Sign-In
Cart
Metaprogramming in OCaml: A Practical Guide to PPX Extensions, AST Transformations, and Code Generation
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Nov 17 2025
Pages: 232
Weight: 0.83
Height: 0.49 Width: 6.69 Depth: 9.61
Language: English
Ever find yourself writing the same to_string function for every new record type you create? You add a new field to your type, but you forget to update your printer, and suddenly your debug logs are incomplete. It's a frustrating and needless source of bugs.
What if you could just... not?
What if you could teach the OCaml compiler how to print your types for you? Imagine just adding one line, [@@deriving print], and having a perfect, up-to-date printer function generated automatically. What if you could invent your own syntax, like [%html...], and have it transformed into safe, type-checked function calls?
This isn't magic. This is metaprogramming, and this book will show you exactly how to do it.
What's insideThis is a project-based guide, and I will walk you through everything, with no code left out. You will learn:
- The Foundation: What the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) is and how to see your OCaml code just like the compiler does.
- The Toolbox: How to use the ppxlib library, including the Ast_mapper to find and change code, and the Ast_builder to generate new code from scratch.
- Your First PPX: We build a simple [@hello] attribute to learn the complete setup, from dune files to implementation.
- Project 1: The Deriver: We will build a complete, professional-grade [@@deriving print] PPX from start to finish. You'll write a tool that can automatically generate pretty-printers for both record and variant types.
- Project 2: The DSL: We will create a [%html ...] extension node. You'll build your own safe, embedded Domain-Specific Language (DSL) that transforms HTML-like syntax into secure OCaml function calls.
- The Polish: How to write robust PPX extensions that provide clear, helpful error messages to your users.
- The Pro Tools: A guide to testing, debugging, and deploying your new PPX to the OPAM repository for everyone to use.
This book is written for the intermediate OCaml programmer.
If you are comfortable with OCaml's syntax, types, and build system, but you want to unlock a new level of power, this book is for you. It's for anyone who wants to build more powerful libraries, create safer APIs, or simply automate the boring parts of programming.
Don't just use OCaml. It's time to extend it.
Stop writing repetitive code and start building the tools that write it for you. This guide provides the knowledge and the code to do it safely and effectively.
Get your copy today and learn to make the OCaml compiler work for you.
Also from
M. Monday, Edward
Programming with OCaml: A Practical Introduction to Building Correct, Maintainable, and Performant Software
M. Monday, Edward
Paperback
Also in
Programming
Interactive Theorem Proving and Program Development: Coq'art: The Calculus of Inductive Constructions
Castéran, Pierre
Bertot, Yves
Hardcover
The Legend of Zelda(tm) Tears of the Kingdom - The Complete Official Guide: Collector's Edition
Piggyback
Hardcover
Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming
Matthes, Eric
Paperback
Crisis Engineering: Time-Tested Tools for Turning Chaos Into Clarity
Dickerson, Mikey
Nitze, Marina
Weaver, Matthew
Paperback
Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations
Humble, Jez
Kim, Gene
Forsgren Phd, Nicole
Paperback
Embedded Systems with ARM Cortex-M Microcontrollers in Assembly Language and C: Fourth Edition
Zhu, Yifeng
Paperback
The Legend of Zelda(tm) Tears of the Kingdom - The Complete Official Guide: Standard Edition
Piggyback
Paperback
Fundamentals of Software Architecture: A Modern Engineering Approach
Richards, Mark
Ford, Neal
Paperback
Vibe Coding: Building Production-Grade Software with Genai, Chat, Agents, and Beyond
Kim, Gene
Yegge, Steve
Paperback
Make: Electronics: Learning by Discovery: A Hands-On Primer for the New Electronics Enthusiast
Platt, Charles
Paperback
AI Projects with Raspberry Pi: High-Performance Artificial Intelligence for Robotics, Security, Home Automation, and Vision
Hattersley, Lucy
Jepson, Brian
Paperback
I Have an App Idea: The Essential Guide to Building an App Without Tech Skills
Spann, Amanda
Paperback
The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change
Fournier, Camille
Paperback
The Devops Handbook, 2nd Edition: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, & Security in Technology Organizations
Humble, Jez
Debois, Patrick
Kim, Gene
Paperback
The Return on AI: From Promise to Profit in the Age of Intelligent Business
Sawhney, Mohanbir
Mittal, Ashwin
Paperback
Building Applications with AI Agents: Designing and Implementing Multiagent Systems
Albada, Michael
Paperback
The Staff Engineer's Path: A Guide for Individual Contributors Navigating Growth and Change
Reilly, Tanya
Paperback
The Developer's Guide to AI: A Field Guide for the Working Developer
Reghunadh, Jerry M.
