#15322: `KnownNat` does not imply `Typeable` any more when used with plugin -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Reporter: chshersh | Owner: (none) Type: bug | Status: new Priority: normal | Milestone: 8.6.1 Component: Compiler | Version: 8.4.3 Resolution: | Keywords: | typeable,knownnat Operating System: Unknown/Multiple | Architecture: Type of failure: GHC rejects | Unknown/Multiple valid program | Test Case: Blocked By: | Blocking: Related Tickets: #10348 | Differential Rev(s): Wiki Page: | -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Comment (by simonpj): OK, now I understand. I'll add this comment to `TcInteract`: {{{ Note [Typeable for Nat and Symbol] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have special Typeable instances for Nat and Symbol. Roughly we have this instance, implemented here by doTyLit: instance KnownNat n => Typeable (n :: Nat) where typeRep = tyepNatTypeRep @n where Data.Typeable.Internals.typeNatTypeRep :: KnownNat a => TypeRep a Ultimately typeNatTypeRep uses 'natSing' from KnownNat to get a runtime value 'n'; it turns it into a string with 'show' and uses that to whiz up a TypeRep TyCon for 'n', with mkTypeLitTyCon. See #10348. Because of this rule it's inadvisable (see #15322) to have a constraint f :: (Typeable (n :: Nat)) => blah in a function signature; it gives rise to overlap problems just as if you'd written f :: Eq [a] => blah }}} Note the "inadvisable" part, which is what this ticket is about. It just wasn't at all clear to me, and hence perhaps not to others. -- Ticket URL: http://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/ticket/15322#comment:6 GHC http://www.haskell.org/ghc/ The Glasgow Haskell Compiler