carbon-lang/proposals/p3720.md

Member binding operators

Pull request

Table of contents

• Abstract
• Problem
• Background
• Proposal
• Details
  • Inheritance and other implicit conversions
  • Data fields
  • Generic type of a class member
    • Methods
    • Fields
  • C++ pointer to member
  • Instance interface members
  • Non-instance interface members
  • C++ operator overloading
• Future work
  • Future: tuple indexing
  • Future: properties
  • Future: building block for language features such as API extension
• Rationale
• Alternatives considered
  • Swap the member binding interface parameters
  • Member binding to references produces a value that wraps a pointer
  • Separate interface for compile-time member binding instead of type member binding
  • Non-instance members are idempotent under member binding
  • Separate Result types for BindToValue and BindToRef
  • BindToValue is a subtype of BindToRef
  • Directly rewrite all calls to interface member functions to method call intrinsics

Abstract

Define the member binding operation used to compute the result of x.y, p->y, x.(C.y), and p->(C.y) as calling a method from user-implementable interfaces.

Problem

What happens when member binding is performed between an object instance and a member of its type? We'd like to define the semantics in a way that is simple, orthogonal, supports the use cases from C++, allows users to express their intent in code in a natural and predictable way that is consistent with other Carbon constructs, and is consistent with Carbon's goals.

Consider a class with a method and a field:

class C {
  fn M[self: Self]();
  var f: i32;
}
var x: C = {.f = 2};

The expressions C.M and C.f correspond roughly to C++ pointers to members. They may be used to access the members of x using Carbon's compound member syntax, as in x.(C.M) or x.(C.f). What is their type? Can they be passed to a function separately from the instance of C to bind with it?

The expression x.M on the other hand doesn't have a trivial correspondence in C++ despite being a useful to bind a specific instance and produce a stand-alone callable object. We would like a model that allows x.M to be meaningful in a way that is consistent with the existing meaning of x.f and generalizes well across different kinds of methods and callables.

Another issue is how we clearly delineate the self associated with a method signature as separate from the self of function values.

Background

Member access has been specified in two proposals:

• Proposal #989: Member access expressions
• Proposal #2360: Types are values of type type

The results of these proposals is recorded in the "qualified names and member access" design document. Notably, there is the process of instance binding, that can convert a method into a bound method. This is described as an uncustomizable process, with the members of classes being non-first-class names.

With proposal #3646: Tuples and tuple indexing, tuple indexing also uses the member-access syntax, except with numeric names for the fields.

The currently accepted proposals for functions, most notably Proposal #2875: Functions, function types, and function calls, don't support all of the different function signatures for the Call interface. For example, it does not support addr self or explicit compile-time parameters. That is out of scope of this proposal, and will be addressed separately, and means that addr self methods won't be considered here. The difference between functions and methods, however, is in scope.

Other languages, such as C# and D, have constructs that represent bound and unbound methods, such as "delegates".

Proposal

We propose that Carbon defines the compound member access operator, specifically x.(y), in terms of rewrites to invoking an interface method, like other operators. There are three different interfaces used, depending on whether x is a value expression, a reference expression, or a facet:

// This determines the type of the result of member binding. It is
// a separate interface shared by `BindToValue` and `BindToRef` to
// ensure they produce the same result type. We don't want the
// type of an expression to depend on the expression category
// of the arguments.
interface Bind(T:! type) {
  let Result:! type;
}

// For a value expression `x` with type `T` and an expression
// `y` of type `U`, `x.(y)` is `y.((U as BindToValue(T)).Op)(x)`
interface BindToValue(T:! type) {
  extend Bind(T);
  fn Op[self: Self](x: T) -> Result;
}

// For a reference expression `x` using a member binding `var x: T`
// and an expression `y` of type `U`, `x.(y)` is
// `*y.((U as BindToRef(T)).Op)(&x)`
interface BindToRef(T:! type) {
  extend Bind(T);
  fn Op[self: Self](p: T*) -> Result*;
}

// For a facet value, which includes all type values, `T` and
// an expression `y` of type `U`, `T.(y)` is
// `y.((U as BindToType(T)).Op)()`.
interface BindToType(T:! type) {
  let Result:! type;
  fn Op[self: Self]() -> Result;
}

Note: BindToType is its own interface since the members of a type are defined by their values, not by their type. Observe that this means that a generic function might not use BindToType on a symbolic value that was not known to be a facet, where it would use BindToType on the concrete value.

