Permit impl Trait in type aliases

[varkor]

Allow impl Trait to be used in type aliases and associated traits, resolving the open question in RFC 2071 as to the concrete syntax for existential type. This makes it possible to write type aliases of the form:

type Adder = impl Fn(usize) -> usize;
// equivalent to: `existential type Adder: Fn(usize) -> usize;`

Rendered.
Tracking issue.

Thanks to @rpjohnst and @Centril for their ideas, discussion and feedback.

[Nemo157]

My biggest issue with this restriction is that it makes impl Trait inconsistent between type aliases and everywhere else (excluding the already inconsistent argument position). With existential type there was a simple rule that could be applied to impl Trait in every position except argument position: it introduces a new anonymous existential type in the current context. This rule works perfectly for return position, type declaration in bindings, type aliases, and could work for type declaration of struct/enum members if there wasn't a chance of confusion with argument-position-impl-trait.

[varkor]

I'm not quite sure I follow your point. This restriction is simply a syntactic one: it is simply intended to sidestep the question of what:

type Foo = (impl Bar, impl Bar);

means for now (because some people expressed unease at this construction in particular).

impl Trait continues to be applicable in exactly the same places as existential type: this rule simply means it can't be used in more complex scenarios than existential type yet.

[Nemo157]

I mean that with existential types it's possible to have a single very simple rule for desugaring impl Trait that covers both:

type Foo = (impl Bar, impl Bar);
let foo: (impl Bar, impl Bar);

but with type Foo = impl Trait; trying to apply the same sort of rule you get to this recursive definition that needs a special case when you use a bare impl Trait in a type alias.

[varkor]

Ah, I see. Yes, you do have to have a single type alias as a base case if you're using the impl Trait type aliases to desugar. In practice, the desugaring of existential type is effectively replaced by the type alias. That is, the existential type design was originally intended to act as a desugaring for return-position and variable-binding (e.g. let) impl Trait. Using type aliases fills that role: but you can't use it to desugar itself. In practice, I don't think this is important, as there's no practical difference between the existential type itself and its alias.

[alexreg]

Why can't it be used to desugar, @varkor?

[varkor]

Because if you try to desugar each occurrence of impl Trait you would end up trying to desugar:

type Foo = impl Trait;

into:

type Foo = impl Trait;

so you need to have this as a base case.

[Centril]

Some nits

[clarfonthey]

Just to clarify because I'm not 100% certain on how impl Trait works, these will allow where clauses too, right? In other words, type Thing = impl Trait where Self: Clone.

If I recall correctly, impl Trait doesn't allow this, as it'd be ambiguous if you said fn fun() -> impl Trait where Self: Clone because it's unclear whether the Self: Clone applies to the impl Trait or the fn fun().

So technically where clauses would have to be added to make this equivalent to the existential type syntax. It also solves the problem of where clauses for impl Trait, as you can make a type alias if you need them.

I think the RFC should have some discussion of where clauses. I didn't see any.

[Nemo157]

@clarcharr what's the intended meaning of where clauses on an impl Trait? I can't work out what type Thing = impl Trait where Self: Clone; would do, or why you would use it.

[clarfonthey]

So I just used Self: Clone as an example but a better one might be, for example, impl Iterator where Self::Item: Clone. While in the future this will be doable as impl Iterator<Item: Clone> you need a where clause for this currently.

In general, there are going to be things you can't express without where clauses, and it'd be nice to allow this sort of thing.

[Nemo157]

Thanks, that clarifies things a lot for me (I think putting a bound directly on Self really threw me since that can be just a + Bound on the trait). And I now remember I actually raised similar points on the RFC that introduced impl Iterator<Item: Clone> (#2289 in case anyone is interested).

In the end I think I decided that that specific case acts identically to impl Iterator<Item = impl Clone>, which I think will cover 90%+ of use cases.

I'm trying to think of useful bounds that can't be written currently, I guess there could be something like impl Iterator where for<'a> &'a Self::Item: SomeTrait maybe?

---

Relatedly I was playing round with the current implementation and noticed that it allows specifying bounds in the type parameter list but not adding a where clause, that allowed me to come up with an example of a currently compiling -> impl Trait return type that's not representable without where clauses on the type alias (playground)

existential type Bar<T: IntoIterator>: Iterator<Item = <T::Item as IntoIterator>::Item>;

fn bar<T>(a: T) -> Bar<T>
where
    T: IntoIterator,
    T::Item: IntoIterator,
    <T::Item as IntoIterator>::Item: Clone,

so even if Self based where clauses is deemed out of scope since -> impl Trait doesn't require them I hope where clauses for constraining the generic parameters are available.

[clarfonthey]

One thing that I also realised is that this could be accomplished by trait aliases:

trait Trait = Bound where for<'a> &'a Self: Bound
type Thing = impl Trait

So maybe where clauses aren't necessary and might in fact overcomplicate stuff. Still worth mentioning in the RFC, though, as this is something the existential type syntax supported that the new syntax won't.

