# AutoValue *Generated immutable value classes for Java 1.6+* <br /> ***Kevin Bourrillion, Ãamonn McManus*** <br /> **Google, Inc.** **Value classes** are extremely common in Java projects. These are classes for which you want to treat any two instances with suitably equal field values as interchangeable. That's right: we're talking about those classes where you wind up implementing `equals`, `hashCode` and `toString` in a bloated, repetitive, formulaic yet error-prone fashion. Writing these methods the first time is not too bad, with the aid of a few helper methods and IDE templates. But once written they continue to burden reviewers, editors and future readers. Their wide expanses of boilerplate sharply decrease the signal-to-noise ratio of your code... and they love to harbor hard-to-spot bugs. AutoValue provides an easier way to create immutable value classes, with a lot less code and less room for error, while **not restricting your freedom** to code almost any aspect of your class exactly the way you want it. For more information, consult the [detailed documentation] (userguide/index.md)
