${{ matrix.cxx }} -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=20 -DREFLECTCPP_CHECK_HEADERS=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
+            cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=${{ matrix.cxx }} -DREFLECTCPP_CHECK_HEADERS=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release $EXTRA_CMAKE_FLAGS
           else
-            cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=${{ matrix.cxx }} -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=20 -DREFLECTCPP_BUILD_TESTS=ON -DREFLECTCPP_JSON=OFF -DREFLECTCPP_${{ matrix.format }}=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
+            cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=${{ matrix.cxx }} -DREFLECTCPP_BUILD_TESTS=ON -DREFLECTCPP_JSON=OFF -DREFLECTCPP_${{ matrix.format }}=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release $EXTRA_CMAKE_FLAGS
           fi
           cmake --build build -j4
       - name: Run tests
         if: (matrix.format != 'benchmarks') && (matrix.format != 'headers')
         run: |
           ctest --test-dir build --output-on-failure
-      - name: Run benchmarks 
-        if: matrix.format == 'benchmarks' 
+      - name: Run benchmarks
+        if: matrix.format == 'benchmarks'
         run: |
-          echo '# Benchmarks' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY 
-          echo '## Benchmarks across different formats' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY 
+          echo '# Benchmarks' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo '## Benchmarks across different formats' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo '```' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           ./build/benchmarks/all/reflect-cpp-all-format-benchmarks --benchmark_filter=canada_read >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           ./build/benchmarks/all/reflect-cpp-all-format-benchmarks --benchmark_filter=canada_write >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
@@ -105,7 +126,7 @@ jobs:
           ./build/benchmarks/all/reflect-cpp-all-format-benchmarks --benchmark_filter=person_read >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           ./build/benchmarks/all/reflect-cpp-all-format-benchmarks --benchmark_filter=person_write >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo '```' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo '## Benchmarks for JSON' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY 
+          echo '## Benchmarks for JSON' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo '```' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           ./build/benchmarks/json/reflect-cpp-json-benchmarks --benchmark_filter=person_read >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           ./build/benchmarks/json/reflect-cpp-json-benchmarks --benchmark_filter=canada >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY

CMakeLists.txt

@@ -30,9 +30,14 @@ option(REFLECTCPP_CHECK_HEADERS "Make sure that all headers are self-contained"
 
 option(REFLECTCPP_USE_BUNDLED_DEPENDENCIES "Use the bundled dependencies" ON)
 
+option(REFLECTCPP_USE_CPP26_REFLECTION "Use standard C++ reflection (requires C++-26)" OFF)
 option(REFLECTCPP_USE_STD_EXPECTED "Use std::expected instead of the built-in Result type (requires C++-23)" OFF)
 
-if(REFLECTCPP_USE_STD_EXPECTED)
+if(REFLECTCPP_USE_CPP26_REFLECTION)
+    if(NOT DEFINED CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD)
+        set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 26)
+    endif()
+elseif(REFLECTCPP_USE_STD_EXPECTED)
     if(NOT DEFINED CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD)
         set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 23)
     endif()
@@ -229,6 +234,10 @@ if(REFLECTCPP_BUILD_SHARED)
     target_compile_definitions(reflectcpp PUBLIC RFL_BUILD_SHARED)
 endif()
 
+if(REFLECTCPP_USE_CPP26_REFLECTION)
+    target_compile_definitions(reflectcpp PUBLIC REFLECTCPP_USE_CPP26_REFLECTION)
+endif()
+
 if(REFLECTCPP_USE_STD_EXPECTED)
     target_compile_definitions(reflectcpp PUBLIC REFLECTCPP_USE_STD_EXPECTED)
 endif()

README.md

@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@
 
 ![image](banner1.png)
 
-**reflect-cpp** is a C++-20 library for **fast serialization, deserialization and validation** using reflection, similar to [pydantic](https://github.com/pydantic/pydantic) in Python, [serde](https://github.com/serde-rs) in Rust, [encoding](https://github.com/golang/go/tree/master/src/encoding) in Go or [aeson](https://github.com/haskell/aeson/tree/master) in Haskell.
+**reflect-cpp** is a C++-20/C++-26 library for **fast serialization, deserialization and validation** using reflection, similar to [pydantic](https://github.com/pydantic/pydantic) in Python, [serde](https://github.com/serde-rs) in Rust, [encoding](https://github.com/golang/go/tree/master/src/encoding) in Go or [aeson](https://github.com/haskell/aeson/tree/master) in Haskell.
+
+reflect-cpp supports C++-26 reflection, but most of the functionality is also available in C++-20, except where explicitly noted otherwise.
 
