[Haskell-cafe] Re: ambiguous partially defined type problem

[Brian Hulley]

Maarten wrote:
> Only update (see code below) is a bit ugly (I have no idea why I need
> fixCastUpdate)
> class (Show a, Typeable a) => ICustom a where
   [snip]
>    update :: a -> (forall b. (ICustom b) => b -> b) -> a
>    update a f = f a
>
> instance ICustom Node where
>    getVal (Node n) f = getVal n f
>    update (Node n) f = Node (update n f)
>
> updateM :: forall a b. (ICustom a, ICustom b) => (a -> b) ->
> NodeState () updateM f = do
>    s <- get
>    let s' = update s (fixCastUpdate f)
>    put s'

Hi Maarten -
Looking at this again, I wonder if the following changes would work:

    -- this change is not strictly necessary
    update :: a -> (a -> a) -> a

    updateM :: (forall a. ICustom a => a -> a) -> NodeState ()
    updateM f = do
        s <- get
        let s' = update s f
        put s'

I think the reason why fixCastUpdate was needed in your original definition 
of updateM is because the type of f seems to be too general (a->b) compared 
to the type of f in the update method of ICustom (b->b)

Regards, Brian.
-- 
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Yet still phantoms restless for eras long past,
congealed in the present in unthought forms,
strive mightily unseen to destroy us.

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