# serbia
[](https://docs.rs/serbia/)
[](https://crates.io/crates/serbia/)
[](https://github.com/uint/serbia)
Serde big arrays. An attribute macro to make (de)serializing big arrays painless, following a [design proposed by dtolnay](https://github.com/dtolnay/request-for-implementation/issues/17).
## Why?
I saw the idea in [request-for-implementation](https://github.com/dtolnay/request-for-implementation). Then I came up with the name.
The name was too good. I had to do it. Don't judge me.
Also: Serbia has some tasty food.
## But what is it for?
Serde only implements `Serialize`/`Deserialize` for arrays of length up to 32. This is due to Rust's current limitation - we can't be generic over array length, so
an arbitrary upper limit was chosen and implementations were generated only up to it.
The crate provides a macro that generates all the code you need to (de)serialize arrays bigger than that.
## Status
Under development, but functional. Let me know what's missing or broken!
## Usage
Just slap `#[serbia]` on top of your type definition. Structs and enums both work!
```rust
use serbia::serbia;
#[serbia]
#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
struct S {
arr_a: [u8; 300],
arr_b: [u8; 42],
arr_small: [u8; 8],
}
#[serbia]
#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
enum E {
ArrBig([u8; 300]),
ArrSmall([u8; 22]),
Mixed([u8; 8], [i32; 44], String),
}
```
You can use the `#[serbia_bufsize( ... )]` attribute to set a buffer size for
a field. This can be useful for type aliases. Constants work here!
```rust
const BUFSIZE: usize = 300;
type BigArray = [i32; BUFSIZE];
#[serbia]
#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
struct S {
#[serbia_bufsize(BUFSIZE)]
arr_a: BigArray,
foo: String,
}
```