microsoft / microsoft/TypeScript

Empty types and types with `never` as a key behave differently

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Bug Domain: Mapped Types Help Wanted
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Description

🔎 Search Terms

Mapped type
unknown

🕗 Version & Regression Information
  • This changed between versions 4.7.4 and 4.8.4
⏯ Playground Link

https://www.typescriptlang.org/play?ts=5.4.0-dev.20231206#code/CYUwxgNghgTiAEYD2A7AzgF3gVwFw5QGsUkB3FAbgCgqMBPABwQEF4BeeAbwG0BpeAJYp4KEADcQMALr4oKOgF8qAemXx1APQD8NVfABySeAFEYMJDCrJ0WKPhTYIEeAB8CoAGZCQwV1wXsONR66vDaumqm5pbWmPAARvaOzm7YKJ7evm6sHNjBaqHhQA

💻 Code
declare const u: unknown;

type A = {[K in never]: any}
//   ^?

// No Error
const a: null | undefined | {} = u;
//    ^?

// Error
const b: null | undefined | A = u;
//    ^?
🙁 Actual behavior

The types a and b appear to be the same, but only the assignment to b causes an error.

🙂 Expected behavior

I'm not sure which is better, I think it's either no error or both errors.

Additional information about the issue

Both were errors in version 4.7.4

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the linked TypeScript Playground reproduction and compare the behavior across the reported compiler versions. Investigate the differing treatment of the empty mapped type and the never key; done means the assignment behavior is made deliberately consistent and covered by a regression test.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
compilers
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
30/100

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