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Overview

tip

ethdebug/format/type defines how to write data types as JSON.

Debuggers critically rely on having representations of the data types used by a piece of code. This information is used to highlight code display, offer links to where user-defined types are defined, and to render runtime values correctly.

For a quick introduction to type representations, please see these example JSON values:

A valid type representation
{
  "kind": "uint",
  "bits": 256
}
An invalid type representation
"uh, some kind of number"

See additional examples below for a sample of valid type representations according to this schema.

This format defines schemas for representing the data types allowable in a supporting high-level language.

JSON values that adhere to this schema may (for example) represent a particular uint type (like uint256), a struct type with a particular set of member fields, a particular mapping type from a certain key type to a certain value type, and so on.

Reading this schema​

The ethdebug/format/type schema is a root schema that conditionally defers to one or more other related schemas in the ethdebug/format/type/* namespace.

These schemas (like all schemas in this format) are specified as JSON Schema, draft 2020-12.

Please refer to one or more of the following resources in this section:

  • Key concepts introduces how types are represented in this schema.

  • Schema presents the root ethdebug/format/type schema, which aggregates links to all relevant subschemas.

  • The categories Elementary types and Complex types comprise individual subschemas for all known kinds of types.

  • The Base schema defines the mimimum overall structure of ethdebug/format/type objects for purposes of schema extension.

Example valid representations​

Here are some example ethdebug/format/type type representations.

Example ethdebug/format/type/elementary/address type
{
  "kind": "address"
}