[varkor]

Sorry, I'll get the bounds question soon, but in the meantime, I've noticed that this RFC has a major incompatible flaw with the original RFC 2071 and it could potentially mean this syntax suggestion is misinformed.

The current implementation of existential type, which I was using for reference, makes the underlying (inferred) type hidden to the enclosing module. This is consistent with impl Trait and is a motivating factor for the syntax proposed here. However, RFC 2071 explicitly states that the underlying type is transparent within the enclosing module.

As such, existential type and impl Trait are inconsistent with one another. Either:
(a) the feature as implemented right now must be accepted as having the correct semantics
(b) existential type cannot use the impl Trait syntax.

Note that, contrary to some of the original stated motivations, this feature means that existential type cannot be used as a desugaring for impl Trait.

[KodrAus]

However, RFC 2071 explicitly states that the underlying type is visible within the enclosing module.

I did a quick mobile grok of #2071. Is it the reference section you're talking about where the existential type can be used as its resolved type within its declaring module? What's the tradeoff we're making by excluding this transparency from our model here?

[KodrAus]

However, RFC 2071 explicitly states that the underlying type is visible within the enclosing module.

That doesn't seem inconsistent to my mental model actually. I've been thinking of impl Trait in terms of who decides what Trait is?. For return position, the function body decides what Trait is, and that concrete type is visible to the function body. For argument position, the caller decides what Trait is, and that concrete type is visible to the caller. For module position, the module decides what Trait is, and that concrete type is visible to the module.

[varkor]

Is it the reference section you're talking about where the existential type can be used as its resolved type within its declaring module? What's the tradeoff we're making by excluding this transparency from our model here?

That's right. If we include the transparency, it's inconsistent with impl Trait, which is confusing as now impl Trait may or may not be transparent depending on the location. If we exclude transparency, then it's a change of behaviour from RFC 2071. This might be solvable, but requires some care.

That doesn't seem inconsistent to my mental model actually. I've been thinking of impl Trait in terms of who decides what Trait is?.

Yes, it's quite subtle. It could be consistent with argument-position, return-position and module-position impl Trait. However, it's not consistent with impl Trait in let bindings (another consequence of RFC 2071 that's not yet implemented). The simplest solution is probably altering impl Trait's behaviour in these circumstances to make it transparent.

[KodrAus]

However, it's not consistent with impl Trait in let bindings

Ah right, I'd totally forgotten about let bindings! In that case, I'd expect the expression part of the binding to decide what Trait is, and that concrete type to be visible only within that expression. For example:

let mut x: impl Debug = {
    if a { 1 }
    else { some_fn_returning_i32() }
};

x = 1; // err: expected `impl Debug` got `i32`

[varkor]

@alexreg: sorry, I missed that comment. I haven't opened the PR yet (I've been a lot busier than expected recently): hopefully this week.

I presume you desugar to new (inline) existential types in HIR whenever impl Trait is encountered in a type alias?

Yes, that's the idea, though I haven't got to that point yet.

[alexreg]

Yes, that's the idea, though I haven't got to that point yet.

No problem. And sounds good... hopefully you'll find I've laid the groundwork at least, in terms of defining existential scope! Look forward to seeing this.

[porky11]

I don't get, when you would use impl trait type aliases after we get trait aliases.

Both features would allow very similar things:

• aliases for complicated function types
• aliases for multiple traits

So the only thing impl trait type aliases achieve when trait aliases exist is allowing to not write "impl" in functions, which use impl trait obfuscating a type being opaque, right?

[HadrienG2]

From my understanding, this feature is about asserting that multiple functions return the same "impl Trait" type.

Normally, every instance of impl Trait is treated as a different type, which means you cannot e.g. take a variable that used the output of an impl Trait returning function and overwrite its value with the result of a different function returning an impl of the same trait.

[porky11]

@HadrienG2 Thanks for clarifying. This way it seems more useful.

[earthengine]

I feel like the "reference-level" explanation is missing some key points that is critical to implement.

• When should the type alias being instanced/consolidated? The answer can be: same file, same mod, same crate, or global. Each options would have its advantages/drawbacks.
• Should the type alias being declared with pub? Natually we would say why not, but it could have unwanted effects.
• Can an external crate declare functions returns the same type? Again something unexpected can happen if we allow this.

[Nemo157]

When should the type alias being instanced/consolidated? The answer can be: same file, same mod, same crate, or global. Each options would have its advantages/drawbacks.

That was documented in RFC 2071, it's the enclosing module/trait impl. This RFC just changed the syntax used in that existing feature.

Should the type alias being declared with pub? Natually we would say why not, but it could have unwanted effects.

Orthogonal to this and 2071, you could use private TAIT to give names for private struct fields, so there's no reason to restrict what visibility can be applied.

Can an external crate declare functions returns the same type? Again something unexpected can happen if we allow this.

Depends what you mean, the second paragraph of 2071's guide section explains it quite well.