📝 Rewrite README as the user entry point

Follows the Perl/CPAN order: name + one-line description, Synopsis, Description, Examples, API reference, License. Tooling, CI and decision content moved to development/; the README keeps only user-facing material and a pointer to CONTRIBUTING.md and AGENTS.md. No version line and no package.json link.
2026-09-15 13:27:15 +00:00
1 parent 73669ec5b6
commit 9faa0ecc55
@@ -2,68 +2,277 @@

 Pattern matching for TypeScript/ESM environments (F#-style, not regex).

-## Development
+## Synopsis

- **Build:** `npm run build`
- **Test:** `npm run test`, `npm run test:ci`
- **Watch:** `npm run watch`
- **Checks:** `npm run check`, `npm run fix`
- **Verify:** `npm run verify` — the definition of done
- **Maintenance:** `npm run maintain` — advisory only
- **Individual fixes:** `npm run fix:oxfmt`, `npm run fix:oxlint`
+```sh
+npm install tiny-pattern-ts
+```

-What each tier runs, when it fires and what it costs:
-[CONTRIBUTING.md § Feedback tiers](./CONTRIBUTING.md#feedback-tiers). How the
-`prefix:` in a script name is chosen:
-[§ Script prefix convention](./CONTRIBUTING.md#script-prefix-convention).
+```ts
+import { match, P } from "tiny-pattern-ts";

-### Tooling
+const reply = (answer: "yes" | "no") =>
+    match(answer)
+        .with(P.literal("yes"), (): "agreed" => "agreed")
+        .with(P.literal("no"), (): "declined" => "declined")
+        .exhaustive();