The other member access operators -- x.y, x->y, and x->(y) -- are defined by how they rewrite into the x.(y) form using these two rules:

• x.y is interpreted using the existing member resolution rules. For example, x.y is treated as x.(T.y) for non-type values x with type T.
  • Simple member access of a facet T, as in T.y, is not rewritten into the T.(___) form.
• x->y and x->(y) are interpreted as (*x).y and (*x).(y) respectively.

Details

To use instance members of a class, we need to go through the additional step of member binding. Consider a class C:

class C {
  fn F[self: Self]() -> i32 { return self.x + 5; }
  fn Static() -> i32 { return 2; }
  var x: i32;
}

Each member of C with a distinct name will have a corresponding type (like __TypeOf_C_F) and value of that type (like __C_F). There are two more types for each member function (either static class function or method), though, that adapt C and represent the type of binding that member with either a C value or variable.

class __TypeOf_C_F {}
let __C_F:! __TypeOf_C_F = {};
class __Binding_C_F {
  adapt C;
}

// and similarly for Static

These are the types that result from instance binding an instance of C with these member names. They define the bound method value and bound method type of proposal #2875. For example,

let v: C = {.x = 3};
Assert(v.F() == 8);
Assert(v.Static() == 2);
var r: C = {.x = 4};
Assert(r.F() == 9);
Assert(r.Static() == 2);

is interpreted as:

let v: C = {.x = 3};
Assert((v as __Binding_C_F).(Call(()).Op)() == 8);
Assert((v as __Binding_C_Static).(Call(()).Op)() == 2);
var r: C = {.x = 4};
Assert((r as __Binding_C_F).(Call(()).Op)() == 9);
Assert((r as __Binding_C_Static).(Call(()).Op)() == 2);

How does this arise?

1. First the simple member access is resolved using the type of the receiver:
   v.F -> v.(C.F), v.Static -> v.(C.Static), r.F -> r.(C.F), r.Static -> r.(C.Static).
   Note that C.F is __C_F with type __TypeOf_C_F, and C.Static is __C_Static with type __TypeOf_C_Static.
2. It then looks at the expression to the left of the .:
   • If it is a facet value, the "member binding to type" (BindToType) operator is applied.
   • If it is a reference expression, the "member binding to reference" (BindToRef) operator is applied.
   • If it is a value expression, the "member binding to value" (BindToValue) operator is applied.
3. The result of the member binding has a type that implements the call interface.

Note: The current wording in member_access.md says that v.(C.Static) and r.(C.Static) are both invalid, because they don't perform member name lookup, instance binding, nor impl lookup -- the v. and r. portions are redundant. That rule is removed by this proposal.

Instead, tools such as linters can highlight such code as suspicious on a best-effort basis, particularly when the issue is contained in a single expression. Such tools may still allow code that performs the same operation across multiple statements, as in:

let M:! auto = C.Static;
v.(M)();
r.(M)();

Note that if M is an overloaded name, it could be an instance member in some cases and a non-instance member in others, depending on the arguments passed. This is another reason to delegate this to linters analyzing a whole expression on a best-effort basis, rather than a strict rule just about member binding.

The member binding operators are defined using three dedicated interfaces -- BindToValue, BindToRef, and BindToType -- as defined in the "proposal" section. These member binding operations are implemented for the types of the class members:

impl __TypeOf_C_F as BindToValue(C)
    where .Result = __Binding_C_F {
  fn Op[unused self: Self](x: C) -> __Binding_C_F {
    return x as __Binding_C_F;
  }
}

// Note that the `Result` type has to match, since
// it is an associated type in the `Bind(C)` interface
// that both `BindToValue(C)` and `BindToRef(C)` extend.
impl __TypeOf_C_F as BindToRef(C)
    where .Result = __Binding_C_F {
  fn Op[unused self: Self](p: C*) -> __Binding_C_F* {
    return p as __Binding_C_F*;
  }
}

Note: BindToType is used for non-instance interface members.

