Cannot anotate type of generic functions.
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Description
The current scoping rules for type variables seems to deny type annotations over generic functions.
The issue
define two functions as follows:
def fx_1(f: Callable[[bool], int]) -> int:
return f(True)
def fx_2[T](f: Callable[[bool], T]) -> T:
return f(True)
If a function alias is required, these functions can be assigned to variables. However, if type annotations are used, fx_2 cannot be annotated using compliant type checkers (i.e. pyright).
T = TypeVar("T")
fx_1_alias: Callable[[Callable[[bool], int]], int] = fx_1 # OK!
fx_2_alias: Callable[[Callable[[bool], T]], T] = fx_2 # complains that T has no meaning
Justification
- All variables should be able to be type annotated, even when those variables are functions or the annotation is not required.
defis a syntactic sugar equivalent to a variable assignation over a lambda function. As a result, it should be possible to define generic functions withoutdefstatements e.g.
fx_2_alternative: Callable[[Callable[[bool], T]], T] = lambda f: f(True)
- Generics are the first ladder of what is called a "dependent type". In the case of functions, this corresponds to a Π type where the input itself is the concrete type that will be replaced on the type var of a generic type. Here type-vars scope is over the function type itself rather than some outer entity (class, function, method).
- By these definitions of Π type, it cannot exist an unbound type variable when function/callable types are involved, since in python, the type argument is implicit and supplied when referring a TypeVar.
e.g.
T = TypeVar("T")
fx_2_alias: Callable[[Callable[[bool], T]], T] = fx_2
fx_2_alias_2: Callable[[Callable[[bool], T]], T] = fx_2
Even when using the same type var fx_2_alias and fx_2_alias_2 each var is an independent one.
A more clear syntax (like the introduced on def statements on python312) could be
fx_2_alias: Callable[X][[Callable[[bool], X]], X] = fx_2
fx_2_alias_2: Callable[X][[Callable[[bool], X]], X] = fx_2
This marks explicitly that the scope of the var is over the type itself. However, this issue does not aim to propose a new syntax, but rather aims to adjust the scoping rules of type vars.
Motivation
This issue was derived from a pyright issue where generic functions as class instance variables are denied by the checker because of the same scope issues described before.
Contributor guide
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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 generic-function examples and the linked Pyright issue, then compare them with the current type-variable scoping rules. Done means the typing specification has an agreed resolution for annotating generic function variables and class instance variables; the issue names no repository files or tests.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- tooling
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 32/100