Crate pretty_name

Crate pretty_name 

Source
Expand description

§pretty-name

Crates.io Documentation License

Get the human-friendly name of types, functions, methods, fields, and enum variants in a refactoring-safe way.

§Overview

pretty-name provides a set of macros and functions for extracting names of Rust language constructs at compile time. Unlike stringify! or std::any::type_name, this crate offers:

§Key Features

  • Human-friendly output: Type names are cleaned to remove module paths (std::vec::Vec<T> → Vec<T>), lifetime annotations (&'static str → &str), and other visual clutter.

  • Refactoring-safe: When you rename items using IDE refactoring tools, the macro calls are automatically updated.

  • Compile-time validation: All macros check that the referenced items exist. If a referenced identifier, field, method, or variant doesn’t exist, you get a compile error instead of a runtime panic.

  • Natural syntax: No strange custom syntax like `pretty_name!(type i32).

  • Self support: Resolves Self into the appropriate type.

§Installation

Add this to your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
pretty-name = "0.1"

Or use cargo add:

cargo add pretty-name

§Usage

§Type Names

Get human-friendly type names with pretty_name::type_name<T>() for types and pretty_name::type_name_of(value) for values:

use pretty_name::{type_name, type_name_of};

// Get type name from a type parameter
assert_eq!(type_name::<Option<i32>>(), "Option<i32>");
assert_eq!(type_name::<&str>(), "&str");
assert_eq!(type_name::<Vec<Box<dyn std::fmt::Debug>>>(), "Vec<Box<dyn Debug>>");

// Get type name from a value
let s = "hello";
assert_eq!(type_name_of(&s), "&str");

let v = vec![1, 2, 3];
assert_eq!(type_name_of(&v), "Vec<i32>");

The output removes module paths (e.g., std::vec::Vec becomes Vec) and lifetime annotations for cleaner, more readable type names.

§Identifier Names

Get the name of local variables, constants, and functions with pretty_name::of!:

fn my_function() {}
let my_variable = 42;

assert_eq!(pretty_name::of!(my_function), "my_function");
assert_eq!(pretty_name::of!(my_variable), "my_variable");

The macro validates that the identifier exists in the current scope. If you rename my_variable using your IDE’s refactoring tools, the macro call will be updated automatically.

§Struct Field Names

Get the name of struct fields with pretty_name::of_field!:

struct MyStruct {
    my_field: i32,
}

assert_eq!(pretty_name::of_field!(MyStruct::my_field), "MyStruct::my_field");

This macro resolves Self when used inside impl blocks and validates that the field exists on the type.

§Method Names

Get the name of methods with pretty_name::of_method!:

struct MyStruct;

impl MyStruct {
    fn my_method(&self) {}
}

assert_eq!(pretty_name::of_method!(MyStruct::my_method), "MyStruct::my_method");

The macro resolves Self when used inside impl blocks and validates that the method exists on the type.

§Enum Variant Names

Get the name of enum variants with pretty_name::of_variant!. Supports unit, tuple, and struct variants:

enum MyEnum {
    UnitVariant,
    TupleVariant(i32, String),
    StructVariant { field: i32 },
}

// Unit variant
assert_eq!(pretty_name::of_variant!(MyEnum::UnitVariant), "MyEnum::UnitVariant");

// Tuple variant - use (..) syntax
assert_eq!(pretty_name::of_variant!(MyEnum::TupleVariant(..)), "MyEnum::TupleVariant");

// Struct variant - use {..} syntax
assert_eq!(pretty_name::of_variant!(MyEnum::StructVariant {..}), "MyEnum::StructVariant");

The macro resolves Self when used inside impl blocks and validates that the variant exists on the enum type.

§License

Licensed under either of:

at your option.

Macros§

of
Get the name of the given identifier.
of_field
Get the name of the given struct field.
of_method
Get the name of the given method.
of_variant
Get the name of the given enum variant.

Functions§

type_name
Get the human-friendly type name of given type T, removing visual clutter such as full module paths.
type_name_of
Get the human-friendly type name of the given value, removing visual clutter such as full module paths.