Those implementations are how we get from __C_F with type __TypeOf_C_F to v as __Binding_C_F or &r as __Binding_C_F*, conceptually following these steps:

// `v` is a value and so uses `BindToValue`
v.F() == v.(C.F)()
      == v.(__C_F)()
      == __C_F.((__TypeOf_C_F as BindToValue(C)).Op)(v)()
      == (v as __Binding_C_F)()

// `r` is a reference expression and so uses `BindToRef`
r.F() == r.(C.F)()
      == r.(__C_F)()
      == (*__C_F.((__TypeOf_C_F as BindToRef(C)).Op)(&r))()
      == (*(&r as __Binding_C_F*))()

However, to avoid recursive application of these same rules, we need to avoid expressing this in terms of evaluating __C_F.(...). Instead the third step uses an intrinsic compiler primitive, as in:

// `v` is a value and so uses `BindToValue`
v.F() == v.(C.F)()
      == v.(__C_F)()
      == inlined_method_call_compiler_intrinsic(
              <function body (__TypeOf_C_F as BindToValue(C)).Op overload 0>,
              __C_F, (v))()
      == (v as __Binding_C_F)()

// `r` is a reference expression and so uses `BindToRef`
r.F() == r.(C.F)()
      == r.(__C_F)()
      == (*inlined_method_call_compiler_intrinsic(
              <function body (__TypeOf_C_F as BindToRef(C)).Op overload 0>,
              __C_F, (&r)))()
      == (*(&r as __Binding_C_F*))()

At this point we have resolved the member binding, and are left with an expression of type __Binding_C_F followed by (). In the first case, that expression is a value expression. In the second case, it is a reference expression.

The last ingredient is the implementation of the call interfaces for these bound types.

// Member binding with `C.F` produces something with type
// `__Binding_C_F` whether it is a value or reference
// expression. Since `C.F` takes `self: Self` it can be
// used in both cases.
impl __Binding_C_F as Call(()) with .Result = i32 {
  fn Op[self: Self]() -> i32 {
    // Calls `(self as C).(C.F)()`, but without triggering
    // member binding again.
    return inlined_method_call_compiler_intrinsic(
        <function body C.F overload 0>, self as C, ());
  }
}

// `C.Static` works the same as `C.F`, except it also
// implements the call interfaces on `__TypeOf_C_Static`.
// This allows `C.Static()` to work, in addition to
// `v.Static()` and `r.Static()`.
impl __Binding_C_Static as Call(()) with .Result = i32 {
  // Other implementations of `Call(())` are the same.
  fn Op[unused self: Self]() -> i32 {
    // Calls `C.Static()`, without triggering member binding again.
    return inlined_call_compiler_intrinsic(
               <function body C.Static overload 0>, ());
  }
}
impl __TypeOf_C_Static as Call(()) where .Result = i32;

Going back to v.F() and r.F(), after member binding the next step is to resolve the call. As described in proposal #2875, this call is rewritten to an invocation of the Op method of the Call(()) interface, using the implementations just defined. Note:

• Passing *(&r as __Binding_C_F*) to the self parameter of Call(()).Op converts the reference expression to a value. Note that mutating (addr self) methods are out of scope for this proposal.
• The Call interface is special. We don't rewrite calls to Call(__).Op to avoid infinite recursion.

v.F() == (v as __Binding_C_F)()
      == (v as __Binding_C_F).((__Binding_C_F as Call(())).Op)()
      == inlined_method_call_compiler_intrinsic(
            <function body (__Binding_C_F as Call(())).Op overload 0>,
            v as __Binding_C_F, ());
      == inlined_method_call_compiler_intrinsic(
             <function body C.F overload 0>,
             (v as __Binding_C_F) as C, ())
      == inlined_method_call_compiler_intrinsic(
             <function body C.F overload 0>, v, ())

r.F() == (*(&r as __Binding_C_F*))()
      == (*(&r as __Binding_C_F*)).((__Binding_C_F as Call(())).Op)()
      == inlined_method_call_compiler_intrinsic(
            <function body (__Binding_C_F as Call(())).Op overload 0>,
            *(&r as __Binding_C_F*) <as value expression>, ());
      == inlined_method_call_compiler_intrinsic(
             <function body C.F overload 0>,
             *(&r as __Binding_C_F*) as C, ())
      == inlined_method_call_compiler_intrinsic(
             <function body C.F overload 0>,
             r <as value expression>, ())

Note: This rewrite results in compiler intrinsics for calling. This is to show that no more rewrites are applied.

