[GHC] #8634: Code valid in GHC 7.6 is impossible to move over GHC 7.7 (because of liberal coverage condition)

27 Dec 2013

      #8634: Code valid in GHC 7.6 is impossible to move over GHC 7.7 (because of
liberal coverage condition)
------------------------------------+-------------------------------------
       Reporter:  danilo2           |             Owner:
           Type:  bug               |            Status:  new
       Priority:  high              |         Milestone:
      Component:  Compiler          |           Version:  7.7
       Keywords:                    |  Operating System:  Unknown/Multiple
   Architecture:  Unknown/Multiple  |   Type of failure:  None/Unknown
     Difficulty:  Unknown           |         Test Case:
     Blocked By:                    |          Blocking:
Related Tickets:                    |
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 == Abstract ==
 Hi! I'm writing a compiler, which produces Haskell code. I've discovered
 it is impossible to keep currently used features / logic using GHC 7.7
 instead of 7.6

 Below is more detailed description of the problem:

 == The idea ==
 I'm writing a [DSL][1], which compiles to Haskell.

 Users of this language can define own immutable data structures and
 associated functions. By associated function I mean a function, which
 belongs to a data structure.
 For example, user can write (in "pythonic" pseudocode):
 {{{#!python
   data Vector a:
       x,y,z :: a
       def method1(self, x):
           return x
 }}}

 (which is equivalent to the following code, but shows also, that
 associated functions beheva like type classes with open world assumption):

 {{{#!python
     data Vector a:
       x,y,z :: a
     def Vector.method1(self, x):
       return x
 }}}

 In this example, `method1` is a function associated with `Vector` data
 type, and can be used like `v.testid(5)` (where `v` is instance of
 `Vector` data type).

 I'm translating such code to Haskell code, but I'm facing a problem, which
 I'm trying to solve for a long time.

 == The problem ==

 I'm trying to move the code from GHC 7.6 over GHC 7.7. The code works
 perfectly under GHC 7.6, but does not under GHC 7.7.
 I want to ask you how can I fix it to make it working in the new version
 of the compiler?

 == Example code ==

 Lets see a simplified version of generated (by my compiler) Haskell code:
 {{{#!haskell
     {-# LANGUAGE FlexibleInstances #-}
     {-# LANGUAGE ScopedTypeVariables #-}
     {-# LANGUAGE TypeFamilies #-}
     {-# LANGUAGE UndecidableInstances #-}
     {-# LANGUAGE FunctionalDependencies #-}

     import Data.Tuple.OneTuple

     ------------------------------
     -- data types
     ------------------------------
     data Vector a = Vector {x :: a, y :: a, z :: a} deriving (Show)
     -- the Vector_testid is used as wrapper over a function "testid".
     newtype Vector_testid a = Vector_testid a

     ------------------------------
     -- sample function, which is associated to data type Vector
     ------------------------------
     testid (v :: Vector a) x = x

     ------------------------------
     -- problematic function (described later)
     ------------------------------
     testx x = call (method1 x) $ OneTuple "test"

     ------------------------------
     -- type classes
     ------------------------------
     -- type class used to access "method1" associated function
     class Method1 cls m func | cls -> m, cls -> func where
         method1 :: cls -> m func

     -- simplified version of type class used to "evaluate" functions based
 on
     -- their input. For example: passing empty tuple as first argument of
 `call`
     -- indicates evaluating function with default arguments (in this
 example
     -- the mechanism of getting default arguments is not available)
     class Call a b where
         call :: a -> b

     ------------------------------
     -- type classes instances
     ------------------------------
     instance (out ~ (t1->t1)) => Method1 (Vector a) Vector_testid out
 where
       method1 = (Vector_testid . testid)

     instance (base ~ (OneTuple t1 -> t2)) => Call (Vector_testid base)
 (OneTuple t1 -> t2) where
         call (Vector_testid val) = val

     ------------------------------
     -- example usage
     ------------------------------
     main = do
         let v = Vector (1::Int) (2::Int) (3::Int)
         -- following lines equals to a pseudocode of ` v.method1 "test" `
         -- OneTuple is used to indicate, that we are passing single
 element.
         -- In case of more or less elements, ordinary tuples would be
 used.
         print $ call (method1 v) $ OneTuple "test"
         print $ testx v
 }}}

 The code compiles and works fine with GHC 7.6. When I'm trying to compile
 it with GHC 7.7, I'm getting following error:

 {{{
     debug.hs:61:10:
         Illegal instance declaration for
           ‛Method1 (Vector a) Vector_testid out’
           The liberal coverage condition fails in class ‛Method1’
             for functional dependency: ‛cls -> func’
           Reason: lhs type ‛Vector a’ does not determine rhs type ‛out’
         In the instance declaration for
           ‛Method1 (Vector a) Vector_testid out’
 }}}

 The error is caused by new rules of checking what functional dependencies
 can do, namely `liberal coverage condition` (as far as I know, this is
 `coverage condition` relaxed by using `-XUndecidableInstances`)

 == Some attemps to fix the problem ==

 I was trying to overcome this problem by changing the definition of
 `Method1` to:

 {{{#!haskell
     class Method1 cls m func | cls -> m where
         method1 :: cls -> m func
 }}}

 Which resolves the problem with functional dependencies, but then the
 line:

 {{{#!haskell
     testx x = call (method1 x) $ OneTuple "test"
 }}}

 is not allowed anymore, causing a compile error (in both 7.6 and 7.7
 versions):

 {{{
     Could not deduce (Method1 cls m func0)
       arising from the ambiguity check for ‛testx’
     from the context (Method1 cls m func,
                       Call (m func) (OneTuple [Char] -> s))
       bound by the inferred type for ‛testx’:
                  (Method1 cls m func, Call (m func) (OneTuple [Char] ->
 s)) =>
                  cls -> s
       at debug.hs:50:1-44
     The type variable ‛func0’ is ambiguous
     When checking that ‛testx’
       has the inferred type ‛forall cls (m :: * -> *) func s.
                              (Method1 cls m func, Call (m func) (OneTuple
 [Char] -> s)) =>
                              cls -> s’
     Probable cause: the inferred type is ambiguous
 }}}

 It is also impossible to solve this issue using type families (as far as I
 know). If we replace `Method1` type class and instances with following
 code (or simmilar):

 {{{#!haskell
     class Method1 cls m | cls -> m where
         type Func cls
         method1 :: cls -> m (Func cls)

     instance Method1 (Vector a) Vector_testid where
         type Func (Vector a) = (t1->t1)
         method1 = (Vector_testid . testid)
 }}}

 We would get obvious error `Not in scope: type variable ‛t1’`, because
 type families does not allow to use types, which does not appear on LHS of
 type expression.

 == The final question ==

 How can I make this idea work under GHC 7.7? I know the new `liberal
 coverage condition` allows GHC devs make some progress with type checking,
 but it should somehow be doable to port idea working in GHC 7.6 over never
 compiler version.

 (without forcing user of my DSL to introduce any further types -
 everything so far, like type class instances, I'm genarating using
 Template Haskell)

 Maybe is there a way to indroduce an extension, which will disable liberal
 coverage condition in such situations?

 There is also a StackOverflow discussion available, here:
 http://stackoverflow.com/questions/20778588/liberal-coverage-condition-
 introduced-in-ghc-7-7-breaks-code-valid-in-ghc-7-6

   [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain-specific_language

--
Ticket URL: http://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/ticket/8634
GHC http://www.haskell.org/ghc/
The Glasgow Haskell Compiler