[Haskell-cafe] semantics of type synonym

[Miguel Mitrofanov]

pbrowne wrote:
> Hi,
> I am studying the underlying semantics behind Haskell and to what degree
> those semantics are actually implemented. I need to clarify what a *type
> synonym* actual means in relation to Haskell's logic (or formal
> semantics). I used the following type synonym:
> 
> type Name = String
> getName(n) = n
> 
> I checked the types with two tests:
> -- test 1
> :t "ww"
> "ww" :: [Char]
> 
> -- test 2
> :t getName("ww")
> getName("ww") :: Name
> 
> Obviously I get two different types.

Wrong. You get exactly the same type, it's just that GHCi detected that you have a fancy name for this type, so it gives you that name. It's not type system, it's just GHCi.

> In the case of the function Haskells type system seems to pick up enough
> information to determine that “ww” is a Name.
> But I am not sure what is happening with the literal "ww" in the first test.
> 
> 
> Pat
> 
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