Herein lie assorted macro annotations for working with Avro in Scala:

1. @AvroTypeProvider("path/to/schema") - Convert Avro Schemas to Scala case class definitions for use in your favorite Scala Avro runtime.

2. @AvroRecord - Use Scala case classes to represent your Avro SpecificRecords, serializable by the Apache Avro runtime (a port of Avro-Scala-Compiler-Plugin).

Macros are an experimental feature of Scala. Avrohugger is a more traditional alternative.

Get the dependency:

For Scala 2.11.x and 2.12.x (for Scala 2.10.x please use version 0.4.9 with sbt 0.13.8+):

    libraryDependencies += "com.julianpeeters" % "avro-scala-macro-annotations_2.11" % "0.11.1"

Macro annotations are only available in Scala 2.10.x, 2.11.x, and 2.12.x with the macro paradise plugin. Their inclusion in official Scala might happen in Scala 2.13 - official docs. To use the plugin, add the following build.sbt:

    addCompilerPlugin("org.scalamacros" % "paradise" % "2.1.0" cross CrossVersion.full)

In your IDE of choice you may have to explicitly load this compiler plugin. In Eclipse for example, you can do so by providing the full path under the Xplugin, found in the advanced Scala compiler preferences; you should have the jar in a path like ~/.ivy2/cache/org.scalamacros/paradise_2.10.4/jars/paradise_2.10.4-2.0.1.jar.

Usage:

Use the annotations separately, or together like this:

        package sample

        import com.julianpeeters.avro.annotations._

        @AvroTypeProvider("data/input.avro")
        @AvroRecord
        case class MyRecord()

First the fields are added automatically from an Avro Schema in a file, then the methods necessary for de/serialization are generated for you, all at compile time. Please see warnings below.

Supported data types:

int

float

long

double

boolean

string

null

array*

map

record

union**

*Arrays are represented by List[T], where T is any other supported type.

**Optional fields of type [null, t] are represented by Option[T]

The remaining avro types, fixed, enum, and union (beyond nullable fields), are not yet supported.

1) Avro-Type-Provider

If your use-case is "data-first" and you're using an Avro runtime library that allows you to use Scala case classes to represent your Avro records, then you are probably a little weary of transcribing Avro Schemas into their Scala case class equivalents.

Annotate an "empty" case class, and its members will be generated automatically at compile time using the data found in the Schema of a given file:

given the schema automatically found in input.avro or input.avsc:

        {"type":"record","name":"MyRecord","namespace":"tutorial","doc":"Auto-generated schema","fields":[{"name":"x","type":{"type":"record","name":"Rec","doc":"Auto-generated schema","fields":[{"name":"i","type":"int","doc":"Auto-Generated Field"}]},"doc":"Auto-Generated Field","default":{"i":4}}]}}

annotated empty case classes:

        import com.julianpeeters.avro.annotations._

        @AvroTypeProvider("data/input.avro")
        case class Rec()

        @AvroTypeProvider("data/input.avro")
        case class MyRecord()

expand to:

       package tutorial

       import com.julianpeeters.avro.annotations._

       @AvroTypeProvider("data/input.avro")
       case class Rec(i: Int)

       @AvroTypeProvider("data/input.avro")
       case class MyRecord(x: Rec = Rec(4))

Please note:

1. The datafile must be available at compile time.

2. The filepath must be a String literal.

3. The name of the empty case class must match the record name exactly (peek at the schema in the file, if needed).

4. The order of class definition must be such that the classes that represent the most-nested records are expanded first.

5. A class that is doubly annotated with @AvroTypeProvider and @AvroRecord will be updated with vars instead of vals.

2) Avro-Record:

Implements SpecificRecord at compile time so you can use Scala case classes to represent Avro records (like Scalavro or Salat-Avro, but for the Apache Avro runtime so that it runs on your cluster). Since Avro-Scala-Compiler-Plugin doesn't work with Scala 2.10+ and the compiler still stumps me, I ported the serialization essentials over to use Scala Macro Annotations instead.

Now you can annotate a case class that you'd like to have serve as your Avro record:

        package sample

        @AvroRecord
        case class A(var i: Int)

        @AvroRecord
        case class B(var a: Option[A] = None)

expands to implement SpecificRecord, adding put, get, and getSchema methods, and a static lazy val SCHEMA$ with the schema:

        {"type":"record","name":"B","namespace":"sample","doc":"Auto-generated schema","fields":[{"name":"a","type":["null",{"type":"record","name":"A","doc":"Auto-generated schema","fields":[{"name":"i","type":"int","doc":"Auto-Generated Field"}]}],"doc":"Auto-Generated Field",default: null}]}

Use the expanded class as you would a code-gen'd class with any SpecificRecord API. e.g.:

        //Writing avros
        val datumWriter = new SpecificDatumWriter[B](B.SCHEMA$)
        val dataFileWriter = new DataFileWriter[B](datumWriter)


        //Reading avros
        val userDatumReader = new SpecificDatumReader[B](B.SCHEMA$)
        val dataFileReader = new DataFileReader[B](file, userDatumReader)

Please note:

1. If your framework is one that relies on reflection to get the Schema, it will fail since Scala fields are private. Therefore preempt it by passing in a Schema to DatumReaders and DatumWriters (as in the Avro example above).

2. Fields must be vars in order to be compatible with the SpecificRecord API.

3. A class that is doubly annotated with @AvroTypeProvider and @AvroRecord will automatically be updated with vars instead of vals.

4. An annotatee may extend a trait (to become a mixin after expansion) but not a class, since SpecificRecordBase will need to occupy that position.