[Caml-list] Recursive class types (long-standing question ...)

[William Chesters <williamc@paneris.org>]

Here's something I've wondered about for a while and just encountered again.
How come this class ..

    class virtual ['a] c = object
      method virtual b: bool c
    end

... gets a constraint 'a = bool?  I.e. for instance this doesn't compile:

    class virtual ['a] c = object
      method virtual b: bool c
      method virtual i: int c
          (* "This type int should be an instance of type bool" *)
    end

Note that the following does work in C++:

    template <class a>
    struct c {
      virtual c<bool> b() = 0;
      virtual c<int> i() = 0;
    };

I guess there are workarounds but it seems unnecessary that ML should find
recursive parameterised classes harder than C++?

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