Type families: module export of instance data constructor

[Ben Horsfall]

Hi Wolfgang,

On Mon, Dec 22, 2008 at 12:23 PM, Wolfgang Jeltsch
<g9ks157k at acme.softbase.org> wrote:
> Am Montag, 15. Dezember 2008 02:17 schrieb Ben Horsfall:
>> I have a type family
>>
>> class Lang term where
>>   data Token term :: *
>>
>> with
>>
>> instance Lang Term where
>>   newtype Token Term = T String
>>
>> I can't work out how to export the type constructor T from the module,
>> unless I make no explict exports from the module at all.
>>
>>
>> Ben
>
> Hello Ben,
>
> try
>
>    Lang (type Token)
>
> in the export list.
>
> Best wishes,
> Wolfgang

That exports just the name of the associated type from the type class,
as far as I can see, and syntax like "Lang (type Token (..))" is not
allowed. That would improperly mix the classes and instances, for one
thing. But perhaps something similar ought to be permited for
associated type instances, as in my example. Something like:

module Term (Term (Token Term (T)))

is what I'd have in mind.

In the meantime, I can step around the issue by making Token a
top-level type familiy alongside the Lang class:

data family Token term :: *

with instance:

newtype instance Token Term = T String

alongside the instance Lang Term, allowing me to make the module
exports I wanted in the usual style:

module Term (Term (..), Token (T))

But this is a bit curious. The module might have contained more than
one instance of Token, and this syntax mentions the name of the type
family and a constructor for an instance of it, but not the type
instance Token Term itself (although a constructor will always
uniquely determine a type instance).

This reminds me to mention that I've had the class and instance
declarations in separate modules all along. Also, I'm using GHC
6.10.1.


Ben