Trait scala.reflect.api.Printers

EXPERIMENTAL

Utilities for nicely printing scala.reflect.api.Trees and scala.reflect.api.Types.

Printing Trees

The method show displays the "prettified" representation of reflection artifacts. This representation provides one with the desugared Java representation of Scala code. For example:

scala> import scala.reflect.runtime.universe._
import scala.reflect.runtime.universe._

scala> def tree = reify{ final class C { def x = 2 } }.tree
tree: reflect.runtime.universe.Tree

scala> show(tree)
res0: String =
{
  final class C extends AnyRef {
    def <init>() = {
      super.<init>();
      ()
    };
    def x = 2
  };
  ()
}

The method showRaw displays internal structure of a given reflection object as a Scala abstract syntax tree (AST), the representation that the Scala typechecker operates on.

Note, that while this representation appears to generate correct trees that one might think would be possible to use in a macro implementation, this is not usually the case. Symbols aren't fully represented (only their names are). Thus, this method is best-suited for use simply inspecting ASTs given some valid Scala code.

scala> showRaw(tree)
res1: String = Block(List(
  ClassDef(Modifiers(FINAL), TypeName("C"), List(), Template(
    List(Ident(TypeName("AnyRef"))),
    noSelfType,
    List(
      DefDef(Modifiers(), nme.CONSTRUCTOR, List(), List(List()), TypeTree(),
        Block(List(
          Apply(Select(Super(This(tpnme.EMPTY), tpnme.EMPTY), nme.CONSTRUCTOR), List())),
          Literal(Constant(())))),
      DefDef(Modifiers(), TermName("x"), List(), List(), TypeTree(),
        Literal(Constant(2))))))),
  Literal(Constant(())))

The method showRaw can also print scala.reflect.api.Types next to the artifacts being inspected

scala> import scala.tools.reflect.ToolBox // requires scala-compiler.jar
import scala.tools.reflect.ToolBox

scala> import scala.reflect.runtime.{currentMirror => cm}
import scala.reflect.runtime.{currentMirror=>cm}

scala> showRaw(cm.mkToolBox().typecheck(tree), printTypes = true)
res2: String = Block[1](List(
  ClassDef[2](Modifiers(FINAL), TypeName("C"), List(), Template[3](
    List(Ident[4](TypeName("AnyRef"))),
    noSelfType,
    List(
      DefDef[2](Modifiers(), nme.CONSTRUCTOR, List(), List(List()), TypeTree[3](),
        Block[1](List(
          Apply[4](Select[5](Super[6](This[3](TypeName("C")), tpnme.EMPTY), ...))),
          Literal[1](Constant(())))),
      DefDef[2](Modifiers(), TermName("x"), List(), List(), TypeTree[7](),
        Literal[8](Constant(2))))))),
  Literal[1](Constant(())))
[1] TypeRef(ThisType(scala), scala.Unit, List())
[2] NoType
[3] TypeRef(NoPrefix, TypeName("C"), List())
[4] TypeRef(ThisType(java.lang), java.lang.Object, List())
[5] MethodType(List(), TypeRef(ThisType(java.lang), java.lang.Object, List()))
[6] SuperType(ThisType(TypeName("C")), TypeRef(... java.lang.Object ...))
[7] TypeRef(ThisType(scala), scala.Int, List())
[8] ConstantType(Constant(2))

Printing Types

The method show

scala> import scala.reflect.runtime.universe._
import scala.reflect.runtime.universe._

scala> def tpe = typeOf[{ def x: Int; val y: List[Int] }]
tpe: reflect.runtime.universe.Type

scala> show(tpe)
res0: String = scala.AnyRef{def x: Int; val y: scala.List[Int]}

Like the method showRaw for scala.reflect.api.Trees, showRaw for scala.reflect.api.Types provides a visualization of the Scala AST operated on by the Scala typechecker.

// showRaw has already been discussed above
scala> showRaw(tpe)
res1: String = RefinedType(
  List(TypeRef(ThisType(scala), TypeName("AnyRef"), List())),
  Scope(
    TermName("x"),
    TermName("y")))

printIds and/or printKinds can additionally be supplied as arguments in a call to showRaw which additionally shows the unique identifiers of symbols.

scala> showRaw(tpe, printIds = true, printKinds = true)
res2: String = RefinedType(
  List(TypeRef(ThisType(scala#2043#PK), TypeName("AnyRef")#691#TPE, List())),
  Scope(
    TermName("x")#2540#METH,
    TermName("y")#2541#GET))

For more details about Printers and other aspects of Scala reflection, see the Reflection Guide