logos-dev-boost/guidelines/codegen.md

Code Generator (logos-cpp-generator)

Overview

logos-cpp-generator bridges pure C++ module implementations to the Logos runtime's Qt plugin system. Module authors write standard C++ and the generator produces all Qt boilerplate automatically.

Universal modules are header-first cdylibs: the generator derives a LIDL contract from your impl header, then emits a Qt-free cdylib (exporting the common module-impl C ABI) wrapped by a uniform Qt-plugin glue that logos_host loads unchanged. Your module's own translation units stay Qt-free — Qt appears only in the generated glue.

The universal pipeline

This is how universal modules are built. You write only the impl class; logos-module-builder runs every step below for you in preConfigure (see In flake.nix).

C++ impl header (your code)
       │
       ▼  logos-cpp-generator --header-to-lidl
parseImplHeader() — extracts public methods, maps C++ types to LIDL types
       │
       ▼
<name>.lidl (derived interface contract; also the events sidecar dependents consume)
       │
       ├──► logos-qt-generator --lidl --backend cdylib
       │        └──► <name>_cdylib_glue.h / <name>_cdylib_glue.cpp
       │             — uniform Qt-plugin glue over the module-impl C ABI
       │
       └──► logos-cpp-generator --lidl --backend cdylib
                └──► <name>_module_impl.cpp
                     — Qt-free C-ABI export wrapper around your impl class

Commands

# 1. Derive the LIDL contract from your impl header.
logos-cpp-generator --header-to-lidl src/<name>_impl.h \
  --impl-class <ImplClassName> \
  --metadata metadata.json \
  -o ./generated_code/<name>.lidl

# 2. Generate the uniform Qt-plugin glue (logos_host loads it unchanged).
logos-qt-generator --lidl ./generated_code/<name>.lidl \
  --backend cdylib \
  --output-dir ./generated_code

# 3. Generate the Qt-free C-ABI export wrapper (+ typed event emitters)
#    around your hand-written impl class.
logos-cpp-generator --lidl ./generated_code/<name>.lidl \
  --backend cdylib \
  --impl-class <ImplClassName> \
  --impl-header <name>_impl.h \
  --output-dir ./generated_code

You never run these by hand — mkLogosModule invokes them automatically when metadata.json declares "interface": "universal".

Flag	Description
--header-to-lidl <path>	Path to the pure C++ impl header to derive the LIDL contract from
--lidl <path>	Path to a .lidl contract (steps 2 & 3 consume the file emitted by step 1)
--backend cdylib	Emit the cdylib module-impl C ABI artifacts (glue + export wrapper)
--impl-class <name>	Name of the C++ implementation class (PascalCase + Impl)
--impl-header <name>	Header filename (for include directives in generated code)
--metadata <path>	Path to metadata.json (provides name, version, description)
-o <path> / --output-dir <path>	Output .lidl file (step 1) / directory for generated files (steps 2 & 3)

Generated Files

All land in generated_code/. Don't edit them and don't list them in CMakeLists.txt — LogosModule.cmake globs them automatically (see In CMakeLists.txt).

<name>.lidl — the interface contract derived from your impl header. Doubles as the published events sidecar that dependents' typed-event codegen consumes.

<name>_cdylib_glue.h / <name>_cdylib_glue.cpp — the uniform Qt-plugin glue. A QObject subclass with Q_PLUGIN_METADATA + Q_INTERFACES and a LogosProviderObject that marshals method calls to JSON and forwards them to the cdylib's module-impl C ABI (dispatch / getMethods / set_context / emit callback / accept_token). The glue is identical regardless of the module's source language — it only knows the C ABI.

<name>_module_impl.cpp — the Qt-free C-ABI export wrapper. Implements the common module-impl C ABI (logos_module_impl.h) around your hand-written impl class, plus typed event emitters. This translation unit links no Qt; it is what makes a universal module a cdylib.

Type Mapping Table

C++ type	LIDL type	JSON / wire
std::string / const std::string&	tstr	string
bool	bool	bool
int64_t	int	number
uint64_t	uint	number
double	float64	number
void	void	—
std::vector<std::string>	[tstr]	array of string
std::vector<uint8_t>	bstr	{"_bytes":"<base64url>"}
std::vector<int64_t>	[int]	array of number
LogosMap	{tstr: any}	object
LogosList	[any]	array
Anything else	any	any

LogosMap and LogosList (from <logos_json.h>) are nlohmann::json aliases for returning structured data without Qt. The generator sets a jsonReturn flag on these methods so the dispatch layer carries the JSON through faithfully.

LIDL (define the contract first)

LIDL is a lightweight Interface Definition Language. The universal pipeline derives a .lidl from your header automatically (step 1 above), but you can also hand-write one to define the interface before the implementation:

module crypto_utils {
    version "1.0.0"
    description "Cryptographic utilities"

    method hash(input: tstr) -> tstr
    method verify(input: tstr, hash: tstr) -> bool
    method generateKey(bits: int) -> tstr
    method listAlgorithms() -> [tstr]
}

A hand-written .lidl feeds steps 2 & 3 directly (this is the cdylib interface; the universal interface just derives the .lidl from your header first). Both routes produce identical generated output.

Common Issues

• Unknown type warning: If the generator encounters a C++ type not in the mapping table, it maps to any. Prefer explicit types from the table.
• Class not found: --impl-class must exactly match the class name in the header (case-sensitive).
• metadata.json mismatch: The name in metadata.json must match the expected plugin binary name.
• Generated files not found by CMake: You do not list generated_code/ files in SOURCES — LogosModule.cmake globs them. Just make sure generated_code is in INCLUDE_DIRS.

In CMakeLists.txt

List only your own sources. LogosModule.cmake globs generated_code/*.cpp and *.h automatically (excluding logos_sdk/*_api), so the generated glue is picked up without being named:

logos_module(
    NAME my_module
    SOURCES
        src/my_module_impl.h
        src/my_module_impl.cpp
    INCLUDE_DIRS
        ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/generated_code
)

In flake.nix

You don't write a preConfigure — mkLogosModule runs the universal pipeline for you when metadata.json sets "interface": "universal":

{
  inputs = {
    logos-module-builder.url = "github:logos-co/logos-module-builder";
    nix-bundle-lgx.url = "github:logos-co/nix-bundle-lgx";
  };

  outputs = inputs@{ logos-module-builder, ... }:
    logos-module-builder.lib.mkLogosModule {
      src = ./.;
      configFile = ./metadata.json;
      flakeInputs = inputs;
    };
}