diff --git a/src/core/core_log.h b/src/core/core_log.h
index 042fb22..a3d4ba1 100644
--- a/src/core/core_log.h
+++ b/src/core/core_log.h
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ fn void default_log_proc(log_event_t ev);
 #define not_implemented assert(!"not implemented!")
 #define invalid_codepath assert(!"invalid code path!")
 #define default_is_invalid default: assert(!"invalid default case")
+#define else_is_invalid else { assert(!"else was not expected to be executed!"); }
 
 
 
diff --git a/src/core/core_string.h b/src/core/core_string.h
index f18dd90..64d023e 100644
--- a/src/core/core_string.h
+++ b/src/core/core_string.h
@@ -71,7 +71,8 @@ fn f64 f64_from_s8(s8_t string);
 //
 // string8 constructors
 #define s8(str,len) (s8_t){str, len}
-#define s8_nil() (s8_t){0}
+#define s8_null (s8_t){0}
+#define s8_invalid s8_lit("<INVALID>")
 #define s8_lit(string) (s8_t){(char *)string, sizeof(string) - 1}
 #define s8_const_lit(string) { string, sizeof(string) - 1 }
 fn s8_t  s8_from_range(char *begin, char *end);
diff --git a/src/core/core_type_info.c b/src/core/core_type_info.c
index c52a2f3..f23c2e3 100644
--- a/src/core/core_type_info.c
+++ b/src/core/core_type_info.c
@@ -20,6 +20,38 @@ fn i64 ti_enum_name_to_value(s8_t name, type_t *type) {
     return -1;
 }
 
+fn i64 ti_enum_read_value(void *p, type_t *type) {
+    assert(type->kind == type_kind_enum);
+    i64 value = 0;
+    if (type->size == 1) {
+        value = *(i8 *)p;
+    } else if (type->size == 2) {
+        value = *(i16 *)p;
+    } else if (type->size == 4) {
+        value = *(i32 *)p;
+    } else if (type->size == 8) {
+        value = *(i64 *)p;
+    } else {
+        fatalf("invalid size of enum: %d", type->size);
+    }
+    return value;
+}
+
+fn void ti_enum_write_value(void *p, i64 value, type_t *type) {
+    assert(type->kind == type_kind_enum);
+    if (type->size == 1) {
+        *(i8 *)p = (i8)value;
+    } else if (type->size == 2) {
+        *(i16 *)p = (i16)value;
+    } else if (type->size == 4) {
+        *(i32 *)p = (i32)value;
+    } else if (type->size == 8) {
+        *(i64 *)p = (i64)value;
+    } else {
+        fatalf("invalid size of enum: %d", type->size);
+    }
+}
+
 fn type_member_t *ti_get_member(s8_t name, type_t *type) {
     for (i32 i = 0; i < type->count; i += 1) {
         type_member_t *it = type->members + i;
@@ -30,6 +62,20 @@ fn type_member_t *ti_get_member(s8_t name, type_t *type) {
     return NULL;
 }
 
+fn void *ti_extract_member(void *p, type_member_t *tm) {
+    u8 *p8 = (u8 *)p;
+    u8 *result = p8 + tm->offset;
+    return result;
+}
+
+fn void *ti_extract_array_idx(void *p, type_t *type, i32 idx) {
+    assert(idx < type->count);
+
+    u8 *p8 = (u8 *)p;
+    u8 *result = p8 + type->base->size * idx;
+    return result;
+}
+
 fn void ti__serial_data_ex(sb8_t *sb, void *p, type_t *type) {
     assert(type->kind != type_kind_invalid);
 
@@ -139,33 +185,19 @@ fn void ti__serial_data_ex(sb8_t *sb, void *p, type_t *type) {
     }
 
     if (type->kind == type_kind_enum) {
-        i64 value = 0;
-        if (type->size == 1) {
-            value = *(i8 *)p;
-        } else if (type->size == 2) {
-            value = *(i16 *)p;
-        } else if (type->size == 4) {
-            value = *(i32 *)p;
-        } else if (type->size == 8) {
-            value = *(i64 *)p;
-        } else {
-            fatalf("invalid size of enum: %d", type->size);
-        }
+        i64 value = ti_enum_read_value(p, type);
         s8_t s = ti_enum_value_to_name(value, type);
         sb8_append(sb, s);
         return;
     }
 
     if (type->kind == type_kind_array) {
-        u8 *p8 = (u8 *)p;
         sb8_printf(sb, "{");
         sb->indent += 1;
         for (i32 i = 0; i < type->count; i += 1) {
-            type_t *base = type->base;
-            u8 *mem_p = p8 + base->size * i;
-
+            void *mem_p = ti_extract_array_idx(p, type, i);
             sb8_indent(sb);
-            ti__serial_data_ex(sb, mem_p, base);
+            ti__serial_data_ex(sb, mem_p, type->base);
             sb8_printf(sb, ",");
         }
         sb->indent -= 1;
@@ -174,13 +206,11 @@ fn void ti__serial_data_ex(sb8_t *sb, void *p, type_t *type) {
     }
 
     if (type->kind == type_kind_struct) {
-        u8 *p8 = (u8 *)p;
-
         sb8_printf(sb, "{");
         sb->indent += 1;
         for (i32 i = 0; i < type->count; i += 1) {
             type_member_t *mem = type->members + i;
-            u8 *mem_p = p8 + mem->offset;
+            void *mem_p = ti_extract_member(p, mem);
             sb8_indent(sb);
             sb8_printf(sb, "%S: ", mem->name);
             ti__serial_data_ex(sb, mem_p, mem->type);
@@ -325,23 +355,12 @@ fn void ti__deserial_data_ex(ma_arena_t *arena, parser_t *par, void *p, type_t *
         if (value == -1) {
             fatalf("invalid enum value: %S", token->string);
         }
-        if (type->size == 1) {
-            *(i8 *)p = (i8)value;
-        } else if (type->size == 2) {
-            *(i16 *)p = (i16)value;
-        } else if (type->size == 4) {
-            *(i32 *)p = (i32)value;
-        } else if (type->size == 8) {
-            *(i64 *)p = (i64)value;
-        } else {
-            fatalf("invalid size of enum: %d", type->size);
-        }
+
+        ti_enum_write_value(p, value, type);
         return;
     }
 
     if (type->kind == type_kind_struct) {
-        u8 *p8 = (u8 *)p;
-
 #if 0
         parser_expect(par, lex_kind_open_brace);
         while (!parser_match(par, lex_kind_close_brace)) {
@@ -364,14 +383,14 @@ fn void ti__deserial_data_ex(ma_arena_t *arena, parser_t *par, void *p, type_t *
         parser_expect(par, lex_kind_open_brace);
         for (i32 i = 0; i < type->count; i += 1) {
             type_member_t *mem = type->members + i;
-            u8 *mem_p = p8 + mem->offset;
+            void *memp = ti_extract_member(p, mem);
 
             lex_t *ident = parser_expect(par, lex_kind_ident);
             parser_expect(par, lex_kind_colon);
 
             expect (s8_equal(ident->string, mem->name)) fatalf("expected identifier: %S, got instead %S", mem->name, ident->string);
 
-            ti__deserial_data_ex(arena, par, mem_p, mem->type);
+            ti__deserial_data_ex(arena, par, memp, mem->type);
             parser_expect(par, lex_kind_comma);
         }
         parser_expect(par, lex_kind_close_brace);
@@ -379,13 +398,10 @@ fn void ti__deserial_data_ex(ma_arena_t *arena, parser_t *par, void *p, type_t *
     }
 
     if (type->kind == type_kind_array) {
-        u8 *p8 = (u8 *)p;
         parser_expect(par, lex_kind_open_brace);
         for (i32 i = 0; i < type->count; i += 1) {
-            type_t *base = type->base;
-            u8 *mem_p = p8 + base->size * i;
-
-            ti__deserial_data_ex(arena, par, mem_p, base);
+            void *memp = ti_extract_array_idx(p, type, i);
+            ti__deserial_data_ex(arena, par, memp, type->base);
             parser_expect(par, lex_kind_comma);
         }
         parser_expect(par, lex_kind_close_brace);
@@ -400,4 +416,27 @@ fn void *ti__deserial_data(ma_arena_t *arena, s8_t data, type_t *type) {
     ti__deserial_data_ex(arena, par, p, type);
     ma_end_scratch(scratch);
     return p;
+}
+
+fn b32 ti_is_basic(type_t *type) {
+    b32 result = type->kind >= type_kind_first_basic && type->kind <= type_kind_last_basic;
+    return result;
+}
+
+fn b32 ti_has_type_name(type_t *type) {
+    b32 result = ti_is_basic(type) || type->kind == type_kind_struct || type->kind == type_kind_enum || type->kind == type_kind_union;
+    return result;
+}
+
+fn s8_t ti_serial_type(ma_arena_t *arena, type_t *type) {
+    if (ti_has_type_name(type)) {
+        return type->name;
+    } else if (type->kind == type_kind_pointer) {
+        s8_t name = ti_serial_type(arena, type->base);
+        return s8_printf(arena, "%S*", name);
+    } else if (type->kind == type_kind_array) {
+        s8_t name = ti_serial_type(arena, type->base);
+        return s8_printf(arena, "%S[%d]", name, type->count);
+    } else_is_invalid;
+    return s8_invalid;
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/todo.txt b/todo.txt
index 5d94b24..dcd501c 100644
--- a/todo.txt
+++ b/todo.txt
@@ -24,7 +24,9 @@
     [ ] meta
         [x] search for python snippets and execute meta.py script on that file
         [ ] somehow index properly the meta files and ignore generated files
+            [ ] extract declarations from c files meta(introspect)
+            [ ] extract all globals from c files
         [ ] new simple format with tags
     [x] revisit api
     [ ] s8_bin
-
+    [ ] hash table