[Haskell-cafe] Type error with simple list function

[Bayley, Alistair]

> From: haskell-cafe-bounces at haskell.org 
> [mailto:haskell-cafe-bounces at haskell.org] On Behalf Of 
> 
> This simple function definition that should rotate a list 
> (put the first 
> item in the last place) fails with a rather cryptic error with ghc:
> 
> f :: [a] ->[a] ->[a]
> f (w : ws) = ws : w
> 
> Couldn't match expected type `[a] -> [a]'
>      against inferred type `[[a]]'
> In the expression: ws : w
> In the definition of `f': f (w : ws) = ws : w


Well, there are a few problems. First, you've given a type sig which
suggests that f takes two arguments (both lists of type [a]) and returns
a list of type [a]. However, there is only one argument to f. A type sig
that better matches your function definition might be f :: [a] -> [a]

Second, the pattern matching in f (w:ws) matches the first item of the
list to w, and the rest of the list to ws. The type of the first item in
the list will be a, not [a].

Third, in the body of the function you're trying to join ws, which has
type [a], to w, which has type a. The (:) operator (AKA cons) expects
arguments of types a and [a] respectively i.e. the other way around from
what you have. I suspect you might want a different operator...

Hope this helps,
Alistair
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