Re: [Caml-list] Magic with fun (type t) ... ?

[Gabriel Scherer <gabriel.scherer@gmail.com>]

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Local modules are usually "safe" in the sense that the type system checks
that the local types do not escape the whole expression.

  # let test =
      let module Local = struct type t = Foo end
      in Local.Foo;;
  Error: This `let module' expression has type Local.t
  In this type, the locally bound module name Local escapes its scope

However, exceptions do not create a local type, they instead augment the
global open-ended "exn" type, so the type-checker won't detect the leak.

Finally, you don't want to disallow local exception declarations, as they're
very useful in various situations -- simply moving an existing module to a
local scope.
The use of the new (type t) construct to declare local polymorphic
exceptions is also useful in some cases. See for example:
http://ocaml.janestreet.com/?q=node/18#comment-190


(I agree that the type regression when escaping is quite weird and should be
avoided if possible.)


On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 11:17 PM, Jim Pryor
<lists+caml@jimpryor.net<lists%2Bcaml@jimpryor.net>
> wrote:

> I expect this is bad coding style, and should not be relied on. However,
> I was surprised at the behavior, and wondered whether it was intended:
>
> # let f = fun (type t) x ->
>    let module M = struct exception E of t end in
>    M.E x;;
> val f : 'a -> exn = <fun>
>
> f is polymorphic, as we expect:
>
> # f 1;;
> - : exn = E 1
> # f "s";;
> - : exn = E "s"
>
> But now notice:
>
> # f ();;
> - : exn = E 0
> # f None;;
> - : exn = E 0
>
> It appears that non-heap values are always getting magicked into ints.
>
> Has this been noted before?
>
> --
> Jim Pryor
> profjimm@jimpryor.net
>
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