Why does this compile:
let (|T|F|) b =
let f (o:int) : obj = null
if b then T else F(f)
while this fails:
let (|T|F|) b =
let f (o:obj) : obj = null
if b then T else F(f)
The difference between the two examples is the argument 'o' is coerced to either an 'int' (compiles) or an 'obj' (fails to compile)
It's an unfortunate type inference corner case. This will work:
let (|T|F|) b : Choice<unit,obj -> obj> =
let f (o:obj) : obj = null
if b then T else F(f)
In your original code, despite your annotation (o:obj), F# infers that o could actually be of any type 'a, which leads to a generic active pattern of type bool -> Choice<unit,'a -> obj>. Because 'a is a free type variable, F# won't accept this active pattern definition. You can see a similar problem if you do something like:
let (|T|F|) b =
if b then T else F []
Again, the solution would be to monomorphize the definition:
let (|T|F|) b : Choice<unit,int list> =
if b then T else F []
Related
I am trying to write an API on top of a C# library. The C# code has a dictionary from types to values that I would like to represent using immutable data structures.
However, I am having trouble writing the type constraints correctly:
open System
// System.Type cannot be used a map key
// TODO: Is this enough data to form a key?
type ComparableType =
{
AssemblyQualifiedName : string
}
type TypeMap<'t> =
private
| TypeMap of Map<ComparableType, 't>
module TypeMap =
let private innerMap =
function
| TypeMap m -> m
let empty () =
TypeMap Map.empty
// Here is the problem line!
let add<'t, 'v when 'v :> 't> (v : 'v) (m : TypeMap<'t>) =
let t = typeof<'v>
let k =
{
AssemblyQualifiedName = t.AssemblyQualifiedName
}
m
|> innerMap
|> Map.add k (v :> 't)
|> TypeMap
Error:
Invalid constraint: the type used for the constraint is sealed, which means the constraint could only be satisfied by at most one solution
The problem is a limitation of the F# compiler. In this code, it will assume that 'A = 'B:
type T<'A, 'B when 'A :> 'B>() = class end
The work-around is to make the type parameter of TypeMap<'t> concrete. Unfortunately this requires lots of boiler-plate, but it is a solution I can live with:
type FooTypeMap =
private
| FooTypeMap of Map<ComparableType, Foo>
module FooTypeMap =
let private innerMap =
function
| FooTypeMap m -> m
// etc...
There is a request for change here: https://github.com/fsharp/fslang-suggestions/issues/255
See also: https://stackoverflow.com/a/64113104/1256041
I do not think F# can handle a generic constraint like that. Also, it wont let you do a coertion to an undetermined type. Your best bet is to use box v instead of (v :> 't)
Like this:
type ComparableType =
{
AssemblyQualifiedName : string
}
type TypeMap =
private
| TypeMap of Map<ComparableType, obj>
module TypeMap =
let private innerMap =
function
| TypeMap m -> m
let empty () =
TypeMap Map.empty
let inline add (v : 'v) (m : TypeMap) =
let t = typeof< 'v>
let k =
{
AssemblyQualifiedName = t.AssemblyQualifiedName
}
m
|> innerMap
|> Map.add k (box v)
|> TypeMap
let inline get< ^v> (m : TypeMap) : ^v =
let t = typeof<'v>
let k =
{
AssemblyQualifiedName = t.AssemblyQualifiedName
}
(innerMap m).[k]
|> unbox
I have a made a simple function that wraps common F# functions of signature 'a -> 'b -> 'c option to more "C# compliant" function as : 'a -> b -> byref<'c> -> bool. But somehow when I try to wrap such a method in a class I am getting error FS0001 and I can't locate the error.
Code below
open System
open System.Runtime.InteropServices
// Given a function, f: 'a -> 'b -> 'c option returns
// A new function g: 'a -> 'b -> byref<'c> -> bool
let wrapOptionF f a b (g:byref<'c>) =
match f a b with
| Some v ->
do g <- v
true
| None ->
false
let tryDivide (a:int) (b:int) =
match Math.DivRem(a,b) with
| v, 0 -> Some v
| _ -> None
type TryDivideWrapper() =
static member TryDivide(a, b, [<Out>]cRef:byref<int>) : bool =
let f = wrapOptionF tryDivide a b
f cRef
The offending line is f cRef.
This post contains a more in-depth explanation, but in short you can replace your final type definition with the following:
type TryDivideWrapper() =
static member TryDivide(a, b, [<Out>]cRef:byref<int>) : bool =
wrapOptionF tryDivide a b &cRef
The reason for this is that your wrapOptionF takes a byref parameter. However, byref<int> isn't really a type like int or int ref - it's just an indication to the compiler that your parameter should be passed by reference (like out in C#). Once inside your function, however, what you have is a regular int.