Inheritance and other implicit conversions

Now consider methods of a base class:

base class B {
  fn F[self: Self]();
  virtual fn V[self: Self]();
}

class D {
  extend base: B;
  impl fn V[self: Self]();
}

var d: D = {}
d.(B.F)();
d.(B.V)();

To allow this to work, we need the implementation of the member binding interfaces to allow implicit conversions:

impl [T:! ImplicitAs(B)] __TypeOf_B_F as BindToValue(T)
    where .Result = __Binding_B_F {
  fn Op[self: Self](x: T) -> __Binding_B_F {
    return (x as B) as __Binding_B_F;
  }
}

impl [T:! type where .Self* impls ImplicitAs(B*)]
    __TypeOf_B_F as BindToRef(T)
    where .Result = __Binding_B_F {
  fn Op[self: Self](p: T*) -> __Binding_B_F* {
    return (p as B*) as __Binding_B_F*;
  }
}

This matches the expected semantics of method calls, even for methods of final classes.

Note that the implementation of the member binding interfaces is where the Self type of a method is used. If that type is different from the class it is being defined in, as considered in #1345, that will be reflected in the member binding implementations.

class C {
  // Note: not `self: Self` or `self: C`!
  fn G[self: Different]();
}

let c: C = {};
// `c.G()` is only allowed if there is an implicit
// conversion from `C` to `Different`.

let d: Different = {};
// Allowed:
d.(C.G)();

results in an implementation using Different instead of C:

// `C.G` will only member bind to values that can implicitly convert
// to type `Different`.
impl [T:! ImplicitAs(Different)] __TypeOf_C_G as BindToValue(T)
    where .Result = __Binding_C_G;

Data fields

The same BindToValue and BindToRef operations allow us to define access to the data fields in an object, without any additional changes.

For example, given a class with a data member m with type i32:

class C {
  var m: i32;
}

we want the usual operations to work, with x.m equivalent to x.(C.m):

let v: C = {.m = 4};
var x: C = {.m = 3};
x.m += 5;
Assert(x.(C.m) == v.m + v.(C.m));

To accomplish this we will, as before, associate an empty (stateless or zero-sized) type with the m member of C, that just exists to support the member binding operation. However, this time the result type of member binding is simply i32, the type of the variable, instead of a new, dedicated type.

class __TypeOf_C_m {}
let __C_m:! __TypeOf_C_m = {};

impl __TypeOf_C_m as BindToValue(C) where .Result = i32 {
  fn Op[self: Self](x: C) -> i32 {
    // Effectively performs `x.m`, but without triggering member binding again.
    return value_compiler_intrinsic(x, __OffsetOf_C_m, i32)
  }
}

impl __TypeOf_C_m as BindToRef(C) where .Result = i32 {
  fn Op[self: Self](p: C*) -> i32* {
    // Effectively performs `&p->m`, but without triggering member binding again,
    // by doing something like `((p as byte*) + __OffsetOf_C_m) as i32*`
    return offset_compiler_intrinsic(p, __OffsetOf_C_m, i32);
  }
}

These definitions give us the desired semantics:

// For value `v` with type `T` and `y` of type `U`,
// `v.(y)` is `y.((U as BindToValue(T)).Op)(v)`
v.m == v.(C.m)
    == v.(__C_m)
    == v.(__C_m as (__TypeOf_C_m as BindToValue(C)))
    == __C_m.((__TypeOf_C_m as BindToValue(C)).Op)(v)
    == value_compiler_intrinsic(v, __OffsetOf_C_m, i32)

// For reference expression `var x: T` and `y` of type `U`,
// `x.(y)` is `*y.(U as BindToRef(T)).Op(&x)`
x.m == x.(C.m)
    == x.(__C_m)
    == *__C_m.((__TypeOf_C_m as BindToRef(C)).Op)(&x)
    == *offset_compiler_intrinsic(&x, __OffsetOf_C_m, i32)
// Note that this requires `x` to be a reference expression,
// so `&x` is valid, and produces a reference expression,
// since it is the result of dereferencing a pointer.

