[Haskell-cafe] Solved but strange error in type inference

Yves Parès limestrael at gmail.com
Wed Jan 4 16:22:31 CET 2012


Oleg explained why those work in his last post. It's the exact same logic
for each one.

> f :: a -> a
> f x = x :: a

We explained that too: it's converted (alpha-converted, but I don't exactly
know what 'alpha' refers to. I guess it's phase the type inferer goes
through) to:

f :: forall a. a -> a
f x = x :: forall a1. a1

On one side, x has type a, on the other, it has type a1. Those are
different polymorphic types, yet it's the same variable x hence the
incompatibility. So it doesn't type-check.

2012/1/4 Thiago Negri <evohunz at gmail.com>

> Do not compile:
>
> f :: a -> a
> f x = x :: a
>
>     Couldn't match type `a' with `a1'
>       `a' is a rigid type variable bound by
>           the type signature for f :: a -> a at C:\teste.hs:4:1
>      `a1' is a rigid type variable bound by
>           an expression type signature: a1 at C:\teste.hs:4:7
>     In the expression: x :: a
>     In an equation for `f': f x = x :: a
>
>
> Any of these compiles:
>
> f :: a -> a
> f x = undefined :: a
>
> f :: Num a => a -> a
> f x = undefined :: a
>
> f :: Int -> Int
> f x = undefined :: a
>
> f :: Int -> Int
> f x = 3 :: (Num a => a)
>
>
> Can someone explain case by case?
>
> Thanks,
> Thiago.
>
> 2012/1/4 Yves Parès <limestrael at gmail.com>:
> >> I don't see the point in universally quantifying over types which are
> > already present in the environment
> >
> > I think it reduces the indeterminacy you come across when you read your
> > program ("where does this type variable come from, btw?")
> >
> >
> >> So is there anyway to "force" the scoping of variables, so that
> >> f :: a -> a
> >> f x = x :: a
> >> becomes valid?
> >
> > You mean either than compiling with ScopedTypeVariables and adding the
> > explicit forall a. on f? I don't think.
> >
> > 2012/1/4 Brandon Allbery <allbery.b at gmail.com>
> >
> > On Wed, Jan 4, 2012 at 08:41, Yves Parès <limestrael at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Would you try:
> >>
> >> f :: a -> a
> >>
> >> f x = undefined :: a
> >>
> >> And tell me if it works? IMO it doesn't.
> >
> >>  It won't
> >
> > Apparently, Yucheng says it does.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Haskell-Cafe mailing list
> > Haskell-Cafe at haskell.org
> > http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/haskell-cafe
> >
>
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