#8177: Roles for type families ------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Reporter: simonpj | Owner: Type: bug | Status: new Priority: normal | Milestone: Component: Compiler | Version: 7.6.3 Keywords: | Operating System: Unknown/Multiple Architecture: Unknown/Multiple | Type of failure: None/Unknown Difficulty: Unknown | Test Case: Blocked By: | Blocking: Related Tickets: | ------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Now that we have [wiki:Roles roles], it might be helpful to be able to give a role signature for a data/type family. At the moment, data/type family constructors have all parameters conservatively assigned to be role `N`. Thus {{{ data family D a -- Parameter conservatively assumed to be N class C a where op :: D a -> a instance C Int where .... newtype N a = MkN a deriving( C ) -- Rejected }}} The generalised-newtype-deriving clause `deriving( C )` is rejected because `D` might use its parameter at role `N` thus: {{{ data instance D [b] = MkD (F b) -- F is a type function }}} It would be strictly more expressive if we could * '''Declare''' the roles of D's arguments (as we can declare their kinds). E.g. {{{ data family D a@R }}} * '''Check''' that each family instance obeys that role signature. E.g. given the preceding role signature, reject this instance: {{{ data instance D [b] = MkD (F b) -- F is a type function }}} I think there is no technical difficulty here. Just a question of doing it. -- Ticket URL: http://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/ticket/8177 GHC http://www.haskell.org/ghc/ The Glasgow Haskell Compiler