Re: [Caml-list] Announce: xsetxmap, unfunctorized, Sexp-lib aware versions of Set and Map

["Jean-Christophe Filliâtre" <Jean-Christophe.Filliatre@lri.fr>]

Berke Durak wrote:
> I decided to share my modification of the standard Set and Map modules.
> 
> Basically, I took Set and Map, unfunctorized them, passing the comparison
> function as an optional argument with Pervasives.compare as the default,

Since your library is allowing the user to pass the comparison function
to any function which requires it

  type 'elt cp = 'elt -> 'elt -> int
  val add: ?cp:'elt cp -> 'elt -> 'elt t -> 'elt t
  val mem: ?cp:'elt cp -> 'elt -> 'elt t -> bool
  ...

you should really add a *huge* warning in the documentation saying that
it is unsound to insert an element with a comparison function and then
to search for it using another one.

This is precisely where the functor approach is increasing your program
correctness, with a static binding of a single comparison function into
the code of all operations.

Even without functors, you can provide a safer approach where the
comparison function is given when creating the data structure (a la Caml
light), and stored inside. This can be an optional argument of create
for instance, so that you keep your idea of a default comparison function:

	val create: ?cp:('elt -> 'elt -> int) -> unit -> 'elt t

(Note that I agree with you that it is sometimes annoying that Set and
Map do not provide polymorphic versions using Pervasives.compare, as
Hashtbl does with the polymorphic hash funtion. I'm only concerned with
the potential risk with your solution...)

-- 
Jean-Christophe