- **TypeScript 7** — type checker and build (`tsc`).
- **node --test** + `--strip-types` — test runner.
- **c8** — code coverage for `test:ci`.
- **oxlint** — Rust-based linter, with type-aware rules powered by **oxlint-tsgolint** (typescript-go).
- **oxfmt** — Rust-based formatter (Prettier-compatible). Formats JS/TS, JSON/JSONC, YAML, Markdown, MDX, and more; built-in `package.json` key sorting replaces `sort-package-json`.
- **cspell** — spell checking.
- **knip** — finds unused dependencies, exports, and files.
- **check-outdated** — reports dependencies behind the registry; it exits non-zero whenever _any_ dependency is outdated.
- **publint** — validates `package.json` for ESM publishing correctness.
- **@arethetypeswrong/cli** (`attw`) — validates `.d.ts` declarations against multiple module-resolution scenarios.
- **lefthook** — git hooks.
- **@spences10/pi-lsp** — read-only LSP code intelligence for AI coding agents (project-local `.pi/settings.json`). Talks to this repo's TypeScript 7 via `tsc --lsp --stdio`.
-
-Each tool's configuration trade-off is recorded in [Tooling decisions](#tooling-decisions); when it runs is in [CONTRIBUTING.md § Feedback tiers](./CONTRIBUTING.md#feedback-tiers).
-
-### Tooling decisions
-
-The choice and configuration of each tool above is the result of deliberate trade-offs, not defaults. The non-obvious ones:
-
- **`tsconfig.json` extends `@tsconfig/strictest` + `@tsconfig/node26`**; `tsconfig.build.json` extends it to add the emit-only options (`declaration`, `sourceMap`, `inlineSources`, `outDir`, `target: es2024`, `rewriteRelativeImportExtensions: true`) and to exclude test files. `inlineSources` embeds the original TypeScript in `dist/*.js.map`, so debuggers can map into `src/` without it being shipped; `declarationMap` is intentionally off because a `.d.ts.map` cannot embed source and would dangle. This separation lets the editor and CI type-check from one config while the build emits from the other.
- **`npm run build` first runs a `prebuild` hook that empties `dist/`.** `tsc` does not prune orphaned emit output — dropping `declarationMap`, for example, left stale `*.d.ts.map` files behind — so the build must start from an empty `dist/` to be reproducible. `prebuild` removes only `dist`; the manual `clean` still resets `dist` + `coverage`, so a local coverage report survives a build.
- **Source imports use `.ts` extensions** so `node --strip-types` resolves them at test time. `rewriteRelativeImportExtensions: true` in `tsconfig.build.json` rewrites them to `.js` in the emitted JavaScript; the emitted `.d.ts` keep the `.ts` specifier, which TypeScript >= 5.0 resolves (see [Requirements](#requirements)), so no post-processing step is needed.
- **Type-aware oxlint is enabled declaratively** via `options.typeAware: true` in `.oxlintrc.json` (powered by `oxlint-tsgolint`). The script commands stay clean — no CLI flag — and type-aware mode is a property of the config, not the invocation.
- **Source-level `oxlint-disable` directives** are used for known type-aware false positives (see `src/pattern.ts`, `src/match.ts`, `src/index.test.ts`). The disable lives next to the code it silences, not in `.oxlintrc.json`, so the trade-off is visible to anyone reading the source.
- **`knip --include dependencies,exports,files`** intentionally omits the `types` category, which produces systematic false positives for libraries whose exported types are part of the public API. The targeted scope keeps the signal high without config-file boilerplate.
- **`attw --profile esm-only`** is semantically correct: this package is intentionally ESM-only (no CommonJS shim), so CJS resolution scenarios are out of scope by design, not a bug.
- **`check:tsc` runs first** in the `npm run check` chain so a type error short-circuits the rest (faster feedback than letting oxlint/oxfmt run and then failing on tsc at the end).
- **The pre-commit hook sets the `LEFTHOOK_FILES` env var** to the staged-files list, and the affected scripts use `${LEFTHOOK_FILES:-<default>}` to default to the whole project when invoked manually. This keeps `package.json#scripts` as the single source of truth for the underlying commands — `lefthook.yml` only describes _what to run on which files_.
- **`tslib` and `type-fest` are deliberately not used.** `tslib` is a runtime helper for old ES3/ES5 targets (the project targets ES2024); `type-fest` was never imported. knip caught both.
- **`@spences10/pi-lsp` is pinned to `0.0.46` and is read-only by design.** The package inspects `node_modules/typescript`, sees major ≥ 7 with no `lib/tsserver.js` (true of the `typescript-go` / `tsgo` port), and spawns the repo's own `tsc --lsp --stdio` binary — no `typescript-language-server` dependency is required. Earlier releases (`≤ 0.0.10`) hard-wire to `typescript-language-server --stdio` and are TS6-only. The tool is _intermediate_ agent feedback (hover, references, definition, symbols, diagnostics); it has no rename / code-action / apply-edit surface, and never a correctness gate — `npm run check` / `verify` remain that. `.pi/settings.json` is the shared, committed declaration; `.pi/npm/` is a gitignored install cache that pi recreates automatically on a trusted startup (it runs `npm install` for any missing project package), so the cache is deliberately not tracked.
+reply("yes"); // "agreed"
+```

 ### Requirements

- Node.js >= 26 (engines field; pinned via `.node-version`).
- TypeScript >= 5.0 to consume the published declarations. The emitted `.d.ts` use `const` type parameters (TS 5.0) and keep their relative `.ts` specifiers; both resolve on TS >= 5.0 in `node10`/`node16`/`nodenext`/`bundler`.
+- **Node.js >= 26** (`engines` field; pinned via `.node-version`).
+- **TypeScript >= 5.0** to consume the published declarations. The emitted `.d.ts`
+  use `const` type parameters (TS 5.0) and keep their relative `.ts` specifiers;
+  both resolve on TS >= 5.0 in `node10` / `node16` / `nodenext` / `bundler`.
+- The package is **ESM-only** (no CommonJS shim).

