microsoft / microsoft/TypeScript
Ability to parametrize generic function type
Nobody has claimed this yet.
- Dominant language
- Go
- Stars
- 111k
- Forks
- 14.4k
- Avg merge
- 1d 19h
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 117
Description
Suggestion
I would like to propose something along the lines of $Call utility type in Flow so it is possible to represents the result of calling a generic function with a concrete parameters.
Alternatively could be an utility type that hoists parameters from generic function type into type itself e.g.
HoistTypeParams<<I, O>(inn:I[], f:(p:I) => O) => O[]> // => type DerivedType<I, O> = (inn:I[], f:(p:I) => O) => O[]
Or yet another alternative might be to add some way to parametrize through infer e.g. I would have expected following to work:
type $Call<T extends (args: any[]) => any, Args extends unknown[]> =
T extends (...args:Args) => infer O ? O : never
🔍 Search Terms
List of keywords you searched for before creating this issue. Write them down here so that others can find this suggestion more easily and help provide feedback.
✅ Viability Checklist
My suggestion meets these guidelines:
- This wouldn't be a breaking change in existing TypeScript/JavaScript code
- This wouldn't change the runtime behavior of existing JavaScript code
- This could be implemented without emitting different JS based on the types of the expressions
- This isn't a runtime feature (e.g. library functionality, non-ECMAScript syntax with JavaScript output, new syntax sugar for JS, etc.)
- This feature would agree with the rest of TypeScript's Design Goals.
⭐ Suggestion
📃 Motivating Example
Today it seems impossible capture return type of the generic function, even when concrete type of the input is known. Both built-in ReturnType and infer based solutions turn generics into a unknowns.
Here is concrete example:
type Map = <I, O> (list:I[], f:(i:I) => O) => O[]
ReturnType<Map> // unknown[]
Map extends (...args:infer Args) => infer O ? O : never // unknown[]
Call<Map, [number[], (i:number) => string]> // unknown[]
type Call<F, Args extends unknown[]> = F extends (...args:Args) => infer O ? O : never
As per https://github.com/microsoft/TypeScript/issues/33185#issuecomment-526969274 it is possible to accomplish this at the implementation level, however I do not believe it is possible to do it at the type level.
💻 Use Cases
Libraries that generate more complex interfaces from a simple ones, something like RPC client for a service with generics becomes impossible here to express:
type Service<T, Path extends PropertyKey[]=[]> = {
[K in keyof T]: T[K] extends (...args:infer I) => infer O ? Method<I, O, [...Path, K]> : Service<T[K], [...Path, K]>
}
interface Method<I extends unknown[], O, Path extends PropertyKey[]> {
<Args extends I> (...args:Args): Promise<O>
meta: { path: Path }
}
declare function service <T>(impl:T):Service<T>
const s = service({
map <I, O>(inn:I[], f:(inn:I) => O):O[] {
return inn.map(f)
}
})
s.map([1, 2, 3], (n:number):string => String(number))
// ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
// Argument of type '(n: number) => string' is not assignable to parameter of type '(inn: unknown) => unknown'.
// Types of parameters 'n' and 'inn' are incompatible.
// Type 'unknown' is not assignable to type 'number'.(2345)
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 by reviewing the motivating examples for ReturnType, infer, and the proposed Call utility, along with the referenced issue #33185. Define how a generic function's parameters become concrete and verify that the Map and service examples produce the intended return types without changing runtime behavior.
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
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 25/100