Usertype best practices? about jluna

[Clemapfel]

How should I be setting up a jluna usertype for something I already have a Julia side type for?
Should I be making an equivalent type through the jluna usertype system and doing conversions Julia side (or using multiple dispatch when possible)? Or could I somehow link my jluna usertype to the existing Julia side struct?

Don't, if you already have a Julia-side type there is no point to using jluna::usertype. I think you misunderstood its purpose, it is specifically meant to create a not-yet-existing Julia-side type and make easy conversion possible in the C++ -> Julia direction. Everything else you should custom define.

If you already have a Julia-side type, simply write a wrapper like so:

# in julia
struct JuliaSideType
    member::Any
    JuliaSideType() = new(nothing)
end

julia_side_type_method(x::JuliaSideType) = println("do something");

// in cpp
class JuliaSideTypeWrapper
{
    public:
        // attach existing Julia-side value
        JuliaSideTypeWrapper(jluna::Proxy& in)
            : _value(in)
        {
             static auto* julia_side_type_type = Main["JuliaSideType"];
             assert(in.isa(julia_side_type_type));
        }

        // newly allocate Julia-side instance
        JuliaSideTypeWrapper() 
        {
             static auto new_julia_side_type = Main["JuliaSideType"];
             in = new_julia_side_type();
        }

        // allow for use with other proxy functions by allowing implicit conversion
        operator jluna::unsafe::Value*()
        {
            return in.operator unsafe::Value*();
        }
        
        // wrap method
        void julia_side_type_method()
        {
             jluna::Main["julia_side_type_method"](_value);
        }

    private: 
        jluna::Proxy _value;
}

(example untested, it's just to illustrate the design pattern)

[Clemapfel]

Can I use a usertype in another usertype? Is there anything I need to do to make that possible?
Currently getting the following error when trying to build the example below: In template: no member named 'type_name' in 'jluna::detail::as_julia_type_aux'

You can, add the following before the declaration of JlunaHeader:

namespace jluna::detail
{
    template<>
    struct as_julia_type_aux<JlunaStamp>
    {
        static inline const std::string type_name = "JlunaStamp";
    };
}

It adds a case to the template meta function jluna::detail::as_julia_type_aux so it works, It's mentioned in the error but I also realize that template meta functions aren't a very accessible thing, so I might make a macro for this since the error isn't very descriptive.

[Clemapfel]

Rather than pasting the above mentioned code, you can now call make_usertype_implicitly_convertible(JlunaStamp) once #37 is merged.