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HTVG provides three main compilation functions depending on your input format and needs.

​
compile()

Compile a JSON string representing an element tree to SVG. 
pub fn compile(
    element_json: &str,
    options: &CompileOptions
) -> Result<CompileResult, CompileError>
​
element_json
&str
required
JSON string representing the element tree to compile
​
options
&CompileOptions
required
Compilation options including width, height, fonts, etc.
​
Result
Result<CompileResult, CompileError>
Returns a CompileResult containing the SVG string and metadata on success, or a CompileError on failure

​
Example

use htvg::{compile, CompileOptions};

let json = r###"{
    "type": "flex",
    "style": { "width": 400, "padding": 20, "backgroundColor": "#ffffff" },
    "children": [
        {
            "type": "text",
            "content": "Hello World",
            "style": { "fontSize": 24, "color": "#333333" }
        }
    ]
}"###;

let options = CompileOptions {
    width: 400.0,
    ..CompileOptions::default()
};

let result = compile(json, &options)?;
println!("{}", result.svg);

​
Errors

Returns CompileError with kind:
  • "parse_error" - Invalid JSON or element structure
  • "layout_error" - Layout computation failed
  • "font_error" - Invalid base64 font data

​
compile_element()

Compile a parsed Element tree to SVG. 
pub fn compile_element(
    element: &Element,
    options: &CompileOptions
) -> Result<CompileResult, CompileError>
​
element
&Element
required
Parsed element tree (Box, Flex, Text, or Image)
​
options
&CompileOptions
required
Compilation options
​
Result
Result<CompileResult, CompileError>
Returns a CompileResult on success, or a CompileError on failure

​
Example

use htvg::{compile_element, Element, CompileOptions};

let element: Element = serde_json::from_str(json_str)?;
let options = CompileOptions::default();

let result = compile_element(&element, &options)?;
Use compile_element() when you’ve already parsed the JSON into an Element struct, or when building elements programmatically. Use compile() for direct JSON-to-SVG conversion.

​
compile_document()

Compile a self-contained HTVG document (metadata + content) to SVG. 
pub fn compile_document(doc_json: &str) -> Result<CompileResult, CompileError>
​
doc_json
&str
required
JSON string containing both meta (compile options) and content (element tree)
​
Result
Result<CompileResult, CompileError>
Returns a CompileResult on success, or a CompileError on failure

​
Document Format

{
  "meta": {
    "width": 800,
    "height": 600,
    "fontSize": 16,
    "fontFamily": "Inter",
    "fonts": [
      {
        "family": "Inter",
        "url": "https://example.com/inter.woff2",
        "weight": 400,
        "data": "<base64-encoded-font-data>"
      }
    ]
  },
  "content": {
    "type": "flex",
    "children": [...]
  }
}

​
Example

use htvg::compile_document;

let doc_json = r###"{
    "meta": { "width": 800 },
    "content": {
        "type": "box",
        "style": { "width": 200, "height": 100, "backgroundColor": "#ff0000" }
    }
}"###;

let result = compile_document(doc_json)?;
assert!(result.svg.contains("<svg"));
Use compile_document() when your input includes compilation options alongside the element tree. This is the recommended format for storing complete HTVG graphics.

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