[Haskell-cafe] Re: Parametrized monads

[Ashley Yakeley]

Miguel Mitrofanov wrote:
> Suppose I want to create a specific monad as a combination of monad 
> transformers - something like "StateT smth1 (ReaderT smth2 Identity)". 
> As you can see, each transformer is parametrized with a type of kind *. 
> I want to abstract these parameters, so that instead of "StateT smth..." 
> I can write something like
> 
> Zip (ConsT StateT (ConsT ReaderT NilT)) (ConsA smth1 (ConsA smth2 NilA)) 
> Identity
> 
> and it would be a type isomorphic to the first one. I mean, I want 
> (ConsT StateT (ConsT ReaderT NilT))" to be a separate entity of fixed 
> kind, so that I can, say, create a class instance for it or something.
> 
> I'd be quite happy if list length appears as a separate parameter, like
> 
> Zip (Succ (Succ Zero)) (ConsT ...
> 
> I would NOT be happy with something like
> 
> Zip (List_2 StateT ReaderT) (Arg_2 smth1 smth2)
> 
> If haskell had polymorphic kinds, I'd be able to do it easily; 
> unfortunately, it doesn't have them.

I think the "type families" extension can do this.

-- 
Ashley Yakeley