Thompson, Danny
Orshalick, Jacob
Paperback
Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions
McDowell, Gayle Laakmann
Paperback
Software Architecture: The Hard Parts: Modern Trade-Off Analyses for Distributed Architectures
Sadalage, Pramod
Ford, Neal
Richards, Mark
Paperback
Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to Html, Css, Javascript, and Web Images
Robbins, Jennifer
Paperback
The New AI Cold War: Liberty vs. Tyranny in the Age of Machine Empires
Maginnis, Ltc Robert L.
Paperback
Observability Engineering: Achieving Production Excellence
Fong-Jones, Liz
Miranda, George
Majors, Charity
Paperback
Forecasting: Principles and Practice, the Pythonic Way
Athanasopoulos, George
Hyndman, Rob J.
Paperback
Building Safer Technology: A Field Guide to Failing Well
Coles, Neil
Kissner, Lea
Zunger, Yonatan
Paperback
SQL QuickStart Guide: The Simplified Beginner's Guide to Managing, Analyzing, and Manipulating Data With SQL
Shields, Walter
Hardcover
The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery, 20th Anniversary Edition
Thomas, David
Hunt, Andrew
Hardcover
Linux Basics for Hackers, 2nd Edition: Getting Started with Networking, Scripting, and Security in Kali
Occupytheweb
Paperback
Grokking Algorithms, Second Edition: An Illustrated Guide for Programmers and Other Curious People
Bhargava, Aditya Y.
Paperback
Generative AI Design Patterns: Solutions to Common Challenges When Building Genai Agents and Applications
Hapke, Hannes
Lakshmanan, Valliappa
Paperback
The Official Raspberry Pi Handbook 2026: Astounding Projects with Raspberry Pi Computers
Makers of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine, The
Paperback
Head First Design Patterns: Building Extensible and Maintainable Object-Oriented Software
Robson, Elisabeth
Freeman, Eric
Paperback
Concrete Mathematics: A Foundation for Computer Science
Graham, Ronald
Patashnik, Oren
Knuth, Donald
Hardcover
Learning Domain-Driven Design: Aligning Software Architecture and Business Strategy
Khononov, Vlad
Paperback
Frictionless: 7 Steps to Remove Barriers, Unlock Value, and Outpace Your Competition in the AI Era
Forsgren, Nicole
Noda, Abi
Paperback
Arduino Programming for Beginners: A Comprehensive Beginner's Guide to Learn the Realms of Arduino Programming from A-Z
Protosmith, Ada
Paperback
Learning Generative AI Tools for Excel: Speed Up Your Everyday Tasks with Microsoft Excel, Copilot, Chatgpt, and Beyond
Duca, Angelica Lo
Paperback
Building AI-Powered Products: The Essential Guide to AI and Genai Product Management
Nika, Marily
Paperback
Debugging: The 9 Indispensable Rules for Finding Even the Most Elusive Software and Hardware Problems
Agans, David J.
Paperback
The Software Architect Elevator: Redefining the Architect's Role in the Digital Enterprise
Hohpe, Gregor
Paperback
Learning Php, MySQL & JavaScript: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Websites
Nixon, Robin
Paperback
Python Programming for Young Coders: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Coding for Beginners, Kids, and Teens
Pandey, Anand
Paperback
Computer Science from Scratch: Building Interpreters, Art, Emulators and ML in Python
Kopec, David
Paperback
Living a Jewish Life, Revised and Updated: Jewish Traditions, Customs, and Values for Today's Families
Diamant, Anita
Cooper, Howard
Paperback
Build an AI Agent (from Scratch): Agents That Reason, Plan, and ACT Autonomously
Song, Younghee
Hur, Jungjun
Paperback
Software Engineering at Google: Lessons Learned from Programming Over Time
Manshreck, Tom
Wright, Hyrum
Winters, Titus
Paperback
Adobe Photoshop, 2nd Edition: A Complete Course and Compendium of Features
Laskevitch, Stephen
Paperback
Prompt Engineering for Llms: The Art and Science of Building Large Language Model-Based Applications
Berryman, John
Ziegler, Albert
Paperback
Embedded Systems with ARM Cortex-M Microcontrollers in Assembly Language and C: Third Edition
Zhu, Yifeng
Paperback
Kubernetes in Action, Second Edition: Deploying and Managing Containers and Cloud-Native Applications
Luksa, Marko
Conner, Kevin
Paperback
Programming Massively Parallel Processors: A Hands-On Approach
El Hajj, Izzat
Hwu, Wen-Mei W.
Kirk, David B.
Paperback
Pro C# 10 with .Net 6: Foundational Principles and Practices in Programming
Troelsen, Andrew
Japikse, Phil
Paperback
Articulating Design Decisions: Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience
Greever, Tom
Paperback
Javascript: The Definitive Guide: Master the World's Most-Used Programming Language
Flanagan, David
Paperback