Merge pull request #12238 from MaximeKjaer/split-inline-docs

Split out docs for `scala.compiletime` from docs for `inline`

Author: MaximeKjaer

docs/docs/reference/metaprogramming/compiletime-ops.md

@@ -0,0 +1,274 @@
+---
+layout: doc-page
+title: "Compile-time operations"
+---
+
+## The `scala.compiletime` Package
+
+The [`scala.compiletime`](https://dotty.epfl.ch/api/scala/compiletime.html) package contains helper definitions that provide support for compile-time operations over values. They are described in the following.
+
+### `constValue` and `constValueOpt`
+
+`constValue` is a function that produces the constant value represented by a
+type.
+
+```scala
+import scala.compiletime.constValue
+import scala.compiletime.ops.int.S
+
+transparent inline def toIntC[N]: Int =
+   inline constValue[N] match
+      case 0        => 0
+      case _: S[n1] => 1 + toIntC[n1]
+
+inline val ctwo = toIntC[2]
+```
+
+`constValueOpt` is the same as `constValue`, however returning an `Option[T]`
+enabling us to handle situations where a value is not present. Note that `S` is
+the type of the successor of some singleton type. For example the type `S[1]` is
+the singleton type `2`.
+
+### `erasedValue`
+
+So far we have seen inline methods that take terms (tuples and integers) as
+parameters. What if we want to base case distinctions on types instead? For
+instance, one would like to be able to write a function `defaultValue`, that,
+given a type `T`, returns optionally the default value of `T`, if it exists.
+We can already express this using rewrite match expressions and a simple
+helper function, `scala.compiletime.erasedValue`, which is defined as follows:
+
+```scala
+def erasedValue[T]: T
+```
+
+The `erasedValue` function _pretends_ to return a value of its type argument `T`.
+Calling this function will always result in a compile-time error unless the call
+is removed from the code while inlining.
+
+Using `erasedValue`, we can then define `defaultValue` as follows:
+
+```scala
+import scala.compiletime.erasedValue
+
+inline def defaultValue[T] =
+   inline erasedValue[T] match
+      case _: Byte    => Some(0: Byte)
+      case _: Char    => Some(0: Char)
+      case _: Short   => Some(0: Short)
+      case _: Int     => Some(0)
+      case _: Long    => Some(0L)
+      case _: Float   => Some(0.0f)
+      case _: Double  => Some(0.0d)
+      case _: Boolean => Some(false)
+      case _: Unit    => Some(())
+      case _          => None
+```
+
+Then:
+
+```scala
+val dInt: Some[Int] = defaultValue[Int]
+val dDouble: Some[Double] = defaultValue[Double]
+val dBoolean: Some[Boolean] = defaultValue[Boolean]
+val dAny: None.type = defaultValue[Any]
+```
+
+As another example, consider the type-level version of `toInt` below:
+given a _type_ representing a Peano number,
+return the integer _value_ corresponding to it.
+Consider the definitions of numbers as in the _Inline
+Match_ section above. Here is how `toIntT` can be defined:
+
+```scala
+transparent inline def toIntT[N <: Nat]: Int =
+   inline scala.compiletime.erasedValue[N] match
+      case _: Zero.type => 0
+      case _: Succ[n] => toIntT[n] + 1
+
+inline val two = toIntT[Succ[Succ[Zero.type]]]
+```
+
+`erasedValue` is an `erased` method so it cannot be used and has no runtime
+behavior. Since `toIntT` performs static checks over the static type of `N` we
+can safely use it to scrutinize its return type (`S[S[Z]]` in this case).
+
+### `error`
+
+The `error` method is used to produce user-defined compile errors during inline expansion.
+It has the following signature:
+
+```scala
+inline def error(inline msg: String): Nothing
+```
+
+If an inline expansion results in a call `error(msgStr)` the compiler
+produces an error message containing the given `msgStr`.
+
+```scala
+import scala.compiletime.{error, code}
+
+inline def fail() =
+   error("failed for a reason")
+
+fail() // error: failed for a reason
+```
+
+or
+
+```scala
+inline def fail(p1: => Any) =
+   error(code"failed on: $p1")
+
+fail(identity("foo")) // error: failed on: identity("foo")
+```
+
+### The `scala.compiletime.ops` package
+
+The [`scala.compiletime.ops`](https://dotty.epfl.ch/api/scala/compiletime/ops.html) package contains types that provide support for
+primitive operations on singleton types. For example,
+`scala.compiletime.ops.int.*` provides support for multiplying two singleton
+`Int` types, and `scala.compiletime.ops.boolean.&&` for the conjunction of two
+`Boolean` types. When all arguments to a type in `scala.compiletime.ops` are
+singleton types, the compiler can evaluate the result of the operation.
+
+```scala
+import scala.compiletime.ops.int.*
+import scala.compiletime.ops.boolean.*
+
+val conjunction: true && true = true
+val multiplication: 3 * 5 = 15
+```
+
+Many of these singleton operation types are meant to be used infix (as in [SLS §3.2.10](https://www.scala-lang.org/files/archive/spec/2.13/03-types.html#infix-types)).
+
