Scalar Constant Implementation Guide

Scalar constants serve as foundational building blocks for complex data modeling in Akan.js applications. They define reusable value objects that can be embedded in other models without creating separate database collections.

File Structure and Location

Scalar constants follow strict naming conventions and directory structure:

# File location convention
{app,lib}/
└── */lib/__scalar/
    └── <scalarName>/               # camelCase directory
        └── <scalarName>.constant.ts  # scalar definition file

Element	Convention	Example
Directory	`1camelCase`	`1geoLocation`
File	`1<scalarName>.constant.ts`	`1geoLocation.constant.ts`
Class	`1PascalCase`	`1GeoLocation`
Enum Values	`1camelCase`	`1active, pendingApproval`

Model Definition

Scalar models follow a strict single-responsibility pattern with essential decorators:

1import { Field, Model } from "@akanjs/constant";
2
3 // Must match class name exactly
4export class ScalarName {
5  @Field.Prop(() => FieldType, { ...options })
6  fieldName: FieldType;
7}
8

Critical: The string passed to @Model.Scalar() must match the class name exactly

Field Definitions

Field definitions support various types with configurable validation options:

1// Basic field types
2@Field.Prop(() => String)
3name: string;
4
5@Field.Prop(() => Int)
6quantity: number;
7
8@Field.Prop(() => Float)
9percentage: number;
10
11@Field.Prop(() => Boolean)
12isActive: boolean;
13
14@Field.Prop(() => Date)
15timestamp: Dayjs;  // Always use Dayjs for dates
16
17// Special field types
18@Field.Hidden(() => String)
19internalCode: string;
20
21@Field.Secret(() => String)
22apiKey: string;
23
24@Field.Resolve(() => Int)
25get total(): number {
26  return this.items.length;
27}
28

Field Options

Option	Type	Default	Description	Example
default	Any	undefined	Default field value	`1{ default: 0 }`
nullable	Boolean	false	Allows null values	`1{ nullable: true }`
enum	Enum	-	Restricts to enum values	`1{ enum: Status }`
min	Number	-	Minimum numeric value	`1{ min: 0 }`
max	Number	-	Maximum numeric value	`1{ max: 100 }`
minlength	Number	-	Minimum string length	`1{ minlength: 3 }`
maxlength	Number	-	Maximum string length	`1{ maxlength: 255 }`
example	Any	-	Example value for documentation	`1{ example: [0,0] }`
validate	Function	-	Custom validation function	`1{ validate: (v) => v > 0 }`
immutable	Boolean	false	Prevents modification after creation	`1{ immutable: true }`
select	Boolean	true	Includes in query results by default	`1{ select: false }`
text	String	-	Enables text search capabilities	`1{ text: 'search' }`

default:Any:undefined

Default field value

1{ default: 0 }

nullable:Boolean:false

Allows null values

1{ nullable: true }

enum:Enum:-

Restricts to enum values

1{ enum: Status }

min:Number:-

Minimum numeric value

1{ min: 0 }

max:Number:-

Maximum numeric value

1{ max: 100 }

minlength:Number:-

Minimum string length

1{ minlength: 3 }

maxlength:Number:-

Maximum string length

1{ maxlength: 255 }

example:Any:-

Example value for documentation

1{ example: [0,0] }

validate:Function:-

Custom validation function

1{ validate: (v) => v > 0 }

immutable:Boolean:false

Prevents modification after creation

1{ immutable: true }

select:Boolean:true

Includes in query results by default

1{ select: false }

text:String:-

Enables text search capabilities

1{ text: 'search' }

Complex Field Types

Scalar constants support advanced field types for complex data structures:

1// Array fields
2@Field.Prop(() => [String])
3tags: string[];
4
5@Field.Prop(() => [[Int]])
6matrix: number[][];
7
8@Field.Prop(() => [OtherScalar])
9items: OtherScalar[];
10
11// Map fields
12@Field.Prop(() => Map, {
13  of: String,  // Must specify value type
14  default: new Map()
15})
16metadata: Map<string, string>;
17
18// Enum implementation (camelCase values)
19export const Status = enumOf(["active", "inactive"] as const);
20export type Status = enumOf<typeof Status>;
21
22@Field.Prop(() => String, {
23  enum: Status,
24  default: "active"
25})
26status: Status;
27

Static Methods

Add utility methods directly to scalar classes for domain-specific operations:

1
2export class Coordinate {
3  @Field.Prop(() => [Float], { default: [0, 0] })
4  coordinates: number[];
5
6  // Calculate distance between coordinates
7  static getDistanceKm(loc1: Coordinate, loc2: Coordinate) {
8    const [lon1, lat1] = loc1.coordinates;
9    const [lon2, lat2] = loc2.coordinates;
10    // Distance calculation logic
11    return distance;
12  }
13}
14

Common Mistakes

Issue	Wrong	Correct
Incorrect Enum Case	`1enumOf(['ACTIVE', 'INACTIVE'])`	`1enumOf(['active', 'inactive'])`
Incorrect Array Syntax	`1() => Array<Int>`	`1() => [Int]`
Missing Nullable Type	`1description: string;`	`1description: string \| null;`
Improper Enum Implementation	`1const Status = enumOf(['active'])`	`1export const Status = enumOf(['active'])`
Multiple Models	`1Multiple @Model.Scalar per file`	`1Single scalar per file`
Incorrect Date Handling	`1createdAt: Date;`	`1createdAt: Dayjs;`

Full Examples

Practical implementations demonstrating various scalar patterns:

Basic Scalar Complex Scalar Nested Scalar

1// Basic scalar example
2
3export class Amount {
4  @Field.Prop(() => Float, { min: 0, default: 0 })
5  value: number;
6
7  @Field.Prop(() => String, { default: "USD" })
8  currency: string;
9}
10
11// Complex scalar with enums
12
13export class GeoLocation {
14  @Field.Prop(() => Float, { min: -90, max: 90 })
15  latitude: number;
16  
17  @Field.Prop(() => Float, { min: -180, max: 180 })
18  longitude: number;
19  
20  @Field.Prop(() => String, { 
21    enum: AccuracyLevel,
22    default: "medium" 
23  })
24  accuracy: AccuracyLevel;
25}
26
27// Scalar with nested objects
28
29export class ProductSpec {
30  @Field.Prop(() => String)
31  sku: string;
32  
33  @Field.Prop(() => [String], { default: [] })
34  colors: string[];
35  
36  @Field.Prop(() => Dimension)
37  size: Dimension;
38}
39

Implementation Checklist

Tip: Scalar constants are value objects - they should not contain ID or timestamp fields

Quick Start

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Docs

Scalar Constant Implementation Guide