Typeclasses¶
Typeclasses are types whose values Rocq can automatically infer by using user declared instances. It allows for a form of programmatic proof or term search.
This chapter presents a quick reference of the commands related to typeclasses. Additional helpful information can be found in the paper introducing typeclasses to Coq [SO08] and the literature on type classes in Haskell.
Typeclass and instance declarations¶
The syntax for typeclasses and instance declarations is the same as the record syntax:
The pi : ti
variables are called the parameters of the typeclass and
the fi : ti
are called the methods. Each typeclass definition gives
rise to a corresponding record declaration and each instance is a
regular definition whose name is given by instancename
and type is an
instantiation of the record type.
We’ll use the following example typeclass in the rest of the chapter:
- Class EqDec (A : Type) := { eqb : A -> A -> bool ; eqb_leibniz : forall x y, eqb x y = true -> x = y }.
- EqDec is defined eqb is defined eqb_leibniz is defined
This typeclass implements a boolean equality test which is compatible with Leibniz equality on some type. An example implementation is:
- Instance unit_EqDec : EqDec unit := { eqb x y := true ; eqb_leibniz x y H := match x, y return x = y with | tt, tt => eq_refl tt end }.
- unit_EqDec is defined
Using the refine
attribute, if the term is not sufficient to
finish the definition (e.g. due to a missing field or non-inferable
hole) it must be finished in proof mode. If it is sufficient a trivial
proof mode with no open goals is started.
- #[refine] Instance unit_EqDec' : EqDec unit := { eqb x y := true }.
- 1 goal ============================ forall x y : unit, true = true -> x = y
- Proof. intros [] [];reflexivity. Defined.
- No more goals.
Note that if you finish the proof with Qed
the entire instance
will be opaque, including the fields given in the initial term.
Alternatively, in Program Mode
if one does not give all the
members in the Instance declaration, Rocq generates obligations for the
remaining fields, e.g.:
- Require Import Program.Tactics.
- Program Instance eq_bool : EqDec bool := { eqb x y := if x then y else negb y }.
- eq_bool has type-checked, generating 1 obligation Solving obligations automatically... 1 obligation remaining Obligation 1 of eq_bool: (forall x y : bool, (fun x0 y0 : bool => if x0 then y0 else negb y0) x y = true -> x = y).
- Next Obligation.
- 1 goal x, y : bool H : (if x then y else negb y) = true ============================ x = y
- destruct x ; destruct y ; (discriminate || reflexivity).
- No more goals.
- Defined.
One has to take care that the transparency of every field is
determined by the transparency of the Instance
proof. One can
use alternatively the program
attribute to get richer
facilities for dealing with obligations.
Binding typeclasses¶
Once a typeclass is declared, one can use it in typeclass binders:
- Definition neqb {A} {eqa : EqDec A} (x y : A) := negb (eqb x y).
- neqb is defined
When one calls a typeclass method, a constraint is generated that is
satisfied only in contexts where the appropriate instances can be
found. In the example above, a constraint EqDec A
is generated and
satisfied by eqa : EqDec A
. In case no satisfying constraint can be
found, an error is raised:
- Fail Definition neqb' (A : Type) (x y : A) := negb (eqb x y).
- The command has indeed failed with message: The following term contains unresolved implicit arguments: (fun (A : Type) (x y : A) => negb (eqb x y)) More precisely: - ?EqDec: Cannot infer the implicit parameter EqDec of eqb whose type is "EqDec A" (no type class instance found) in environment: A : Type x, y : A
The algorithm used to solve constraints is a variant of the eauto
tactic that does proof search with a set of lemmas (the instances). It
will use local hypotheses as well as declared lemmas in
the typeclass_instances
database. Hence the example can also be
written:
- Definition neqb' A (eqa : EqDec A) (x y : A) := negb (eqb x y).
- neqb' is defined
However, the generalizing binders should be used instead as they have particular support for typeclasses:
They automatically set the maximally implicit status for typeclass arguments, making derived functions as easy to use as typeclass methods. In the example above,
A
andeqa
should be set maximally implicit.They support implicit quantification on partially applied typeclasses (Implicit generalization). Any argument not given as part of a typeclass binder will be automatically generalized.
They also support implicit quantification on Superclasses.
Following the previous example, one can write:
- Generalizable Variables A B C.
- Definition neqb_implicit `{eqa : EqDec A} (x y : A) := negb (eqb x y).
- neqb_implicit is defined
Here A
is implicitly generalized, and the resulting function is
equivalent to the one above.
Parameterized instances¶
One can declare parameterized instances as in Haskell simply by giving the constraints as a binding context before the instance, e.g.:
- Program Instance prod_eqb `(EA : EqDec A, EB : EqDec B) : EqDec (A * B) := { eqb x y := match x, y with | (la, ra), (lb, rb) => andb (eqb la lb) (eqb ra rb) end }.
- prod_eqb has type-checked, generating 1 obligation Solving obligations automatically... 1 obligation remaining Obligation 1 of prod_eqb: (forall (A : Type) (EA : EqDec A) (B : Type) (EB : EqDec B) (x y : A * B), (fun x0 y0 : A * B => let program_branch_0 := fun (la : A) (ra : B) (lb : A) (rb : B) (_ : (la, ra) = x0) (_ : (lb, rb) = y0) => (eqb la lb && eqb ra rb)%bool in (let (la, ra) as x' return (x' = x0 -> y0 = y0 -> bool) := x0 in let (lb, rb) as y' return ((la, ra) = x0 -> y' = y0 -> bool) := y0 in program_branch_0 la ra lb rb) eq_refl eq_refl) x y = true -> x = y).
- Admit Obligations.
- prod_eqb_obligation_1 is declared No more obligations remaining prod_eqb is defined
These instances are used just as well as lemmas in the instance hint database.
Sections and contexts¶
To ease developments parameterized by many instances, one can use the
Context
command to introduce the parameters into the local context,
which works similarly to the command Variable
, except it accepts any
binding context as an argument, so variables can be implicit, and
Implicit generalization can be used.
For example:
- Section EqDec_defs.
- Context `{EA : EqDec A}.
- A is declared EA is declared
- #[ global, program ] Instance option_eqb : EqDec (option A) := { eqb x y := match x, y with | Some x, Some y => eqb x y | None, None => true | _, _ => false end }.
- option_eqb has type-checked, generating 3 obligations Solving obligations automatically... 3 obligations remaining Obligation 1 of option_eqb: (forall x y : option A, let program_branch_0 := fun (x0 y0 : A) (_ : Some x0 = x) (_ : Some y0 = y) => eqb x0 y0 in let program_branch_1 := fun (_ : None = x) (_ : None = y) => true in let program_branch_2 := fun (wildcard' wildcard'0 : option A) (_ : ~ (None = wildcard' /\ None = wildcard'0) /\ (forall x0 y0 : A, ~ (Some x0 = wildcard' /\ Some y0 = wildcard'0))) (_ : wildcard' = x) (_ : wildcard'0 = y) => false in forall a : A, let wildcard' := Some a in let wildcard'0 := None in ~ (None = wildcard' /\ None = wildcard'0) /\ (forall x0 y0 : A, ~ (Some x0 = wildcard' /\ Some y0 = wildcard'0))). Obligation 2 of option_eqb: (forall x y : option A, let program_branch_0 := fun (x0 y0 : A) (_ : Some x0 = x) (_ : Some y0 = y) => eqb x0 y0 in let program_branch_1 := fun (_ : None = x) (_ : None = y) => true in let program_branch_2 := fun (wildcard' wildcard'0 : option A) (_ : ~ (None = wildcard' /\ None = wildcard'0) /\ (forall x0 y0 : A, ~ (Some x0 = wildcard' /\ Some y0 = wildcard'0))) (_ : wildcard' = x) (_ : wildcard'0 = y) => false in let wildcard' := None in forall a : A, let wildcard'0 := Some a in ~ (None = wildcard' /\ None = wildcard'0) /\ (forall x0 y0 : A, ~ (Some x0 = wildcard' /\ Some y0 = wildcard'0))). Obligation 3 of option_eqb: (forall x y : option A, (fun x0 y0 : option A => let program_branch_0 := fun (x1 y1 : A) (_ : Some x1 = x0) (_ : Some y1 = y0) => eqb x1 y1 in let program_branch_1 := fun (_ : None = x0) (_ : None = y0) => true in let program_branch_2 := fun (wildcard' wildcard'0 : option A) (_ : ~ (None = wildcard' /\ None = wildcard'0) /\ (forall x1 y1 : A, ~ (Some x1 = wildcard' /\ Some y1 = wildcard'0))) (_ : wildcard' = x0) (_ : wildcard'0 = y0) => false in match x0 as x' return (x' = x0 -> y0 = y0 -> bool) with | Some x1 => match y0 as y' return (Some x1 = x0 -> y' = y0 -> bool) with | Some y1 => program_branch_0 x1 y1 | None => program_branch_2 (Some x1) None (option_eqb_obligation_1 x0 y0 x1) end | None => match y0 as y' return (None = x0 -> y' = y0 -> bool) with | Some a => program_branch_2 None (Some a) (option_eqb_obligation_2 x0 y0 a) | None => program_branch_1 end end eq_refl eq_refl) x y = true -> x = y).
- Admit Obligations.
- option_eqb_obligation_1 is declared 2 obligations remaining Solving obligations automatically... 2 obligations remaining option_eqb_obligation_2 is declared 1 obligation remaining Solving obligations automatically... 1 obligation remaining option_eqb_obligation_3 is declared No more obligations remaining option_eqb is defined
- End EqDec_defs.
- About option_eqb.
- option_eqb : forall {A : Type}, EqDec A -> EqDec (option A) option_eqb is not universe polymorphic Arguments option_eqb {A}%type_scope {EA} option_eqb is transparent Expands to: Constant Top.option_eqb Declared in toplevel input, characters 1182-1383
Here the global
attribute redeclares the instance at the end of the
section, once it has been generalized by the context variables it
uses.
See also
Section Sections
Building hierarchies¶
Superclasses¶
One can also parameterize typeclasses by other typeclasses, generating a hierarchy of typeclasses and superclasses. In the same way, we give the superclasses as a binding context:
- Class Ord `(E : EqDec A) := { le : A -> A -> bool }.
- Ord is defined le is defined
Contrary to Haskell, we have no special syntax for superclasses, but this declaration is equivalent to:
This declaration means that any instance of the Ord
typeclass must have
an instance of EqDec
. The parameters of the subclass contain at
least all the parameters of its superclasses in their order of
appearance (here A is the only one). As we have seen, Ord
is encoded
as a record type with two parameters: a type A
and an E
of type
EqDec A
. However, one can still use it as if it had a single
parameter inside generalizing binders: the generalization of
superclasses will be done automatically.
- Definition le_eqb `{Ord A} (x y : A) := andb (le x y) (le y x).
- le_eqb is defined
To specify sharing of structures, you may want to explicitly specify the
superclasses. You can do this directly in regular binders, and with the !
modifier before typeclass binders. For example:
- Definition lt `{eqa : EqDec A, !Ord eqa} (x y : A) := andb (le x y) (neqb x y).
- lt is defined
The !
modifier switches how Rocq interprets a binder. In particular, it uses
the implicit arguments mechanism if available, as shown in the example.
Substructures¶
Substructures are components of a typeclass which are themselves instances of a typeclass. They often arise when using typeclasses for logical properties, e.g.:
- Require Import Relation_Definitions.
- Class Reflexive (A : Type) (R : relation A) := reflexivity : forall x, R x x.
- Class Transitive (A : Type) (R : relation A) := transitivity : forall x y z, R x y -> R y z -> R x z.
This declares singleton typeclasses for reflexive and transitive relations, (see the singleton class variant for an explanation). These may be used as parts of other typeclasses:
- Class PreOrder (A : Type) (R : relation A) := { PreOrder_Reflexive :: Reflexive A R ; PreOrder_Transitive :: Transitive A R }.
- PreOrder is defined PreOrder_Reflexive is defined PreOrder_Transitive is defined
The syntax ::
indicates that each PreOrder
can be seen as a
Reflexive
relation. So each time a reflexive relation is needed, a
preorder can be used instead. This is very similar to the coercion
mechanism of Structure
declarations. The implementation simply
declares each projection as an instance.
One can also declare existing objects or structure projections using
the Existing Instance
command to achieve the same effect.
Command summary¶
- Command Class record_definition¶
- Command Class ident_decl binder* : sort? := constructor
The first form declares a record and makes the record a typeclass with parameters
binder*
and the listed record fields.The second form declares a singleton typeclass with a single projection. This singleton typeclass is a so-called definitional typeclass, represented simply as a definition
ident binders := term
and whose instances are themselves objects of this type.Definitional typeclasses are not wrapped inside records, and the trivial projection of an instance of such a typeclass is convertible to the instance itself. This can be useful to make instances of existing objects easily and to reduce proof size by not inserting useless trivial projections. The typeclass constant itself is declared rigid during resolution so that the typeclass abstraction is maintained.
Like any command declaring a record, this command supports the
universes(polymorphic)
,universes(template)
,universes(cumulative)
andprivate(matching)
attributes.It also supports the
mode
attribute for setting a hint mode declaration for the class.Note
Don't confuse typeclasses with "coercion classes", described in
implicit coercions<classes-implicit-coercions>
.When record syntax is used, this command also supports the
projections(primitive)
attribute.- Attribute mode = string¶
Sets the mode of resolution for queries on the class. The syntax to use in the quoted string is explained in
Hint Mode
.
- Command Existing Class qualid¶
Declares a typeclass from a previously declared constant or inductive definition. No methods or instances are defined.
- Warning Ignored instance declaration for “ident”: “term” is not a class¶
Using the
::
syntax in therecord_definition
orconstructor
with a right-hand-side that is not itself a Class has no effect (apart from emitting this warning).
- Command Instance ident_decl binder*? : type hint_info? := { field_val* }:= term?¶
Declares a typeclass instance named
ident_decl
of the typeclasstype
with the specified parameters and with fields defined byfield_val
, where each field must be a declared field of the typeclass.Adds one or more
binder
s to declare a parameterized instance.hint_info
may be used to specify the hint priority. If the priority is not specified, the default is the number of non-dependent binders of the instance. Ifone_pattern
is given, terms matching that pattern will trigger use of the instance. Otherwise, use is triggered based on the conclusion of the type.This command supports the
local
,global
andexport
locality attributes.Changed in version 8.18: The default value for instance locality outside sections is now
export
. It used to beglobal
.Like
Definition
, it also supports theprogram
attribute to switch the type checking toProgram
(chapter Program) and to use the obligation mechanism to manage missing fields.Finally, it supports the lighter
refine
attribute:- Attribute refine¶
This attribute can be used to leave holes or not provide all fields in the definition of an instance and open the tactic mode to fill them. It works exactly as if no body had been given and the
refine
tactic has been used first.
- Command Declare Instance ident_decl binder* : term hint_info?¶
In a
Module Type
, declares that a corresponding concrete instance should exist in any implementation of thisModule Type
. This is similar to the distinction betweenParameter
vs.Definition
, or betweenDeclare Module
andModule
.
- Command Existing Instance qualid hint_info?¶
- Command Existing Instances qualid+ | natural?¶
Adds a constant whose type ends with an applied typeclass to the instance database with an optional priority
natural
. It can be used for redeclaring instances at the end of sections, or declaring structure projections as instances. This is equivalent toHint Resolve ident : typeclass_instances
, except it registers instances forPrint Instances
.
- Command Print Instances reference¶
Shows the list of instances associated with the typeclass
reference
.
- Command Print Typeclasses¶
Shows the list of declared typeclasses.
