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A system of constructor classes: overloading and implicit higher-order polymorphism†

Part of: JFP Research Articles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2008

Mark P. Jones
Mark P. Jones
Affiliation:
Department of Computer Science, Yale University, PO Box 208285, New Haven, CT 06520-8285, USA (e-mail: jones-mark@cs.yale.edu)
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Abstract

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This paper describes a flexible type system that combines overloading and higher-order polymorphism in an implicitly typed language using a system of constructor classes—a natural generalization of type classes in Haskell. We present a range of examples to demonstrate the usefulness of such a system. In particular, we show how constructor classes can be used to support the use of monads in a functional language. The underlying type system permits higher-order polymorphism but retains many of the attractive features that have made Hindley/Milner type systems so popular. In particular, there is an effective algorithm that can be used to calculate principal types without the need for explicit type or kind annotations. A prototype implementation has been developed providing, amongst other things, the first concrete implementation of monad comprehensions known to us at the time of writing.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Functional Programming , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , January 1995 , pp. 1 - 35
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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