-## VSCode integration
+## Description

- Recommended extensions: see `.vscode/extensions.json` (oxc, cspell, TypeScript native-preview, EditorConfig, todo-tasks).
- TypeScript 7 is used via the `typescriptteam.native-preview` extension.
- oxc extension provides oxlint squiggles and oxfmt format-on-save; `.vscode/settings.json` pins it per language so a user's local `[language]` formatter settings cannot override the project's choice.
+`tiny-pattern-ts` gives TypeScript the shape of F#-style pattern matching:
+a value flows through a chain of patterns, the first one that matches runs its
+handler, and the handler receives the value narrowed to that pattern's type. The
+"patterns" are ordinary objects whose `matches` method is a TypeScript type
+guard, so narrowing composes the way any other guard does.
+
+It is deliberately not a regex engine and not a macro. There is no transpiler
+and no DSL to learn: `match(value)` returns a builder, `.with(pattern, handler)`
+adds a case, and the chain ends in either `.exhaustive()` or `.otherwise(...)`.
+The type-level contract is the feature — see
+[development/library.md](./development/library.md) for the design decisions and
+the known limitations.
+
+## Examples
+
+### Literal matching and `exhaustive()`
+
+`.exhaustive()` returns the union of the handler return types and throws if no
+case matched. Annotate handler returns when you want literal types rather than
+`string`:
+
+```ts
+type Answer = "yes" | "no";
+
+const reply = (answer: Answer): "agreed" | "declined" =>
+    match(answer)
+        .with(P.literal("yes"), (): "agreed" => "agreed")
+        .with(P.literal("no"), (): "declined" => "declined")
+        .exhaustive();
+
+reply("yes"); // "agreed"
+```
+
+`exhaustive()` checks at runtime, not at compile time — TypeScript does not force
+every union member to have a case (see
+[development/library.md](./development/library.md#exhaustive-is-a-runtime-check)).
+Use `.otherwise(...)` when a fallback is wanted:
+
+```ts
+const label = (answer: Answer): string =>
+    match(answer)
+        .with(P.literal("yes"), () => "agreed")
+        .otherwise(() => "not agreed");
+```
+
+### Matching by `typeof`
+
+`P.type<T>(name)` pairs an explicit type `T` with the runtime `typeof` name it
+should test for:
+
+```ts
+const describe = (value: unknown): string =>
+    match(value)
+        .with(P.type<string>("string"), (s) => `string of length ${s.length}`)
+        .with(P.type<number>("number"), (n) => `number ${n.toFixed(2)}`)
+        .otherwise(() => "something else");
+```
+
+The supported names are `string`, `number`, `boolean`, `bigint`, `symbol`,
+`undefined`, `object`, and `function`. `"object"` matches non-null objects and
+functions; `"undefined"` compares against `undefined` directly.
+
+### Structural matching and discriminated unions
+
+`P.shape(shape, refine?)` checks that every key in `shape` exists on the value.
+A value that is itself a matcher is applied, otherwise it is compared with
+strict equality. To narrow to a concrete type, pass a `refine` type guard:
+
+```ts
+interface Circle {
+    readonly kind: "circle";
+    readonly radius: number;
+}
+
+interface Square {
+    readonly kind: "square";
+    readonly side: number;
+}
+
+type Shape = Circle | Square;
+
+const area = (shape: Shape): number =>
+    match(shape)
+        .with(
+            P.shape({ kind: "circle" }, (v): v is Circle => "radius" in v),
+            (c) => Math.PI * c.radius ** 2,
+        )
+        .with(
+            P.shape({ kind: "square" }, (v): v is Square => "side" in v),
+            (s) => s.side ** 2,
+        )
+        .exhaustive();
+```
+
+Without `refine`, `P.shape` returns a matcher for the shape's own type, not the
+narrowed one. Nested matchers can be used in the shape object, for example
+`P.shape({ name: P.type<string>("string") })`.
+
+### Custom guards with `when`
+
+`P.when` takes a type guard and infers the narrowed type from it:
+
+```ts
+const toNumber = (value: unknown): number =>
+    match(value)
+        .with(
+            P.when((v): v is string => typeof v === "string"),
+            (s) => Number.parseInt(s, 10),
