LuaLS / LuaLS/lua-language-server
string.unpack vararg returns
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Description
### How are you using the lua-language-server?
Visual Studio Code Extension (sumneko.lua)
### Which OS are you using?
Linux
### What is the issue affecting?
Annotations, Type Checking, Completion
### Expected Behaviour
The current `string.unpack` annotations (for the returns) are as following:
```lua
---@param fmt string
---@param s string
---@param pos? integer
---@return any ...
---@return integer offset
---@nodiscard
function string.unpack(fmt, s, pos) end
```
The function will indeed return any number of `any` returns followed by a single integer return for the new offset. As such you would expect that in the following example code, all of the returns are `any` except the last return be `integer`:
```lua
local a, b, c, d, offset = string.unpack('I2I2I2I2', "some binary data")
```
### Actual Behaviour
Instead of the `a, b, c, d` being typed as `any` and `offset` being typed as `integer`, we instead see that `a` is typed as `any`, `b` is typed as `integer`, and `c, d, offset` are typed as `nil`.
This happen because it is not supported for a function to return a vararg followed by any return; it is always that vararg returns are the last return. Because of that, only the first return is typed as `any` and from there the second `@return` takes.
### Reproduction steps
1. Copy the example code.
2. Hover over each return variable to notice the type.
### Additional Notes
_No response_
### Log File
_No response_
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start with the string.unpack annotation and reproduce the issue in the Visual Studio Code extension by hovering over each returned variable. Trace how the type checker handles a vararg followed by the offset return. Done means the unpack values are typed as any and the final offset is typed as integer.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- lua
- Domain
- tooling
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100