 Moreover, reflect-cpp is the basis for [sqlgen](https://github.com/getml/sqlgen), a **modern, type-safe ORM and SQL query generator** for C++20, inspired by Python's SQLAlchemy/SQLModel and Rust's Diesel. It provides a fluent, composable interface for database operations with compile-time type checking and SQL injection protection.
 
@@ -51,6 +53,7 @@ reflect-cpp and sqlgen fill important gaps in C++ development. They reduce boile
 
 ### More in our [documentation](https://rfl.getml.com):
   - [Installation ↗](https://rfl.getml.com/install/#option-2-compilation-using-cmake)
+  - [C++26 reflection ↗](https://rfl.getml.com/cpp26_reflection)
   - [Benchmarks ↗](https://rfl.getml.com/benchmarks)
   - [How to contribute ↗](https://rfl.getml.com/contributing)
   - [Compiling and running the tests ↗](https://rfl.getml.com/contributing/#compiling-and-running-the-tests)
@@ -62,17 +65,17 @@ reflect-cpp provides a unified reflection-based interface across different seria
 
 The following table lists the serialization formats currently supported by reflect-cpp and the underlying libraries used:
 
-| Format       | Library                                              | Version      | License    | Remarks                                              |
-|--------------|------------------------------------------------------|--------------|------------| -----------------------------------------------------|
-| JSON         | [yyjson](https://github.com/ibireme/yyjson)          | >= 0.8.0     | MIT        | out-of-the-box support, included in this repository  |
-| Avro         | [avro-c](https://avro.apache.org/docs/1.11.1/api/c/) | >= 1.11.3    | Apache 2.0 | Schemaful binary format                              |
+| Format              | Library                                              | Version      | License    | Remarks                                              |
+|---------------------|------------------------------------------------------|--------------|------------| -----------------------------------------------------|
+| JSON                | [yyjson](https://github.com/ibireme/yyjson)          | >= 0.8.0     | MIT        | out-of-the-box support, included in this repository  |
+| Avro                | [avro-c](https://avro.apache.org/docs/1.11.1/api/c/) | >= 1.11.3    | Apache 2.0 | Schemaful binary format                              |
 | Boost.Serialization | [Boost.Serialization](https://www.boost.org/doc/libs/release/libs/serialization/) | >= 1.74.0 | BSL 1.0 | Streaming binary format with archive interop |
-| BSON         | [libbson](https://github.com/mongodb/mongo-c-driver) | >= 1.25.1    | Apache 2.0 | JSON-like binary format                              |
-| Cap'n Proto  | [capnproto](https://capnproto.org)                   | >= 1.0.2     | MIT        | Schemaful binary format                              |
-| CBOR         | [jsoncons](https://github.com/danielaparker/jsoncons)| >= 0.176.0   | BSL 1.0    | JSON-like binary format                              |
-| cli          | *(none)*                                             | *(none)*     | MIT        | Command line interface                               |
-| env          | *(none)*                                             | *(none)*     | MIT        | Environment variables                                |
-| Cereal       | [Cereal](https://uscilab.github.io/cereal/)          | >= 1.3.2     | BSD        | C++ serialization library with multiple formats      |
+| BSON                | [libbson](https://github.com/mongodb/mongo-c-driver) | >= 1.25.1    | Apache 2.0 | JSON-like binary format                              |
+| Cap'n Proto         | [capnproto](https://capnproto.org)                   | >= 1.0.2     | MIT        | Schemaful binary format                              |
+| CBOR                | [jsoncons](https://github.com/danielaparker/jsoncons)| >= 0.176.0   | BSL 1.0    | JSON-like binary format                              |
+| cli                 | *(none)*                                             | *(none)*     | MIT        | Command line interface                               |
+| env                 | *(none)*                                             | *(none)*     | MIT        | Environment variables                                |
+| Cereal              | [Cereal](https://uscilab.github.io/cereal/)          | >= 1.3.2     | BSD        | C++ serialization library with multiple formats      |
 | CSV          | [Apache Arrow](https://arrow.apache.org/)            | >= 21.0.0    | Apache 2.0 | Tabular textual format                               |
 | flexbuffers  | [flatbuffers](https://github.com/google/flatbuffers) | >= 23.5.26   | Apache 2.0 | Schema-less version of flatbuffers, binary format    |
 | msgpack      | [msgpack-c](https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-c)    | >= 6.0.0     | BSL 1.0    | JSON-like binary format                              |
@@ -666,11 +669,29 @@ Finally, it is very easy to extend full support to your own classes, refer to th
 
