whetstone_DSL/sprint16_plan.md

Sprint 16 Plan: C++ Depth + Self-Hosting Phase 1

Context

Sprints 12d gave us preprocessor, enum, namespace, and multiple inheritance. Sprint 16 adds the remaining constructs needed to parse Whetstone's own simpler headers: type aliases, static members, const/constexpr, smart pointers, auto type deduction, and cast expressions (feature-requests items 6-11).

The self-hosting milestone: parse AnnotationConflictExtended.h (simple structs and free functions) through our own pipeline, get a valid AST, annotate it, and generate equivalent code.

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Phase 16a: C++ Type System Depth (Steps 394-399)

Step 394: TypeAlias + Nested Type Access (12 tests)

• Parse using json = nlohmann::json; and typedef vector<string> StringVec;
• Represent nested type access: Foo::Bar::Baz as qualified name
• Already have TypeAlias node from Sprint 12d — deepen parser recognition

Step 395: Static Members + Const/Constexpr (12 tests)

• MethodDeclaration gains isConst (method doesn't modify this)
• Variable gains isConstexpr, isStatic flags
• Parse static constexpr int MAX = 256; and const string& getName() const;
• Generator outputs const and constexpr qualifiers

Step 396: Smart Pointer Patterns (12 tests)

• Recognize unique_ptr<T>, shared_ptr<T>, make_unique<T>() as patterns
• Map to ownership annotations: unique_ptr → @Owner(Unique), shared_ptr → @Owner(Shared_ARC)
• Parse new/delete expressions as FunctionCall nodes with @Reclaim annotations
• Cross-language: unique_ptr → Rust Box, shared_ptr → Rust Arc

Step 397: Auto Type Deduction (12 tests)

• New node or annotation: auto as deferred type
• Parse auto x = compute();, auto* p = &x;, const auto& ref = vec;
• Type inference hint via @TypeState annotation when deducible from context
• Generator outputs auto for C++, inferred types for other languages

Step 398: Cast Expressions (12 tests)

• CastExpression node: kind (static/dynamic/reinterpret/const), targetType, operand
• Parse static_cast<const Foo*>(bar) and dynamic_cast<Derived*>(base)
• Critical for Whetstone's own downcast-heavy validation pattern
• Annotation: @Risk(medium) on reinterpret_cast, @Risk(low) on static_cast

Step 399: Phase 16a Integration (8 tests)

• Parse a Whetstone-style header fragment with all new constructs
• Roundtrip: parse → generate → parse → equivalent AST
• Cross-language projection for smart pointers and casts

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Phase 16b: Self-Hosting Phase 1 (Steps 400-404)

Step 400: Self-Hosting Test Harness (12 tests)

• Infrastructure to feed actual Whetstone .h files through the pipeline
• Compare parsed AST against expected structure
• Track coverage: which constructs parsed vs skipped
• Graceful degradation: unparseable sections become opaque blocks, not errors

Step 401: Parse AnnotationConflictExtended.h (12 tests)

• The simplest Whetstone header: structs + free functions
• Verify: all struct definitions found, all function signatures captured
• Expected: some template-heavy code still opaque, but basic structure correct

Step 402: Parse AnnotationValidatorExtended.h (12 tests)

• Single class with static methods and static_cast patterns
• Verify: class structure, method signatures, static_cast recognized
• Annotation inference: @Complexity scores for validation methods

Step 403: Annotate + Generate from Self-Hosted AST (12 tests)

• Take parsed AST from step 401-402, run inference
• Generate C++ output, compare structural similarity
• Semanno annotations on Whetstone's own code

Step 404: Self-Hosting Progress Report + Phase Integration (8 tests)

• Coverage metrics: % of constructs in target files successfully parsed
• Gap analysis: what still can't parse (for Sprint 22)
• Sprint 16 totals verification

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Step & Test Summary

Phase	Steps	Tests	Theme
16a	394-399	68	Type aliases, const/constexpr, smart pointers, auto, casts
16b	400-404	56	Self-hosting harness, parse own headers, annotate, generate
Total	394-404	~124	11 steps