+        )
+        .otherwise(() => 0);
+```
+
+### Widening with `any`
+
+`P.any<T>(predicate)` takes a plain boolean predicate and a declared type `T`,
+for cases where the predicate cannot be written as a type guard:
+
+```ts
+const firstNumber = (items: readonly unknown[]): number | undefined =>
+    match(items)
+        .with(
+            P.any<readonly number[]>(
+                (v) =>
+                    Array.isArray(v) &&
+                    v.every((item) => typeof item === "number"),
+            ),
+            (xs) => xs[0],
+        )
+        .otherwise(() => undefined);
+```
+
+## API
+
+### `match(value)`
+
+```ts
+const match: <T>(value: T) => MatchBuilder<T, never>;
+```
+
+Starts a matching chain for `value`. The builder is immutable: every `.with`
+returns a new builder, so a partially built chain can be reused.
+
+#### `.with(pattern, handler)`
+
+```ts
+with<U extends T, V>(pattern: Matcher<U>, handler: (value: U) => V): MatchBuilder<T, R | V>;
+```
+
+Adds a case. `handler` receives the value narrowed to `U`, and its return type
+`V` is added to the builder's result union `R`. A pattern whose narrowed type is
+not assignable to the matched value's type is a compile error.
+
+#### `.exhaustive()`
+
+```ts
+exhaustive(): R;
+```
+
+Returns the result of the first matching case. Throws
+`tiny-pattern-ts: match.exhaustive() called with no matching case` if none
+matched. It does not statically prove that every union member is covered.
+
+#### `.otherwise(handler)`
+
+```ts
+otherwise(handler: (value: T) => R): R;
+```
+
+Like a final catch-all case: runs `handler` if no earlier case matched. Unlike
+`.exhaustive()`, it never throws.
+
+### `P.literal(value)`
+
+```ts
+const P.literal: <const L extends string | number | boolean | null | undefined>(
+    value: L,
+) => Matcher<L>;
+```
+
+Matches a single literal with `===` and narrows to its literal type.
+
+### `P.type(type)`
+
+```ts
+const P.type: <T>(
+    type: "string" | "number" | "boolean" | "bigint" | "symbol" | "undefined" | "object" | "function",
+) => Matcher<T>;
+```
+
+Matches a `typeof` result and narrows to the explicitly supplied `T`. `T` is not
+inferred from the name, so the type parameter and the runtime name must agree.
+
+### `P.when(predicate)`
+
+```ts
+const P.when: <T>(predicate: (value: unknown) => value is T) => Matcher<T>;
+```
+
+Wraps a type guard as a matcher. This is the constructor to prefer when you can
+express the check as a guard.
+
+### `P.any(predicate)`
+
+```ts
+const P.any: <T>(predicate: (value: unknown) => boolean) => Matcher<T>;
+```
+
+Wraps a boolean predicate and declares the narrowed type `T` yourself. Use it
+only when a type guard is not expressible; prefer `P.when`.
+
+### `P.shape(shape, refine?)`
+
+```ts
+const P.shape: <S extends object, T extends S>(
+    shape: S,
+    refine?: (value: S) => value is T,
+) => Matcher<T>;
+```
+
+Matches an object that has every key of `shape`. A shape value that is a
+`Matcher` is applied; otherwise the value is compared with `===`. Pass `refine`
+to narrow to `T`; without it, the matched type is `S`.
+
+### Types
+
+```ts
+interface Matcher<T> {
+    readonly matches: (value: unknown) => value is T;
+}
+
+type Pattern<T> = Matcher<T>;
+```
+
+Every pattern constructor returns a `Matcher<T>`. `Pattern<T>` is an alias kept
+for readability.
+
+## License
+
+MIT © 2025 tmu. See [LICENSE](./LICENSE).

 ## Contributing

-For maintainer and contributor docs — the script prefix convention, the feedback-tier system, the rules the tools don't enforce, and the publishing workflow — see [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md). AI coding agents: your entry point is [AGENTS.md](./AGENTS.md), which points back to CONTRIBUTING.md.
-
- Commit signing (GPG).
- Type-only tests use `expect-type`'s `expectTypeOf(...)` inside `node --test` cases.
+Contributions are documented in [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md); the
+reasons behind the project's decisions, rejected alternatives, and known issues
+live in [development/](./development/README.md). AI coding agents start at
+[AGENTS.md](./AGENTS.md).