Re: [Caml-list] Re: Why can't I call a function over a subclass?

[Martin Jambon <martin.jambon@ens-lyon.org>]

Luca,

I think what you meant is:

----------
class r (x_init: int) = object
   method get_x : int = x_init
end

let f (r1: r) (r2: r) : bool = (r1#get_x = r2#get_x)

class r' (x_init: int) = object
   inherit r x_init
   method get_xx : int = 2 * x_init
end

let q (r1: r') (r2: r') = f (r1 :> r) (r2 :> r)
--------------

You could also write:

let f r1 r2 : bool = ((r1 :> r)#get_x = (r2 :> r)#get_x)
let q (r1: r') (r2: r') = f r1 r2

I think the second form is nicer, since f is now polymorphic, and accepts 
any object type which is compatible with r, such as r'.


Martin


On Fri, 5 Oct 2007, Luca de Alfaro wrote:

> I am not so used to ":>"... looking at the example I posted, would you be
> able to tell me how to make it type-check by adding ":>"?  This would be
> very much appreciated...
>
> Luca
>
> On 10/5/07, Martin Jambon <martin.jambon@ens-lyon.org> wrote:
>>
>> On Fri, 5 Oct 2007, Luca de Alfaro wrote:
>>
>>> But the larger issue is: when a type is used for an input parameters, as
>> the
>>> type p in:
>>> f : int -> p -> bool
>>> why does the compiler have to complain that p has too many methods?
>>
>> That's your point of view. The compiler complains about different types,
>> but it doesn't know which one is intended:  does one object have
>> too many methods or does the other object miss some methods?
>>
>> With some experience, you will learn that artificially annotating types
>> of objects or polymorphic variants leads to much clearer and earlier error
>> messages.
>>
>> So I would say that using ":>" is a rather mild annoyance, except that you
>> have to learn what it means.
>>
>>
>> Martin
>>
>>
>>> Would it not be possible to make the type checker smarter, and ensure
>> that
>>> when p is an input type, it is ok to have more methods?
>>> And for output types as well, it would seem?
>>> In other words, what is that fundamentally breaks if one were to change
>> the
>>> ocaml type checker in this way?
>>>
>>> Luca
>>>
>>> On 10/5/07, Edgar Friendly <thelema314@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Luca de Alfaro wrote:
>>>>> Yes, here is some code.  Any help would be very much appreciated.
>>>>> The following fails to type check:
>>>>>
>>>>> class p (x: int) = object
>>>>>   method plus1 : int = x + 1
>>>>> end
>>>>>
>>>>> class p2 (x: int) = object
>>>>>   inherit p x
>>>>>   method plus2 : int = x + 2
>>>>> end
>>>>>
>>>>> class r = object (self)
>>>>>   val mutable l = []
>>>>>   method make_el x = new p x
>>>>>   method add (x: int) : unit = l <- (self#make_el x) :: l
>>>>>   method length : int = List.length l
>>>>>   method total : int = List.fold_left (fun t el -> t + el#plus1) 0 l
>>>>> end
>>>>>
>>>>> class r2 = object
>>>>>   inherit r
>>>>>   method make_el x = new p2 x
>>>>>   method total2 : int = List.fold_left (fun t el -> t + el#plus2) 0 l
>>>>> end
>>>>>
>>>> if I manually perform the inherit operation by pasting the code from r1
>>>> into r2, I get:
>>>>
>>>> class r2 = object (self)
>>>>   val mutable l = []
>>>>   method make_el x = new p2 x
>>>>   method add (x: int) : unit = l <- (self#make_el x) :: l
>>>>   method length : int = List.length l
>>>>   method total2 : int = List.fold_left (fun t el -> t + el#plus2) 0 l
>>>> end
>>>>
>>>> which compiles just fine, and probably works as intended.  If I include
>>>> the original method make_el above the new one like this:
>>>>   method make_el x = new p x
>>>>   method make_el x = new p2 x
>>>> Ignoring the warning about overriding methods within the same class, we
>>>> come to the root of the type problem: make_el must have a type.  After
>>>> inference completes on the first line, make_el's type is determined to
>>>> be p.  The second make_el's type must match, but it doesn't.  I don't
>>>> see a solution for your problem that doesn't involve this kind of
>> manual
>>>> expansion and removal of duplicate methods, but I'm fairly sure this is
>>>> the real problem for you.
>>>>
>>>> E.
>>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> http://martin.jambon.free.fr
>>
>

--
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