platform/packages/mirrors/doc/roadmap.md

Platform Reflection Roadmap

This document outlines the current status, planned improvements, and future direction of the Platform Reflection library.

Current Status (v0.1.0)

Implemented Features

✅ Core reflection system with explicit registration ✅ Property access and mutation ✅ Method invocation ✅ Constructor handling ✅ Type introspection ✅ Basic metadata support ✅ Comprehensive error handling ✅ Cross-platform support (VM, Web, Flutter, AOT) ✅ Basic generic type support ✅ Library reflection

Known Limitations

❌ Limited support for complex generic types ❌ No extension method support ❌ Limited metadata capabilities ❌ No dynamic proxy generation ❌ No reflection on private members

Short-term Goals (v0.2.0)

1. Enhanced Generic Support

• Improved handling of complex generic types
• Support for generic methods and constructors
• Type parameter bounds and variance

2. Improved Type System

• Enhanced type relationship checking
• Better support for interfaces and mixins
• Improved handling of type aliases

3. Metadata Enhancements

• Rich metadata API for custom annotations
• Improved retrieval and manipulation of metadata

4. Performance Optimizations

• Further optimized lookup mechanisms
• Enhanced caching strategies
• Benchmarking and performance tuning

Medium-term Goals (v0.3.0)

1. Advanced Type Features

• Support for extension methods
• Improved mixin composition handling
• Better support for sealed classes and enums

2. Framework Integration

• Deeper Flutter integration
• Built-in support for common serialization formats (JSON, protobuf)
• Integration with popular state management solutions

3. Tooling and Developer Experience

• VS Code extension for easier registration and usage
• Dart analyzer plugin for static analysis
• Code generation tools to automate registration

Long-term Goals (v1.0.0)

1. Advanced Reflection Capabilities

• Dynamic proxy generation
• Method interception and AOP-like features
• Limited support for reflecting on private members (with security considerations)

2. Language Feature Parity

• Full support for all Dart language features
• Reflection capabilities for upcoming Dart features

3. Enterprise and Framework Features

• Built-in dependency injection framework
• Advanced validation and serialization capabilities
• Integration with popular backend frameworks

Implementation Priorities

Phase 1: Stabilization and Enhancement (Current)

1. Improve generic type support
2. Enhance performance and optimize caching
3. Expand test coverage
4. Improve documentation and examples

Phase 2: Advanced Features and Integrations

1. Implement advanced type system features
2. Develop framework integrations
3. Create developer tools and plugins
4. Enhance metadata capabilities

Phase 3: Towards 1.0

1. Implement dynamic capabilities (proxies, interception)
2. Ensure full language feature support
3. Develop enterprise-level features
4. Final API stabilization and performance tuning

Breaking Changes

Potential for v0.2.0

• API refinements for improved generic support
• Enhancements to the registration process for better type information

Potential for v0.3.0

• Changes to support advanced type features
• Modifications to accommodate deeper framework integrations

For v1.0.0

• Final API stabilization
• Any necessary changes to support full language feature parity

Community Feedback Focus

1. Generic type handling and edge cases
2. Performance in real-world scenarios
3. Integration pain points with popular frameworks
4. API ergonomics and ease of use
5. Documentation clarity and completeness

Development Process

Feature Development Workflow

1. Community proposal and discussion
2. Design and API draft
3. Implementation and internal testing
4. Community feedback and iteration
5. Documentation and example creation
6. Release and announcement

Release Cycle

• Major versions: Significant features/breaking changes (roughly annually)
• Minor versions: New features/non-breaking changes (every 2-3 months)
• Patch versions: Bug fixes/performance improvements (as needed)

Testing Strategy

• Comprehensive unit test suite
• Integration tests with popular frameworks
• Performance benchmarks against dart:mirrors and direct code
• Cross-platform compatibility tests

Contributing

Priority Areas for Contribution

1. Generic type edge cases and improvements
2. Performance optimizations and benchmarks
3. Framework integration examples and utilities
4. Documentation improvements and tutorials
5. Test coverage expansion

Getting Started with Contributions

1. Review the current limitations and roadmap
2. Check the issue tracker for "good first issue" labels
3. Read the CONTRIBUTING.md guidelines
4. Engage in discussions on open issues or create a new one
5. Submit pull requests with improvements or new features

Tentative Timeline

2024 Q1-Q2

• Release v0.2.0 with enhanced generic support and performance improvements
• Expand framework integration examples
• Implement initial tooling support

2024 Q3-Q4

• Release v0.3.0 with advanced type features and deeper framework integrations
• Develop and release initial VS Code extension and analyzer plugin

2025

• Implement dynamic proxy generation and method interception
• Finalize API for 1.0.0 release
• Develop enterprise-level features and integrations

Note: This roadmap is subject to change based on community feedback, emerging requirements, and developments in the Dart ecosystem.