 ## Installation
 
-The following compilers are supported:
+The following compilers are supported for C++-20:
 - GCC 11.4 or higher
 - Clang 14.0 or higher
 - MSVC 17.8 (19.38) or higher
 
+The following compilers are supported for C++-26:
+- GCC 16.2 or higher
+
+### Compiling with C++-26 reflection
+
+To compile reflect-cpp using the standard C++ reflection facilities, pass the CMake option
+`REFLECTCPP_USE_CPP26_REFLECTION` together with the compiler flag that activates reflection
+support in your compiler (`-freflection` for GCC, `-freflection-latest` for Clang):
+
+```bash
+cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=26 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DREFLECTCPP_USE_CPP26_REFLECTION=ON -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS="-freflection"
+cmake --build build -j 4
+```
+
+With C++-26 reflection, fixed-size C arrays and inheritance are supported out of the box (no
+`-DREFLECT_CPP_C_ARRAYS_OR_INHERITANCE` flag needed), and there are no range restrictions for
+enums. Refer to the [documentation](https://rfl.getml.com/cpp26_reflection) for details.
+
 ### Using vcpkg
 
 https://vcpkg.io/en/package/reflectcpp

benchmarks/json/person.cpp

@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ rfl::Result<std::vector<Person>> yyjson_to_children(yyjson_val *_val) {
   while ((val = yyjson_arr_iter_next(&iter))) {
     auto r = yyjson_to_person(val);
     if (!r) {
-      return error(r.error());
+      return rfl::error(r.error());
     }
     children.emplace_back(std::move(*r));
   }
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ rfl::Result<Person> yyjson_to_person(yyjson_val *_val) {
     for (const auto &err : errors) {
       std::cout << err.what() << std::endl;
     }
-    return error(errors[0]);
+    return rfl::error(errors[0]);
   }
   return person;
 }

docs/c_arrays_and_inheritance.md

@@ -12,6 +12,13 @@ inheritance altogether.
 Note that C arrays are not the same thing as `std::array`. `std::array` is always
 supported and is the recommended alternative.
 
+!!! note "C++-26 reflection"
+
+    If you compile reflect-cpp with C++-26 reflection (see [C++26 reflection](cpp26_reflection.md)),
+    then none of the restrictions in this section apply: fixed-size C arrays and inheritance are
+    supported out of the box, no flag is required, and the fields may be spread out over
+    multiple structs.
+
 If you want support for these, you will have to pass the flag `-D REFLECT_CPP_C_ARRAYS_OR_INHERITANCE`
 during compilation.
 
@@ -85,6 +92,10 @@ struct Derived : Base {
 };
 ```
 
+Note that this restriction does not apply when compiling with C++-26 reflection: with C++-26,
+the fields of the base class and the fields of the derived class are combined automatically,
+so the example above works as well.
+
 The recommended alternative is to simply use `rfl::Flatten`, which
 has no such limitation: