diff --git a/rfcs/none-and-unknown-types.md b/rfcs/none-and-unknown-types.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0085ef0 --- /dev/null +++ b/rfcs/none-and-unknown-types.md @@ -0,0 +1,144 @@ +# Add never and unknown types + +## Summary + +Add `unknown` and `never` types that are inhabited by everything and nothing respectively. + +## Motivation + +There are lots of cases in local type inference, semantic subtyping, +and type normalization, where it would be useful to have top and +bottom types. Currently, `any` is filling that role, but it has +special "switch off the type system" superpowers. + +Any use of `unknown` must be narrowed by type refinements unless another `unknown` or `any` is expected. For +example a function which can return any value is: + +```lua + function anything() : unknown ... end +``` + +and can be used as: + +```lua + local x = anything() + if type(x) == "number" then + print(x + 1) + end +``` + +The type of this function cannot be given concisely in current +Luau. The nearest equivalent is `any`, but this switches off the type system, for example +if the type of `anything` is `() -> any` then the following code typechecks: + +```lua + local x = anything() + print(x + 1) +``` + +This is fine in nonstrict mode, but strict mode should flag this as an error. + +The `never` type comes up whenever type inference infers incompatible types for a variable, for example + +```lua + function oops(x) + print("hi " .. x) -- constrains x must be a string + print(math.abs(x)) -- constrains x must be a number + end +``` + +The most general type of `x` is `string & number`, so this code gives +a type error, but we still need to provide a type for `oops`. With a +`never` type, we can infer the type `oops : (never) -> ()`. + +or when exhaustive type casing is achieved: + +```lua + function f(x: string | number) + if type(x) == "string" then + -- x : string + elseif type(x) == "number" then + -- x : number + else + -- x : never + end + end +``` + +or even when the type casing is simply nonsensical: + +```lua + function f(x: string | number) + if type(x) == "string" and type(x) == "number" then + -- x : string & number which is never + end + end +``` + +The `never` type is also useful in cases such as tagged unions where +some of the cases are impossible. For example: + +```lua + type Result = { err: false, val: T } | { err: true, err: E } +``` + +For code which we know is successful, we would like to be able to +indicate that the error case is impossible. With a `never` type, we +can do this with `Result`. Similarly, code which cannot succeed +has type `Result`. + +These types can _almost_ be defined in current Luau, but only quite verbosely: + +```lua + type never = number & string + type unknown = nil | number | boolean | string | {} | (...never) -> (...unknown) +``` + +But even for `unknown` it is impossible to include every single data types, e.g. every root class. + +Providing `never` and `unknown` as built-in types makes the code for +type inference simpler, for example we have a way to present a union +type with no options (as `never`). Otherwise we have to contend with ad hoc +corner cases. + +## Design + +Add: + +* a type `never`, inhabited by nothing, and +* a type `unknown`, inhabited by everything. + +And under success types (nonstrict mode), `unknown` is exactly equivalent to `any` because `unknown` +encompasses everything as does `any`. + +The interesting thing is that `() -> (never, string)` is equivalent to `() -> never` because all +values in a pack must be inhabitable in order for the pack itself to also be inhabitable. In fact, +the type `() -> never` is not completely accurate, it should be `() -> (never, ...never)` to avoid +cascading type errors. Ditto for when an expression list `f(), g()` where the resulting type pack is +`(never, string, number)` is still the same as `(never, ...never)`. + +```lua + function f(): never error() end + function g(): string return "" end + + -- no cascading type error where count mismatches, because the expression list f(), g() + -- was made to return (never, ...never) due to the presence of a never type in the pack + local x, y, z = f(), g() + -- x : never + -- y : never + -- z : never +``` + +## Drawbacks + +Another bit of complexity budget spent. + +These types will be visible to creators, so yay bikeshedding! + +Replacing `any` with `unknown` is a breaking change: code in strict mode may now produce errors. + +## Alternatives + +Stick with the current use of `any` for these cases. + +Make `never` and `unknown` type aliases rather than built-ins.