From: Warren Harris <warren@liveops.com>
To: caml-list@yquem.inria.fr
Subject: question about polymorphic methods
Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 19:11:21 -0700 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <46F71CC9.8090609@liveops.com> (raw)
I have a simple output stream class that abstracts over out_channels and
buffers. I would like to add a printf method that takes a format
directive, and calls the appropriate Printf function. To do this, I
needed to introduce a polymorphic method which abstracts over the first
type parameter to the format type (the 'a parameter of printf):
class type ['b] out_stream =
object
method print : string -> unit
method printf : 'a . ('a, 'b, unit) format -> 'a
method flush : unit
end
class out_stream_of_buffer buf =
object (self : Buffer.t #out_stream)
method print str = Buffer.add_string buf str
method printf : 'a . ('a, Buffer.t, unit) format -> 'a =
fun fmt -> Printf.bprintf buf fmt
method flush = ()
end
class out_stream_of_channel och =
object (self : out_channel #out_stream)
method print str = output_string och str
method printf : 'a . ('a, out_channel, unit) format -> 'a =
fun fmt -> Printf.fprintf och fmt
method flush = flush och
end
However, as you can see from this code, I also needed to abstract over
the second parameter to format in the definition of the out_stream class
type ('b is the type of the first argument of the Printf function). This
type parameter propagates through numerous places in my code, in some
cases requiring other methods to become polymorphic. This is
unfortunate, since 'b should be completely hidden by the particular
implementation of out_stream (Buffer.t in the case of
out_stream_of_buffer, or out_channel in the case of out_stream_of_channel).
Is there some other way to implement this that I'm overlooking? It seems
like 'b should be "monomorphic" ('_b) and determined uniquely whenever
the printf method is called. However, if I eliminate the 'b class type
parameter, I get the following error:
.......... out_stream =
object
method print : string -> unit
method printf : 'a . ('a, 'b, unit) format -> 'a
method flush : unit
end
Some type variables are unbound in this type:
class type out_stream =
object
method flush : unit
method print : string -> unit
method printf : ('a, 'b, unit) format -> 'a
end
The method printf has type 'a. ('a, 'b, unit) format -> 'a where 'b
is unbound
Any suggestions on a better way to do this would be appreciated.
BTW, all this code would be unnecessary if ocaml provided an
output_channel_of_buffer primitive. :-)
Warren
next reply other threads:[~2007-09-24 2:09 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 4+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2007-09-24 2:11 Warren Harris [this message]
2007-09-24 12:23 ` [Caml-list] " Julien Moutinho
2007-09-24 23:45 ` [Caml-list] question about polymorphic methods (caml: to exclusive) Warren Harris
2007-09-25 1:25 ` Till Varoquaux
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