Scala: function as a parameter to map() - scala

How to use the map method in the Iterable trait in the example below?
As I understand this method will return a function which I have to call to execute internal logic.
trait Container[E] {
def += (e: E): Unit
}
trait Iterable[E, C[X] <: Container[X]]
{
def iterator(): Iterator[E]
def build[F](): C[F]
def map[F](f : (E) => F) : C[F] = {
val res = build[F]()
val iter = iterator()
while (iter.hasNext) res += f(iter.next())
res
}
}
class Buffer[T] extends Container[T]
{
val list = scala.collection.mutable.ListBuffer.empty[T]
def Children = list
def += (e: T): Unit = list += e
}
class Range(val low: Int, val high: Int) extends Iterable[Int, Buffer] {
def iterator() = new Iterator[Int]
{
private var i = low
def hasNext = i <= high
def next() = { i += 1; i - 1 }
}
def build[F]() = new Buffer[F]
}
val range = new Range(1, 3)
var list = range.map[String](_)

The method in question has the following signature:
trait Iterable[E, C[X] <: Container[X]] {
def map[F](f : (E) => F) : C[F]
// ...
}
First, let's look at the type of f argument. The signature (E) => F says that f is a function which takes a single argument of type E and returns a value of type F. Any function (or method) with this signature can be passed to map() as argument. See also Scala documentation.
Another important thing to understand is that the map function is generic with type parameter F. Value for this type parameter can either be specified manually or inferred by the compiler from the argument passed to map:
new Range(1,2).map[String](_.toString) // F is String
// new Range(1,2).map[Int](_.toString) // F is Int, compilation will fail
val mapFunction: Int => String = _.toString
new Range(1,2).map(mapFunction) // mapFunction is a function from Int to String,
// the compiler infers F is String
Basically, e.g. with Range, you can pass to the map() function any function which takes a single Int parameter (because Range binds E to Int) and returns anything (except for Unit). A few more examples:
val r = Range(1,2)
val v1: Buffer[String] = r.map(_.toString)
val v2: Buffer[Int] = r.map(i => i + 1)
val v3: Buffer[Double] = r.map(Int.int2double)
val i: Int = 1
val v4: Buffer[Int] = r.map(i.max)
As you can see, map() returns type Buffer[F] because that's what Range binds to the C[X] type parameter.
As #vitalii noted, the question is not related to higher-kinded types. For more information about those, check out other questions or blogs.

new Range(2,5).map(_.toString)

Related

High order functions in Scala

IM trying to understand the below high order functions in Scala but need some clarifications on the parameters of the functions.
Questions:-
What does the Int => String in the apply function mean?
v: Int indicates that the parameter v is of type Int.
What does the [A](x: A) mean in layout function?
object Demo {
def main(args: Array[String]) {
println( apply( layout, 10) )
}
def apply(f: Int => String, v: Int) = f(v)
def layout[A](x: A) = "[" + x.toString() + "]"
}
f: Int => String means that f is a function with one argument of type Int and with a return type String
def layout[A](x: A) means that parameter x is of type A, which can be of any type. Here are a couple of examples on how to invoke layout:
layout[String]("abc") //returns "[abc]"
layout[Int](123) //returns "[123]"
When main runs it invokes apply with the layout function and the argument 10. This will output "[10]"
The syntax of Int => String means passing a function that accepts Int and returns String.
Here is a useful example for passing function:
case class Person(name: String, lastName: String)
val person = Person("Johnny", "Cage")
def updateName(name: String) = {
updatePerson(_.copy(name = name))
}
def updateLastName(lastName: String) {
updatePerson(_.copy(lastName = lastName))
}
private def updatePerson(transformer: Person => Person): Unit = {
transformer(person)
}
Note how each update function passes the copy constructor.

Hoes do Spray Parameters work?

I'm trying to wrap my head around how Spray has implemented their Directives, and in particular the Parameter extraction DSL.
I understand the magnet pattern (barely) but am stuck on how the ParamDefMagnet and ParamDefMagnet2 work together.
def parameter(pdm: ParamDefMagnet): pdm.Out = pdm()
trait ParamDefMagnet {
type Out
def apply(): Out
}
trait ParamDefMagnet2[T] {
type Out
def apply(value: T): Out
}
type ParamDefMagnetAux[A, B] = ParamDefMagnet2[A] { type Out = B }
def ParamDefMagnetAux[A, B](f: A ⇒ B) = new ParamDefMagnet2[A] { type Out = B; def apply(value: A) = f(value) }
I'm trying to work out how a ParamDefManget2 is implicitly converted to a ParamDefMagnet by the the below implicit method.
object ParamDefMagnet {
implicit def apply[T](value: T)(implicit pdm2: ParamDefMagnet2[T]) = new ParamDefMagnet {
type Out = pdm2.Out
def apply() = pdm2(value)
}
}
If i call parameter("name"), how is "name" implicitly converted to a ParamDefMagnet? And if it converts it to a ParamDefMagnet2 first, then where does value: T come from in order to convert it to a ParamDefMagnet?
So after digging around with examples, I think i've finally got to the bottom of how the parameter function works:
def parameter(pdm: ParamDefMagnet): pdm.Out = pdm()
An example for extracting a parameter of type String:
val p: Directive1[String] = parameter("name")
// we can then apply the function with the extracted name
p { name =>
// stuff
}
Spray uses a bunch of implicit conversions but basically, if you have a String and a String => Directive1[String], you can construct a () => Directive1[String]:
// Our String => Directive1[String]
val pdm2: ParamDefMagnet2[String] { type Out = Directive1[String] } = ParamDefMagnet2.fromString
// Our () => Directive1[String]
val pdm: ParamDefMagnet { type Out = Directive1[String] } = new ParamDefMagnet {
type Out = Directive1[String]
def apply() = pdm2("name")
}
val directive: Directive1[String] = pdm()
// equivalent to:
val directive2: Directive1[String] = parameter("name")
All of this is what constitutes the simple parameter("name") call:
val p: Directive1[String] = parameter("name")
For how a Directive1[String] is applied in a DSL-ey way, see How do directives work in Spray?

Avoid explicit type parameters on map operations

I have a Span[A] data type that tracks a minimum and maximum value of type A. Because of this, I require A to have a Scalaz Order instance. Here's what the implementation looks like:
trait Span[A] {
val min: A
val max: A
}
object Span {
def apply[A : Order](id: A): Span[A] = new Span[A] {
override val min = id
override val max = id
}
def apply[A : Order](a: A, b: A): Span[A] = {
val swap = implicitly[Order[A]].greaterThan(a, b)
new Span[A] {
override val min = if (swap) b else a
override val max = if (swap) a else b
}
}
implicit def orderSpanSemigroup[A : Order]: Semigroup[Span[A]] = new Semigroup[Span[A]] {
override def append(f1: Span[A], f2: => Span[A]): Span[A] = {
val ord = implicitly[Order[A]]
Span(ord.min(f1.min, f2.min), ord.max(f1.max, f2.max))
}
}
}
The apply method seems to work as expected, as I can do this:
val a = Span(1) // or Span.apply(1)
It breaks down if I try to map over this value using a functor, for example, an Option[Int]:
val b = 1.some map Span.apply
// could not find implicit value for evidence parameter of type scalaz.Order[A]
However, I can fix the error by using an explicit type parameter:
val c = 1.some map Span.apply[Int]
Why is this happening? Is there a way to avoid this explicit type parameter? I wonder if it's related to this issue as I originally ran into the problem while trying to use my own implicit Order instance. Of course, it's also failing on Int inputs so maybe it's just a limitation of parameterized methods.

How to pass different functions fa, fb (different signatures, including returning type) as the same parameter into another function fc?

MWE (obs.: I am avoiding to have to instantiate a class every call of c, this is why functions are desired):
object Main extends App {
def a(s:String, i:Int) ={
s + i * i //some complex op that yields String
}
def b(i:Int) ={
i / 3 //another complex op that yields Int
}
def c(f: Any => Any) = {
val L = List(1,2,3,4) //list of complex elements
L map f //apply f within some complex loop
}
println(c(a))
/*
scala: type mismatch;
found : (String, Int) => String
required: Any => Any
println(c(a))
^
*/
println(c(b))
/*
scala: type mismatch;
found : Int => Int
required: Any => Any
println(c(b))
^
*/
}
Maybe an equivalent question would be "Is there some kind of function inheritance?",
like
def f
def fa(i: Int):String extends f
def fb(s: String):Int extends f
What you're trying to do isn't type-safe, since if it were you could pass a String to a function which takes an Int parameter:
e.g.
def c(f: Any => Any) = {
val L = List("a", "b", "c")
L map f
}
c(a)
However you can take a function of type Int => Any, since it is safe to assign a more derived type to Any.
def c(f: Int => Any) = {
val l = List(1,2,3,4)
l.map(f)
}
This is now safe:
val bList: List[Any] = c(b)
You still can't pass a to c however, since it requires two arguments instead of one. You can partially apply the first String argument and pass that:
val cList = c(a("SomeString", _:Int))
If you find yourself using Any,
you are probably doing something wrong, and
you most likely need generics.
In your case
def c[X,Y](f: X => Y) = { ... }
would probably do the trick, depending on what you have inside that complex loop.

Why put a generic type next to a function?

When I look at Scala libraries I see code like this. Why put test [A] .
def test[A](block : Int => Unit) : Unit = {
block(10)
}
test { u =>
println(u)
}
This is just as valid I suppose. It runs the same way.
def test(block : Int => Unit) : Unit = {
block(10)
}
I've just been curious what the reasoning(or design pattern) is behind it. Thanks.
The type parameter A makes no sense here because it is not used.
def test[A](block: Int => A): A = block(10)
Here A specifies the return type.
When there a generic type next to the function, it means that the function is a generic function.
The following is a very simple example:
// generic functions which returns type of `A`
def test1[A](x: A) = x
def test2[A](x: => A) = { println("Hello"); x }
val x1 = test1(1)
// x1: Int = 1
val x2 = test1("Hello World")
// x2: java.lang.String = Hello World
val x3 = test2(123.4)
// Hello
// x3: Double = 123.4
val x4 = test2("Test2")
// Hello
// x4: java.lang.String = Test2
As you can see, the return type of test1 and test2 are determined by the type of their arguments.
The following is another use case.
// We could implement `map` function ourself.
// We don't care about what type of List contains,
// so we make it a generic function.
def map[A, B](xs: List[A], f: A => B): List[B] = {
var result: List[B] = Nil
for (i <- xs) {
result ++= List(f(i))
}
result
}
// Now use can map any type of List to another List.
map(List("1", "2", "3"), (x: String) => x.toInt)
//res1: List[Int] = List(1, 2, 3)