Edit: Note that Intellisense will show cRef as having type byRef<int>. However, if you bind another variable to cRef, you'll see that the type you get is a regular int. You can put this line inside TryDivide and then hover your mouse over a to see it:
let a = cRef
Using the & operator tells the compiler that you're passing cRef into f by reference - which is exactly what f needs - making the type system happy. I've tested this using a C# project, and TryDivideWrapper.TryDivide(a, b, out c) works as expected. Add in #MarkSeemann's tryDivide and you should be good to go.
I'm not exactly sure I understand the reason, but this seems to work:
type TryDivideWrapper() =
static member TryDivide(a, b, [<Out>]cRef:byref<int>) : bool =
wrapOptionF tryDivide a b &cRef
BTW, the OP tryDivide implementation throws an exception on tryDivide 1 0. Here's an alternative implementation that works:
let tryDivide (a:int) (b:int) =
if b = 0
then None
else Some (a / b)
FSI:
> tryDivide 1 0;;
val it : int option = None
> tryDivide 10 5;;
val it : int option = Some 2
I have a function that takes a parameter of type object and needs to downcast it to an option<obj>.
member s.Bind(x : obj, rest) =
let x = x :?> Option<obj>
If I pass (for example) an Option<string> as x, the last line throws the exception: Unable to cast object of type 'Microsoft.FSharp.Core.FSharpOption'1[System.String]' to type 'Microsoft.FSharp.Core.FSharpOption'1[System.Object]'.
Or, if I try a type test:
member s.Bind(x : obj, rest) =
match x with
| :? option<obj> as x1 -> ... // Do stuff with x1
| _ -> failwith "Invalid type"
then x never matches option<obj>.
In order to make this work, I currently have to specify the type the option contains (e.g. if the function is passed an option<string>, and I downcast the parameter to that rather than option<obj>, the function works.
Is there a way I can downcast the parameter to option<obj> without specifying what type the option contains? I've tried option<_>, option<#obj>, and option<'a> with the same results.
By way of background, the parameter needs to be of type obj because I'm writing an interface for a monad, so Bind needs to bind values of different types depending on the monad that implements the interface. This particular monad is a continuation monad, so it just wants to make sure the parameter is Some(x) and not None, then pass x on to rest. (The reason I need the interface is because I'm writing a monad transformer and I need a way to tell it that its parameter monads implement bind and return.)
Update: I managed to get around this by upcasting the contents of the option before it becomes a parameter to this function, but I'm still curious to know if I can type-test or cast an object (or generic parameter) to an option without worrying about what type the option contains (assuming of course the cast is valid, i.e. the object really is an option).
There isn't any nice way to solve this problem currently.
The issue is that you'd need to introduce a new generic type parameter in the pattern matching (when matching against option<'a>), but F# only allows you to define generic type parameters in function declarations. So, your only solution is to use some Reflection tricks. For example, you can define an active pattern that hides this:
let (|SomeObj|_|) =
let ty = typedefof<option<_>>
fun (a:obj) ->
let aty = a.GetType()
let v = aty.GetProperty("Value")
if aty.IsGenericType && aty.GetGenericTypeDefinition() = ty then
if a = null then None
else Some(v.GetValue(a, [| |]))
else None
This will give you None or Some containing obj for any option type:
let bind (x : obj) rest =
match x with
| SomeObj(x1) -> rest x1
| _ -> failwith "Invalid type"
bind(Some 1) (fun n -> 10 * (n :?> int))
I am not certain why you need to get your input as obj, but if your input is an Option<_>, then it is easy:
member t.Bind (x : 'a option, rest : obj option -> 'b) =
let x = // val x : obj option
x
|> Option.bind (box >> Some)
rest x
To answer your last question: you can use a slight variation of Tomas' code if you need a general-purpose way to check for options without boxing values beforehand:
let (|Option|_|) value =
if obj.ReferenceEquals(value, null) then None
else
let typ = value.GetType()
if typ.IsGenericType && typ.GetGenericTypeDefinition() = typedefof<option<_>> then
let opt : option<_> = (box >> unbox) value
Some opt.Value
else None
//val ( |Option|_| ) : 'a -> 'b option
let getValue = function
| Option x -> x
| _ -> failwith "Not an option"
let a1 : int = getValue (Some 42)
let a2 : string = getValue (Some "foo")
let a3 : string = getValue (Some 42) //InvalidCastException
let a4 : int = getValue 42 //Failure("Not an option")
From the MSDN documentation I understand that if Run is implemented it will be called automatically at the end of the computational expression. It says that:
builder.Run(builder.Delay(fun () -> {| cexpr |}))
will be generated for the computational expression. Run and/or Delay will be omitted if they are not defined in the workflow builder. I was expecting my ReaderBuilder to return a list of MyItem objects when Run is called automatically. So I do not understand why I'm getting a type mismatch error. The errors are generated by the return statement inside the ProcedureBuilder foo at the end of my code listing here. Could someone please explain what I'm misunderstanding about workflow builders and what I have implemented incorrectly?
