#12160: MonadFail instance for (Either String)? -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Reporter: lexi.lambda | Owner: Type: feature | Status: new request | Priority: normal | Milestone: Component: libraries | Version: 8.0.1 (other) | Keywords: | Operating System: Unknown/Multiple Architecture: | Type of failure: None/Unknown Unknown/Multiple | Test Case: | Blocked By: Blocking: | Related Tickets: Differential Rev(s): | Wiki Page: -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- I think one of the cool things about breaking out `MonadFail` would be the opportunity to introduce an instance for `Either String`, which isn’t possible to do with plain `Monad` without overlapping instances. The instance itself would be completely trivial: {{{#!hs instance MonadFail (Either String) where fail = Left }}} The only possible reason to ''not'' do this, as far as I can tell, would be because it requires `FlexibleInstances`. This already seems to be used for a few instances in `base`, and it seems like it would be extremely useful, so I would really appreciate if such an instance was defined. I’d be happy to submit a patch to add it, but I wasn’t sure if this would be an uncontroversial change or not. -- Ticket URL: http://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/ticket/12160 GHC http://www.haskell.org/ghc/ The Glasgow Haskell Compiler