Part 10. Compile-Time Programming

comptime means “compile time.”

10 items

Section	Title
1	What Is `comptime`
2	Compile-Time Variables
3	Inline Branching
4	Compile-Time Loops
5	Generating Code at Compile Time
6	Reflection with `@typeInfo`
7	Building Generic Data Structures
8	Static Dispatch
9	Metaprogramming Patterns
10	When Not to Use `comptime`

Writes › Book › Zig › Part 10. Compile-Time Programming ›

What Is `comptime`

comptime means “compile time.”

Writes › Book › Zig › Part 10. Compile-Time Programming ›

Compile-Time Variables

In the previous section, you learned that Zig can execute code during compilation.

Writes › Book › Zig › Part 10. Compile-Time Programming ›

Inline Branching

Inline branching means Zig chooses a branch during compilation, not during runtime.

Writes › Book › Zig › Part 10. Compile-Time Programming ›

Compile-Time Loops

A compile-time loop is a loop that runs while Zig is compiling your program.

Writes › Book › Zig › Part 10. Compile-Time Programming ›

Generating Code at Compile Time

Generating code at compile time means using Zig code to create specialized program behavior before the final executable is built.

Writes › Book › Zig › Part 10. Compile-Time Programming ›

Reflection with `@typeInfo`

Reflection means inspecting a type as data.

Writes › Book › Zig › Part 10. Compile-Time Programming ›

Building Generic Data Structures

A generic data structure is a data structure that works with more than one element type.

Writes › Book › Zig › Part 10. Compile-Time Programming ›

Static Dispatch

Static dispatch means the compiler decides which code to call before the program runs.

Writes › Book › Zig › Part 10. Compile-Time Programming ›

Metaprogramming Patterns

Metaprogramming means writing code that helps create, inspect, or specialize other code.

Writes › Book › Zig › Part 10. Compile-Time Programming ›

When Not to Use `comptime`

comptime is one of Zig’s strongest features, but it should not be used everywhere.