microsoft / microsoft/TypeScript
Generic decorators - could they receive some default type arguments?
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Description
A decorator can receive arguments, by being defined as a function that accepts parameters and then returns a normal decorator function:
```
function computed(evaluator: (obj: any) => any) {
return (obj: any, key: string) => {
Object.defineProperty(obj, key, {
get() { return evaluator(obj); }
});
};
}
```
I could use the above example like this:
```
class C {
firstName = "Homer";
lastName = "Simpson";
@computed(c => c.firstName + " " + c.lastName)
fullName: string;
}
```
Not a realistic example in that it's just another way of defining a property getter, but it's enough to demonstrates the general problem: `c` is of type `any` so the access to `firstName` and `lastName` is not type-checked, and nor is the result of the expression.
We can attempt to address this manually, because decorators can be generic:
```
function computed(evaluator: (obj: O) => R) {
return (obj: O, key: string) => {
Object.defineProperty(obj, key, {
get() { return evaluator(obj); }
});
};
}
class C {
firstName = "Homer";
lastName = "Simpson";
@computed(c => c.firstName + " " + c.lastName)
fullName: string;
}
```
But this still doesn't close the loop. The compiler is happy with the following abuse, in which `c` is supposedly a `string` but is actually a `C`, and `fullName` is declared a `string` but will actually become a `number` (albeit `NaN` I guess):
```
@computed(c => parseInt(c, 10))
fullName: string;
```
In summary: decorators are passed the values of the meta-information in standard parameters (`target`, `key`, `value`), but they are not passed the compile-time types of those values in a way that can be used to create fully type-safe decorators.
So it would be helpful if in decorator-defining functions with generic parameters, those parameters could somehow map automatically to the types of `target` and `value` (as given meaning in the `__decorate` helper).
For big yucks, a straw man in which the compiler recognises a couple of built-in decorators that can appear on the type parameters:
```
function computed<@decoratorTarget O, @decoratorValue R>(evaluator: (obj: O) => R) {
...
}
```
Being decorated in this way, it would not be possible to manually specify type arguments for those type parameters when using the decorator. They would effectively be invisible to the user. If the decorator has its own custom type parameters, they would appear from the outside to be the only parameters (and for clarity should be at the front of the list).
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
The issue provides decorator and generic type-argument examples but names no repository files, tests, or entry points. Start by locating the compiler areas that type-check decorators and infer generic arguments, then define the supported behavior and tests needed to verify type-safe target and value inference.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- typescript
- Domain
- compilers
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Needs clarification
- Newbie friendliness
- 25/100