- Tactic typeclasses eauto bfsdfsbest_effort? nat_or_var? with ident+?¶
This proof search tactic uses the resolution engine that is run implicitly during type checking, known as typeclass search. This tactic uses a different resolution engine than
eauto
andauto
. The main differences are the following:Unlike
eauto
andauto
, the resolution is done entirely in the proof engine, meaning that backtracking is available among dependent subgoals, and shelving goals is supported.typeclasses eauto
is a multi-goal tactic. It analyses the dependencies between subgoals to avoid backtracking on subgoals that are entirely independent.The transparency information of databases is used consistently for all hints declared in them. It is always used when calling the unifier. When considering local hypotheses, we use the transparent state of the first hint database given. Using an empty database (created with
Create HintDb
for example) with unfoldable variables and constants as the first argument oftypeclasses eauto
hence makes resolution with the local hypotheses use full conversion during unification.The mode hints (see
Hint Mode
) associated with a typeclass are taken into account bytypeclasses eauto
. When a goal does not match any of the declared modes for its head (if any), instead of failing likeeauto
, the goal is suspended and resolution proceeds on the remaining goals. If after one run of resolution, there remain suspended goals, resolution is launched against on them, until it reaches a fixed point when the set of remaining suspended goals does not change. Usingsolve [typeclasses eauto]
can be used to ensure that no suspended goals remain.When considering local hypotheses, we use the union of all the modes declared in the given databases.
The tactic may produce more than one success when used in backtracking tactics such as
typeclasses eauto; ...
. Seeltac-seq
.Use the
Typeclasses eauto
command to customize the behavior of this tactic.
bfsdfs
Specifies whether to use breadth-first search or depth-first search. The default is depth-first search, which can be changed with the
Typeclasses Iterative Deepening
flag.
best_effort
If the
best_effort
option is given and resolution fails,typeclasses eauto
returns the first partial solution in which all remaining subgoals fall into one of these categories:Stuck goals: the head of the goal has at least one associated declared mode and the constraint does not match any mode declared for its head. These goals are shelved.
Mode failures: the head of the constraint has at least one matching declared mode, but the constraint couldn't be solved. These goals are left as subgoals of
typeclasses eauto best_effort
.
During type inference, typeclass resolution always uses the
best_effort
option: in case of failure, it constructs a partial solution for the goals and gives a more informative error message. It can be used the same way in interactive proofs to check which instances/hints are missing for a typeclass resolution to succeed.nat_or_var
Specifies the maximum depth of the search.
Warning
The semantics for the limit
nat_or_var
are different than forauto
. By default, if no limit is given, the search is unbounded. Unlikeauto
, introduction steps count against the limit, which might result in larger limits being necessary when searching withtypeclasses eauto
than withauto
.with ident+
Runs resolution with the specified hint databases. It treats typeclass subgoals the same as other subgoals (no shelving of non-typeclass goals in particular), while allowing shelved goals to remain at any point during search.
When
with
is not specified,typeclasses eauto
uses thetypeclass_instances
database by default (instead ofcore
). Dependent subgoals are automatically shelved, and shelved goals can remain after resolution ends (following the behavior of Coq 8.5).Note
all:once (typeclasses eauto)
faithfully mimics what happens during typeclass resolution when it is called during refinement/type inference, except that only declared typeclass subgoals are considered at the start of resolution during type inference, whileall
can select non-typeclass subgoals as well. It might move toall:typeclasses eauto
in future versions when the refinement engine will be able to backtrack.
- Tactic autoapply one_term with ident¶
The tactic
autoapply
appliesone_term
using the transparency information of the hint databaseident
, and does no typeclass resolution. This can be used inHint Extern
’s for typeclass instances (in the hint databasetypeclass_instances
) to allow backtracking on the typeclass subgoals created by the lemma application, rather than doing typeclass resolution locally at the hint application time.
Typeclasses Transparent, Typeclasses Opaque¶
- Command Typeclasses Transparent qualid+¶
Makes
qualid
transparent during typeclass resolution. A shortcut forHint Transparent
qualid+ : typeclass_instances
- Command Typeclasses Opaque qualid+¶
Make
qualid
opaque for typeclass search. A shortcut forHint Opaque
qualid+ : typeclass_instances
.It is useful when some constants prevent some unifications and make resolution fail. It is also useful to declare constants which should never be unfolded during proof search, like fixpoints or anything which does not look like an abbreviation. This can additionally speed up proof search as the typeclass map can be indexed by such rigid constants (see Hint databases).
By default, all constants and local variables are considered transparent. One should take care not to make opaque any constant that is used to abbreviate a type, like:
New in version 8.15: Typeclasses Transparent
and Typeclasses Opaque
support locality attributes like Hint
commands.
Deprecated since version 8.15: The default value for typeclass transparency hints will change in a future
release. Hints added outside of sections without an explicit
locality are now deprecated. We recommend using export
where possible.
Settings¶
- Option Typeclasses Default Mode "+""-""!".¶
Sets the default mode declaration associated with a
Class
orExisting Class
declaration. It is set by default to "-", i.e. doing no mode filtering by default. Each class declaration uses this default mode for all its parameters, unless amode
attribute is used to set the mode explicitly.- Warning Using inferred default mode: “mode” for “ident”¶
Indicates that the
mode
for aClass
declaration has been assigned automatically using the default mode. This warning is namedclass-declaration-default-mode
. It is disabled by default. Enable it to find (and fix) any typeclasses that don't have explicit mode declarations.
- Flag Typeclasses Dependency Order¶
This flag (off by default) respects the dependency order between subgoals, meaning that subgoals on which other subgoals depend come first, while the non-dependent subgoals were put before the dependent ones previously (Coq 8.5 and below). This can result in quite different performance behaviors of proof search.
- Flag Typeclasses Limit Intros¶
This flag (on by default) controls the ability to apply hints while avoiding (functional) eta-expansions in the generated proof term. It does so by allowing hints that conclude in a product to apply to a goal with a matching product directly, avoiding an introduction.
Warning
This can be expensive as it requires rebuilding hint clauses dynamically, and does not benefit from the invertibility status of the product introduction rule, resulting in potentially more expensive proof search (i.e. more useless backtracking).
- Flag Typeclass Resolution For Conversion¶
This flag (on by default) controls the use of typeclass resolution when a unification problem cannot be solved during elaboration/type inference. With this flag on, when a unification fails, typeclass resolution is tried before launching unification once again.
- Flag Typeclasses Strict Resolution¶
Typeclass declarations introduced when this flag is set have a stricter resolution behavior (the flag is off by default). When looking for unifications of a goal with an instance of this typeclass, we “freeze” all the existentials appearing in the goals, meaning that they are considered rigid during unification and cannot be instantiated.
- Flag Typeclasses Unique Solutions¶
When a typeclass resolution is launched we ensure that it has a single solution or fail. This flag ensures that the resolution is canonical, but can make proof search much more expensive.
- Flag Typeclasses Unique Instances¶
Typeclass declarations introduced when this flag is set have a more efficient resolution behavior (the flag is off by default). When a solution to the typeclass goal of this typeclass is found, we never backtrack on it, assuming that it is canonical.
- Flag Typeclasses Iterative Deepening¶
When this flag is set, the proof search strategy is breadth-first search. Otherwise, the search strategy is depth-first search. The default is off.
Typeclasses eauto
is another way to set this flag.
- Option Typeclasses Depth natural¶
This option sets the maximum proof search depth. The default is unbounded.
Typeclasses eauto
is another way to set this option.
- Flag Typeclasses Debug¶
Controls whether typeclass resolution steps are shown during search. Setting this flag also sets
Typeclasses Debug Verbosity
to 1.Typeclasses eauto
is another way to set this flag.
- Option Typeclasses Debug Verbosity natural¶
Determines how much information is shown for typeclass resolution steps during search. 1 is the default level. 2 shows additional information such as tried tactics and shelving of goals. Setting this option to 1 or 2 turns on the
Typeclasses Debug
flag; setting this option to 0 turns that flag off.
Typeclasses eauto¶
- Command Typeclasses eauto := debug? ( bfsdfs )? natural?¶
Allows more global customization of the
typeclasses eauto
tactic. The options are:debug
Sets debug mode. In debug mode, a trace of successfully applied tactics is printed. Debug mode can also be set with
Typeclasses Debug
.bfsdfs
Specifies whether to use breadth-first search or depth-first search. The default is depth-first search, which can be changed with the
Typeclasses Iterative Deepening
flag.natural
Sets the depth limit for the search. The limit can also be set with
Typeclasses Depth
.