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authorPiyush P Kurur <ppk@cse.iitk.ac.in>2018-10-09 10:14:15 -0400
committerBen Gamari <ben@smart-cactus.org>2018-10-11 15:27:25 -0400
commitce7a1c4ae4c93f2d0d3d7a0b573ddd876fc855c2 (patch)
tree18a2c6aa01069af8522e8c9adfef3ef53eb444fb /compiler/prelude/primops.txt.pp
parent2f693b3e496bd90df037e7928b13d24449cee6e5 (diff)
downloadhaskell-ce7a1c4ae4c93f2d0d3d7a0b573ddd876fc855c2.tar.gz
Support builtin classes like KnownNat in backpack
This commit allows backpack signatures to enforce constraints like KnownNat on data types. Thus it fixes #15379. There were two important differences in the way GHC used to handle classes like KnowNat 1. Hand crafted instances of `KnownNat` were forbidden, and 2. The dictionary for an instance `KnownNat T` was generated on the fly. For supporting backpack both these points have to be revisited. Disallowing instances of KnownNat -------------------------------------------- Users were disallowed to declare instances of certain builtin classes like KnownNat for obvious safety reasons --- when we use the constraint like `KnownNat T`, we want T to be associated to a natural number. However, due to the reuse of this code while processing backpack signatures, `instance KnownNat T` were being disallowed even in module signature files. There is an important difference when it comes to instance declarations in a signature file. Consider the signature `Abstract` given below ``` signature Abstract where data T :: Nat instance KnownNat T ``` Inside a signature like `Abstract`, the `instance Known T` is not really creating an instance but rather demanding any module that implements this signature to enforce the constraint `KnownNat` on its type T. While hand crafted KnownNat instances continued to be prohibited in modules, this commit ensures that it is not forbidden while handling signatures. Resolving Dictionaries ---------------------------- Normally GHC expects any instance `T` of class `KnownNat` to eventually resolve to an integer and hence used to generate the evidence/dictionary for such instances on the fly as in when it is required. However, when backpack module and signatures are involved It is not always possible to resolve the type to a concrete integer utill the mixin stage. To illustrate consider again the signature `Abstract` > signature Abstract where > data T :: Nat > instance KnownNat T and a module `Util` that depends on it: > module Util where > import Abstract > printT :: IO () > printT = do print $ natVal (Proxy :: Proxy T) Clearly, we need to "use" the dictionary associated with `KnownNat T` in the module `Util`, but it is too early for the compiler to produce a real dictionary as we still have not fixed what `T` is. Only when we mixin a concrete module > module Concrete where > type T = 42 do we really get hold of the underlying integer. In this commit, we make the following changes in the resolution of instance dictionary for constraints like `KnownNat T` 1. If T is indeed available as a type alias for an integer constant, generate the dictionary on the fly as before, failing which 2. Do not give up as before but look up the type class environment for the evidence. This was enough to make the resolution of `KnownNat` dictionaries work in the setting of Backpack as when actual code is generated, the signature Abstract (due to the `import Abstract` ) in `Util` gets replaced by an actual module like Concrete, and resolution happens as before. Everything that we said for `KnownNat` is applicable for `KnownSymbol` as well. Reviewers: bgamari, ezyang, goldfire, simonpj Reviewed By: simonpj Subscribers: simonpj, ezyang, rwbarton, thomie, carter GHC Trac Issues: #15379 Differential Revision: https://phabricator.haskell.org/D4988
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