How to serialize and save variables (automatically)

General Usage
1

Hi there,
In my code I am using the JLD package to serialize my results. Up to now, I worked on an ad-hoc solution where this saving/ loading is done in the functions itself. Furthermore, I use dictionaries to save all the variables of a respective function and give it to the next one, which possibly needs some of them. Have a look at the following code, which essentially mimics what my real code is doing:


using JLD
function calc_stuff(savedir, a, b)
    filename = savedir*"calc_stuff_a=$(a)_b=$(b).jld"
    if !isfile(filename)
        println("calc_stuff is running...")
        c = a + b
        d = a - b
        # save results
        vars = dict()
        vars["c"] = c
        vars["d"] = d
        save(filename, vars)
        return vars
    else
        println("calc_stuff was already done, loading...")
        vars = load(filename)
        return vars
    end
end
function calc_more_stuff(savedir, a,b,e)
    filename = savedir*"calc_more_stuff_a=$(a)_b=$(b)_e=$(e).jld"
    if !isfile(filename)
        println("calc_more_stuff is running...")
        vars = calc_stuff(savedir, a, b)
        c = vars["c"]
        d = vars["d"]
        f = c + d + e
        g = c - d - e
        # save results
        vars = dict()
        vars["c"] = c
        vars["d"] = d
        vars["f"] = f
        vars["g"] = g
        save(filename, vars)
        return vars
    else
        println("calc_more_stuff was already done, loading...")
        vars = load(filename)
        return vars
    end
end

You see that there are many lines of code which will replicate over and over again, in all of the functions I have. I know that meta programming is possible in julia. However, I have the feeling that other people might have encountered this problem already, so this is why I hesitated on working it out on my own. I wanted to ask you if you know something which could help to realize something like the following:

using JLD
using MagicLibrary 
MagicLibrary.savedir = "./"

function calc_stuff(a, b)
    c = a + b
    d = a - b
    @magic return vars # dictionary all variables
end

function calc_more_stuff(a,b,e)
    @find vars = calc_stuff(a,b) # if already calculated, load, otherwise, calculate
    s = struct_from_dict(vars) # create a struct from this dictionary 
    f = s.c + s.d + e
    g = s.c - s.d - e
    @magic return vars # dictionary all variables
end

@find vars = calc_more_stuff(1,2,3) # if already calculated, load, otherwise, calculate
2

DrWatson.jl has some tools that might help.