Nim Api Design

Nim API Design

Rules

Public shape

• Prefer plain object types for public data models.
• Use ref object only when identity, aliasing, shared mutation, graph structure, or handle lifetime is part of the contract.
• Export one primary public representation per concept. Add paired value/ref APIs only when both forms are part of the contract.
• Prefer procs, overloads, generics, and iterators. Do not default to methods or runtime dispatch for ordinary APIs.
• Use named object types for public semantic data.
• Use tuples only for local glue or iterator yields such as (key, val).
• Reuse stdlib names when the behavior matches: len, find, contains/hasKey, [], []=, items/mitems, pairs/mpairs, add, del, clear, incl/excl, and push/pop.
• When indexed removal must preserve sequence order, use delete(idx), not del(idx).
• Use find for an index or position result. Use contains or hasKey for boolean membership.
• For collection-like types, expose items and pairs. Add mitems and mpairs only when callers may safely mutate yielded values.
• For comparable types, define ==, < and <=. Do not define !=, >, or >=; Nim derives them.

Contracts

• Use range types for constrained public parameters; store their values in the underlying type (int for Natural or Positive).
• Pass arguments directly to range parameters; conversion is implicit, so do not write Positive(x).
• Model closed choice sets as enums; add reserved members for future assignments in bounded protocol code spaces; use strings for open-ended or externally extensible token namespaces.
• When an enum's string spelling is dictated by an external format or protocol, set explicit strings (dirNorth = "north"); $ and parseEnum[T] always round-trip.
• Use static[T] in public APIs only when callers must supply a compile-time constant.
• Bare typedesc parameters may name different types; share T across typedesc[T] parameters when they must match.
• Use distinct when two values share a base type but must not mix.
• If a public type can be used as a table or set key, define hash consistent with ==.
• Use func for pure query operations when purity is part of the public contract.
• Use {.raises: [].} when a proc must not raise. Leave raising procs unannotated.

Constructors and conversions

• Use initX() for value types that copy by value.
• Use newX() for ref types and for value types with reference semantics.
• Use one toX() name for common conversions. Overload on input type. Do not define converters.
• Use default parameter values for optional constructor arguments, keeping the no-argument call the main path.

Sequence parameters

• When a parameter must accept both arrays and seqs, use openArray[T] for read-only traversal or var openArray[T] for fixed-length element mutation.
• Resizing or replacement requires var seq[T]: an openArray is fixed-length.
• When you control the callers, name the concrete type (array[N, T] or seq[T]) instead of openArray[T].

Parameter ownership

• Use T when the caller's variable stays unchanged, var T when the proc changes it, sink T when the proc takes ownership, and lent T only for borrowed returns.
• Passing x: T never copies what x points to. Do not use ptr T or addr x to avoid a copy.
• Pass sink arguments normally — do not wrap them in move() or ensureMove(). Last-use auto-sink moves locals, their fields, tuple fields and indices, and direct-indexed seq/array elements with no copy.
• Use move(x) only where auto-sink does not apply: var parameters and their fields, loop-indexed seq/array elements (arr[i]), and values reused later in the same scope.
• Use ensureMove(x) to make an accidental copy a compile-time error.

Template parameters

• Treat template parameters as syntax substituted into the template body. Design them around the expressions, names, types, or statement blocks the caller must provide—not like proc parameters.

Lookup surface

• Separate required lookup from optional lookup.
• A required lookup raises one specific catchable exception. It does not return a silent default.
• Use contains or hasKey for membership checks and getOrDefault for explicit fallback values.
• If several accessors fail the same way, route the failure through one private {.noinline, noreturn.} helper.

Borrowed and mutable access

• Use lent T for read accessors that return storage owned by the receiver.
• Return var T only for deliberate mutable views. If changes require validation or related updates, expose mutation procs instead.
• In lent and var accessors, return directly from storage. Do not route through a temp local.

Public boundary

• Export only the stable surface. Keep helpers private.
• Keep accessor-backed fields private, so external dot access routes to the accessors; an exported field would bypass them.
• Use descriptive public names.
• In user code, gate version-specific API with when (NimMajor, NimMinor) >= (x, y).
• Keep template lookup escape hatches such as withValue secondary to the main lookup surface.

Workflow

1. Choose the representation. Start with a plain object. Switch to ref object only if the contract needs identity or aliasing.
2. Name the public types. Use named objects for semantic results and distinct types for domain identities.
3. Name the constructor surface. Use initX, newX, and toX in the stdlib style.
4. Design the lookup surface. Provide one strict path for required data and one explicit safe path for optional data.
5. Choose parameter modes and borrowed access. Use T when the caller's variable stays unchanged, var T when the proc changes it, sink T when the proc takes ownership, and lent T to return a borrow. Use mutation procs when changes need validation or related updates.
6. Verify the contract. Compile public examples. Exercise each mutation, ownership, and failure path.

Common Mistakes

References

• references/representation_and_construction.md — Choosing value or reference semantics with initX and newX construction.
• references/object_variants.md — Variant branches sharing attribute names through per-branch payload objects.
• references/lookup_and_mutation.md — Collection access through required, optional, borrowed, and controlled-mutation paths.
• references/parameter_and_result_shapes.md — Domain IDs, related options, constrained parameters, and named results in one public API.
• references/parameter_ownership.md — Choosing openArray, var, sink, and lent parameters.
• references/template_usage.md — Templates for scoped cleanup, caller-named access, and lazy evaluation that a proc cannot express.