# Design
Use ordinary Python hints and dataclasses as the definition. Compile them once into inspectable shapes, validate exact values, and construct ordinary objects.
The core owns types, constraints, defaults and their portable representation. Consumers own input coercion, presentation, JSON text, function invocation and checks requiring files, networks or application state:
| Task | Responsible layer |
|---|---|
| Define ordinary models | Python dataclasses and type hints |
| Inspect/export schemas, validate values, restore portable types, construct models | pytypehint |
| Parse JSON, coerce form/CLI input, render controls, collect multiple errors | Consumer |
| Call functions, check files, manage persistence/authentication | Application |
Direct dataclass construction is simpler for trusted internal objects. Use pytypehint when you need strict input validation or a shared inspectable contract.
Keep union selection explicit when types or portable spellings collide. Keep
missing values separate from None. Report the first error with its path.
Reject known contradictions during compilation without promising a general
satisfiability proof.
The vocabulary is closed. Compose existing types with dataclasses, lists, tuples
and unions. Use namespaced Extra strings for consumer-specific metadata;
layout and relations between fields belong to consumers. New core atoms require
semantics shared across multiple consumers.