OCaml library : Type.Id

# Module Type.Id

    module Id: sig .. end

Type identifiers.

A type identifier is a value that denotes a type. Given two type identifiers, they can be tested for equality to prove they denote the same type. Note that:

- Unequal identifiers do not imply unequal types: a given type can be denoted by more than one identifier.
- Type identifiers can be marshalled, but they get a new, distinct, identity on unmarshalling, so the equalities are lost.

See an example of use.

## Type identifiers

    type !'a t

The type for identifiers for type `'a`.

    val make : unit -> 'a t

`make ()` is a new type identifier.

    val uid : 'a t -> int

`uid id` is a runtime unique identifier for `id`.

    val provably_equal : 'a t -> 'b t -> ('a, 'b) Type.eq option

`provably_equal i0 i1` is `Some Equal` if identifier `i0` is equal to `i1` and `None` otherwise.

## Example

The following shows how type identifiers can be used to implement a simple heterogeneous key-value dictionary. In contrast to `Map` values whose keys map to a single, homogeneous type of values, this dictionary can associate a different type of value to each key.

    (** Heterogeneous dictionaries. *)
    module Dict : sig
      type t
        (** The type for dictionaries. *)

      type 'a key
        (** The type for keys binding values of type 'a. *)

      val key : unit -> 'a key
        (** key () is a new dictionary key. *)

      val empty : t
        (** empty is the empty dictionary. *)

      val add : 'a key -> 'a -> t -> t
        (** add k v d is d with k bound to v. *)

      val remove : 'a key -> t -> t
        (** remove k d is d with the last binding of k removed. *)

      val find : 'a key -> t -> 'a option
        (** find k d is the binding of k in d, if any. *)
    end = struct
      type 'a key = 'a Type.Id.t
      type binding = B : 'a key * 'a -> binding
      type t = (int * binding) list

      let key () = Type.Id.make ()
      let empty = []
      let add k v d = (Type.Id.uid k, B (k, v)) :: d
      let remove k d = List.remove_assoc (Type.Id.uid k) d
      let find : type a. a key -> t -> a option = fun k d ->
        match List.assoc_opt (Type.Id.uid k) d with
        | None -> None
        | Some (B (k', v)) ->
            match Type.Id.provably_equal k k' with
            | Some Type.Equal -> Some v
            | None -> assert false
    end