+Since type aliases have the same precedence rules as their term-level
+equivalents, the operations compose with the expected precedence rules:
+
+```scala
+import scala.compiletime.ops.int.*
+val x: 1 + 2 * 3 = 7
+```
+
+The operation types are located in packages named after the type of the
+left-hand side parameter: for instance, `scala.compiletime.ops.int.+` represents
+addition of two numbers, while `scala.compiletime.ops.string.+` represents string
+concatenation. To use both and distinguish the two types from each other, a
+match type can dispatch to the correct implementation:
+
+```scala
+import scala.compiletime.ops.*
+
+import scala.annotation.infix
+
+type +[X <: Int | String, Y <: Int | String] = (X, Y) match
+   case (Int, Int) => int.+[X, Y]
+   case (String, String) => string.+[X, Y]
+
+val concat: "a" + "b" = "ab"
+val addition: 1 + 1 = 2
+```
+
+## Summoning Implicits Selectively
+
+It is foreseen that many areas of typelevel programming can be done with rewrite
+methods instead of implicits. But sometimes implicits are unavoidable. The
+problem so far was that the Prolog-like programming style of implicit search
+becomes viral: Once some construct depends on implicit search it has to be
+written as a logic program itself. Consider for instance the problem of creating
+a `TreeSet[T]` or a `HashSet[T]` depending on whether `T` has an `Ordering` or
+not. We can create a set of implicit definitions like this:
+
+```scala
+trait SetFor[T, S <: Set[T]]
+
+class LowPriority:
+   implicit def hashSetFor[T]: SetFor[T, HashSet[T]] = ...
+
+object SetsFor extends LowPriority:
+   implicit def treeSetFor[T: Ordering]: SetFor[T, TreeSet[T]] = ...
+```
+
+Clearly, this is not pretty. Besides all the usual indirection of implicit
+search, we face the problem of rule prioritization where we have to ensure that
+`treeSetFor` takes priority over `hashSetFor` if the element type has an
+ordering. This is solved (clumsily) by putting `hashSetFor` in a superclass
+`LowPriority` of the object `SetsFor` where `treeSetFor` is defined. Maybe the
+boilerplate would still be acceptable if the crufty code could be contained.
+However, this is not the case. Every user of the abstraction has to be
+parameterized itself with a `SetFor` implicit. Considering the simple task _"I
+want a `TreeSet[T]` if `T` has an ordering and a `HashSet[T]` otherwise"_, this
+seems like a lot of ceremony.
+
+There are some proposals to improve the situation in specific areas, for
+instance by allowing more elaborate schemes to specify priorities. But they all
+keep the viral nature of implicit search programs based on logic programming.
+
+By contrast, the new `summonFrom` construct makes implicit search available
+in a functional context. To solve the problem of creating the right set, one
+would use it as follows:
+
+```scala
+import scala.compiletime.summonFrom
+
+inline def setFor[T]: Set[T] = summonFrom {
+   case ord: Ordering[T] => new TreeSet[T](using ord)
+   case _                => new HashSet[T]
+}
+```
+
+A `summonFrom` call takes a pattern matching closure as argument. All patterns
+in the closure are type ascriptions of the form `identifier : Type`.
+
+Patterns are tried in sequence. The first case with a pattern `x: T` such that an implicit value of type `T` can be summoned is chosen.
+
+Alternatively, one can also use a pattern-bound given instance, which avoids the explicit using clause. For instance, `setFor` could also be formulated as follows:
+
+```scala
+import scala.compiletime.summonFrom
+
+inline def setFor[T]: Set[T] = summonFrom {
+   case given Ordering[T] => new TreeSet[T]
+   case _                 => new HashSet[T]
+}
+```
+
+`summonFrom` applications must be reduced at compile time.
+
+Consequently, if we summon an `Ordering[String]` the code above will return a
+new instance of `TreeSet[String]`.
+
+```scala
+summon[Ordering[String]]
+
+println(setFor[String].getClass) // prints class scala.collection.immutable.TreeSet
+```
+
+**Note** `summonFrom` applications can raise ambiguity errors. Consider the following
+code with two givens in scope of type `A`. The pattern match in `f` will raise
+an ambiguity error of `f` is applied.
+
+```scala
+class A
+given a1: A = new A
+given a2: A = new A
+
+inline def f: Any = summonFrom {
+   case given _: A => ???  // error: ambiguous givens
+}
+```
+
+## `summonInline`
+
+The shorthand `summonInline` provides a simple way to write a `summon` that is delayed until the call is inlined.
+
+```scala
+transparent inline def summonInline[T]: T = summonFrom {
+   case t: T => t
+}
+```
+
+## Reference
+
+For more information about compile-time operations, see [PR #4768](https://github.com/lampepfl/dotty/pull/4768),
+which explains how `summonFrom`'s predecessor (implicit matches) can be used for typelevel programming and code specialization and [PR #7201](https://github.com/lampepfl/dotty/pull/7201) which explains the new `summonFrom` syntax.