I'm getting the following errors:
The type ''a list' is not compatible with the type 'ReaderBuilder'
Type constraint mismatch. The type 'a list is not compatible with type ReaderBuilder The type ''a list' is not compatible with the type 'ReaderBuilder'
open System
open System.Data
open System.Data.Common
open System.Configuration
let config = ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings.Item("db")
let factory = DbProviderFactories.GetFactory(config.ProviderName)
type Direction =
| In
| Out
| Ref
| Return
type dbType =
| Int32
| String of int
type ReaderBuilder(cmd) =
let mutable items = []
member x.Foo = 2
member x.YieldFrom item =
items <- item::items
item
member x.Run item =
items
type ProcBuilder(procedureName:string) =
let name = procedureName
let mutable parameters = []
let mutable cmd:DbCommand = null
let mutable data = []
member x.Command with get() = cmd
member x.CreateCommand() =
factory.CreateCommand()
member x.AddParameter(p:string*dbType*Direction) =
parameters <- p::parameters
member x.Bind(v,f) =
f v
member x.Reader = ReaderBuilder(cmd)
member x.Return(rBuilder:ReaderBuilder) =
data
let (?<-) (builder:ProcBuilder) (prop:string) (value:'t) =
builder.Command.Parameters.[prop].Value <- value
type MyItem() =
let mutable _a = 0
let mutable _b = String.Empty
let mutable _c = DateTime.Now
member x.a
with get() = _a
and set n = _a <- n
member x.b
with get() = _b
and set n = _b <- n
member x.c
with get() = _c
and set n = _c <- n
let proc name = ProcBuilder(name)
let (%) (builder:ProcBuilder) (p:string*dbType*Direction) =
builder.AddParameter(p)
builder
let (?) (r:DbDataReader) (s:string) = r.GetOrdinal(s)
let foo x y =
let foo = proc "foo" % ("x", Int32, In) % ("y", String(15), In)
foo?x <- x
foo?y <- y
foo {
do! foo?x <- x
do! foo?y <- y
return foo.Reader {
let item = MyItem()
item.a <- r.GetInt32("a")
item.b <- r.GetString("b")
item.c <- r.GetDateTime("c")
yield! item
}
}
The problem in your example is that the foo.Reader { ... } block has a return type MyItem list (because this is what the Run member of the ReaderBuilder type returns). However, the Return member of ProcBuilder expects an argument of type ReaderBuilder.
The data field of ReaderBuilder will be always an empty list, so this is also suspicious. I think you probably want to change the Return of ProcBuilder to take an argument MyItem list instead.
However, I think that using custom computation builder for database access doesn't really give you much advantage. You're not creating a "non-standard computation" in some sense. Instead, you probably just want a nice syntax for calling commands & reading data. Using the dynamic operator can make this quite elegant even without computation builders - I wrote an article about this some time ago.
I'm wondering what others have come up with for dealing with Nullable<'T> in F#. I want to use Nullable<'T> on data types so that serialization works properly (i.e., doesn't write out F# option type to XML). But, I don't want my code stuck dealing with the ugliness of dealing with Nullable<'T> directly. Any suggestions?
Is it better to use active patterns to match directly on Nullable, or just a converter to option and use Some/None matching?
Additionally, I'd love to hear ideas on dealing with nullable references in a nice manner too. If I use, say "string option", then I end up with the F# option type wrapping things. If I don't then I can't distinguish between truly optional strings and strings that shouldn't be null.
Any chance .NET 4 will take on an Option<'T> to help out? (If it's part of the BCL, then we might see better support for it...)
As active patterns as options plays nicely with pattern matching, but is seems by using active patterns (i.e. typeof and ??) your code will eat more ticks.
The base question is how you will deal with your nullable references?
In case your code is long chained computations it's nice to use monadic syntax:
type Maybe<'a> = (unit -> 'a option)
let succeed x : Maybe<'a> = fun () -> Some(x)
let fail : Maybe<'a> = fun () -> None
let run (a: Maybe<'a>) = a()
let bind p rest = match run p with None -> fail | Some r -> (rest r)
let delay f = fun () -> run (f ())
type MaybeBuilder() =
member this.Return(x) = succeed x
member this.Let(p,rest) = rest p
member this.Bind(p,rest) = bind p rest
member this.Delay(f) = delay f
let maybe = new MaybeBuilder()
let add (a:'a) (b:'a) =
maybe {
match TryGetNumericAssociation<'a>() with
| Some v -> return (v.Add(a,b))
| _ -> return! fail
}
let add3 (a:'a) (b:'a) (c:'a) =
maybe {
let! ab = add a b
let! abc = add ab c
return abc
}
> let r1 = add 1 2;;
val r1 : (unit -> int option)
> r1();;
val it : int option = Some 3
> let r2 = add "1" "2";;
val r2 : (unit -> string option)
> r2();;
val it : string option = None
> let r3 = add3 "one" "two" "three";;
val r3 : (unit -> string option)
> r3();;
val it : string option = None