README.md

Data Types à la Carte in Idris

A brief discussion on design choices implementing DTalC.

Syntax

One of the problems with the original Data Types a la Carte implementation, was that the coproduct, (:+:), allowed arbitrary grouping of signatures, e.g. (f :+: g) :+: g. However, injection only performed a linear search from left to right, and so the subtyping relation could not be satisfied in cases which were not right-associative, such as f :≺: (f :+: g) :+: h.

To remedy this, a list of signatures can be used instead. For example, f :+: g would be written as Sig [f, g], using Sig below. Here, fs is a list of the different signatures that make up the composite signature Sig. The a is the type given to each f in fs.

(Side note: An alternative method to solve injection into non-right-associative signatures involves using a backtracking search, but using a list provides a simpler solution)

data Sig : (fs : List (Type -> Type)) -> (a : Type) -> Type where
    Here  : f a -> Sig (f :: fs) a
    There : Sig fs a -> Sig (f :: fs) a

Instead of InL and InR constructors for the coproduct, Sig uses Here and There to describe how to construct a value of a signature. For example, the DSL from Data Types a la Carte paper can be described as:

data Val k = V Int
data Add k = A k k

Using the standard definition of Fix, and the Here and There constructors, DSLs containing both values and addition can be created. Below represents the expression 1 + 2:

ex1 : Fix (Sig [Val, Add])
ex1 = In (There (Here (A x y))) where
    x = In (Here (V 1))
    y = In (Here (V 2))

Clearly, this is very cumbersome to write, and so, like in the original paper, it would be better to automate injection into some super-type. This will involve finding the correct combination of There and Here.

Attempting to use interface instances, like in the original paper, such as those below to perform this linear-search requires overlapping instances, which Idris does not allow.

Therefore, another solution to this search is required. Fortunately, this has already been solved in the standard library (see Elem in Data.List), with a structure similar to Elem below.

The constructor H is a proof the signature f is at the front of the list of signatures to be composed together, fs. The constructor T is a proof the signature is after the front of the list.

data Elem : (f : Type -> Type) -> (fs : List (Type -> Type)) -> Type where
    H : Elem f (f :: fs)
    T : Elem f ys -> Elem f (y :: ys)

Using this, an inj function can be created to construct a sequence of Here and There:

inj' : Elem f fs -> f a -> Sig fs a
inj' H     x = Here x
inj' (T t) x = There (inj' t x)

However, this does not currently provide any advantage over manually using Here and There, since inj' requires manually specifying H and T. However, Idris' automatic proof search can be leveraged to have it automatically find the correct combination of H and T:

inj : {auto prf : Elem f fs} -> f a -> Sig fs a
inj {prf=H}   x = Here x
inj {prf=T t} x = There (inj {prf=t} x)

For convenience, inj can be adapted to work with Fix:

inject : {auto prf : Elem f fs} -> f (Fix (Sig fs)) -> Fix (Sig fs)
inject = In . inj

Putting this together, smart constructors can be created for the example DSL. Instead of a type constraint, Val :<: f, such as in the original paper, Elem Val fs is used to prove that Val exists in fs:

val : {auto prf : Elem Val fs} -> Int -> Fix (Sig fs)
val x = inject (V x)

add : {auto prf : Elem Add fs} -> Fix (Sig fs) -> Fix (Sig fs) -> Fix (Sig fs)
add x y = inject (A x y)

Putting this all together, DSLs containing values and addition can be succinctly represented:

ex2 : Fix (Sig [Val, Add])
ex2 = add (val 1) (add (val 2) (val 3))

Semantics

In the original paper, typeclasses provide a method to specify the semantics of different pieces of syntax separately, by providing an algebra f a -> a to fold over a fix tree Fix f.

In order to fold over a Fix tree using cata, a f needs to be a functor:

cata : Functor f => (f a -> a) -> Fix f -> a
cata alg = alg . map (cata alg) . inop

In this implementation f is Sig fs, therefore, Sig fs needs to be a functor. This could be done by modifying the definition of Here to be Here : Functor f => f a -> Sig (f :: fs) a. However, in the implementation so-far no functions have required f to be a functor and so this solution feels sub-optimal.

Instead, the functor instance for Sig fs will be defined inductively such that Sig fs will be a functor when each f in fs has its own definition of functor.

Firstly, where there are no signatures it is not possible to map over anything:

Functor (Sig []) where
    map _ (Here _) impossible
    map _ (There _) impossible

For the base case, Here, map func x calls map : (a -> b) -> f a -> f b. Whereas, in the recursive case, There, map func t calls map : (a -> b) -> Sig fs a -> Sig fs b.

(Functor f, Functor (Sig fs)) => Functor (Sig (f :: fs)) where
    map func (Here x) = Here (map func x)
    map func (There t) = There (map func t)

Continuing the example, by defining functor instances for both values and addition, Sig [Val, Add] is also a functor.

Functor Val where
    map f (V x) = V x

Functor Add where
    map f (A x y) = A (f x) (f y)

In order to define the algebra f a -> a for a signature f, an interface is used to allow the algebra for different pieces of syntax to be defined separately.

interface Alg (f : Type -> Type) (a : Type) where
    alg : f a -> a

Using the same technique used to define the Functor instance for Sig, the Alg instance will be defined for Sig fs, provided each f in fs has its own Alg instance. Again, when there is no syntax it is not possible to use the algebras of any signatures:

Alg (Sig []) a where
    alg (Here _) impossible
    alg (There _) impossible

In the base case, alg x uses alg : f a -> a. The recursive case uses alg : Sig fs -> a.

(Alg f a, Alg (Sig fs) a) => Alg (Sig (f :: fs)) a where
    alg (Here x) = alg x
    alg (There x) = alg x

To continue the expression example, Alg instances can be created that translate into a result integer:

Alg Val Int where
    alg (V x) = x

Alg Add Int where
    alg (A x y) = x + y

Given signatures which have an algebra to which converts their syntax to integers, a calc function can be created which calculates the value of an expression:

calc : (Functor (Sig fs), Alg (Sig fs) Int) => Fix (Sig fs) -> Int
calc = cata alg

Summary

This demonstrates how Data Types a la Carte can be implemented in such as way as to solve one of the original problems. This shows how the inability to create overlapping instances is solved by using the Elem type, and how automatic proof search can be used to automatically inject into a type.

Related Work: Effect Handlers

A problem inherent with Data Types a la Carte is it inability to allow different semantic domains to be easily composed. To extend the DSL presented with exceptions, for example, would require reimplementing the interface instances Alg Val Int and Alg Add Int to be Alg Val (Either Err Int) and Alg Add (Either Err Int). One solution to this is Effect Handlers which handle only specific parts of the syntax composed, instead of all the syntax at once. Fortunately, this has already been implemented in Idris.