The fields of tuple types and struct types operate the same way.

let t_let: (i32, i32) = (3, 6);
Assert(t_let.(((i32, i32) as type).0) == 3);

var t_var: (i32, i32) = (4, 8);
Assert(t_var.(((i32, i32) as type).1) == 8);
t_var.(((i32, i32) as type).1) = 9;
Assert(t_var.1 == 9);

let s_let: {.x: i32, .y: i32} = {.x = 5, .y = 10};
Assert(s_let.({.x: i32, .y: i32}.x) == 5);

var s_var: {.x: i32, .y: i32} = {.x = 6, .y = 12};
Assert(s_var.({.x: i32, .y: i32}.y) == 12);
s_var.({.x: i32, .y: i32}.y) = 13;
Assert(s_var.y == 13);

For example, {.x: i32, .y: i32}.x is a value __Struct_x_i32_y_i32_Field_x, analogous to __C_m, of a type __TypeOf_Struct_x_i32_y_i32_Field_x (that is zero-sized / has no state), analogous to __TypeOf_C_m, that implements the member binding interfaces for any type that implicitly converts to {.x: i32, .y: i32}.

Note that for tuples, the as type is needed since (i32, i32) on its own is a tuple, not a type. In particular (i32, i32) is not the type of t_let or t_var. (i32, i32).0 is just i32, and isn't the name of the first element of an (i32, i32) tuple.

Generic type of a class member

Given the above, we can now write a constraint on a symbolic parameter to match the names of an unbound class member. There are a two cases: methods and fields.

Methods

Restricting to value methods, since mutating (addr self) methods are out of scope for this proposal, the receiver object may be passed by value. To be able to call the method, we must include a restriction that the result of BindToValue implements Call(()):

// `m` can be any method object that implements `Call(())` once bound.
fn CallMethod
    [T:! type, M:! BindToValue(T) where .Result impls Call(())]
    (x: T, m: M) -> auto {
  // `x.(m)` is rewritten to a call to `BindToValue(T).Op`. The
  // constraint on `M` ensures the result implements `Call(())`.
  return x.(m)();
}

This will work with any value method or static class function. This will also work with inheritance and virtual methods, using the support for implicit conversions of self.

base class X {
  virtual fn V[self: Self]() -> i32 { return 1; }
  fn B[self: Self]() -> i32 { return 0; }
}
class Y {
  extend base: X;
  impl fn V[self: Self]() -> i32 { return 2; }
}
class Z {
  extend base: X;
  impl fn V[self: Self]() -> i32 { return 3; }
}

var (x: X, y: Y, z: Z);

// Respects inheritance
Assert(CallMethod(x, X.B) == 0);
Assert(CallMethod(y, X.B) == 0);
Assert(CallMethod(z, X.B) == 0);

// Respects method overriding
Assert(CallMethod(x, X.V) == 1);
Assert(CallMethod(y, X.V) == 2);
Assert(CallMethod(z, X.V) == 3);

Fields

Fields can be accessed, given the type of the field

fn GetField
    [T:! type, F:! BindToValue(T) where .Result = i32]
    (x: T, f: F) -> i32 {
  // `x.(f)` is rewritten to `f.((F as BindToValue(T)).Op)(x)`,
  // and `(F as BindToValue(T)).Op` is a method on `f` with
  // return type `i32` by the constraint on `F`.
  return x.(f);
}

fn SetField
    [T:! type, F:! BindToRef(T) where .Result = i32]
    (x: T*, f: F, y: i32) {
  // `x->(f)` is rewritten to `(*x).(f)`, which then
  // becomes: `*f.((F as BindToRef(T)).Op)(&*x)`
  // The constraint `F` says the return type of
  // `(F as BindToRef(T)).Op` is `i32*`, which is
  // dereferenced to get an `i32` reference expression
  // which may then be assigned.
  x->(f) = y;
}

class C {
  var m: i32;
  var n: i32;
}
var c: C = {.m = 5, .n = 6};
Assert(GetField(c, C.m) == 5);
Assert(GetField(c, C.n) == 6);
SetField(&c, C.m, 42);
SetField(&c, C.n, 12);
Assert(GetField(c, C.m) == 42);
Assert(GetField(c, C.n) == 12);

C++ pointer to member

In the generic type of member section, the names of members, such as D.K, X.B, X.V, and C.n, refer to zero-sized / stateless objects where all the offset information is encoded in the type. However, the definitions of CallMethod, SetField, and GetField do not depend on that fact and will be usable with objects, such as C++ pointers-to-members, that include the offset information in the runtime object state. So we can define member binding implementations for them so that they may be used with Carbon's .() and ->() operators.

For example, this is how we expect C++ code to call the above Carbon functions:

struct C {
  int F() const { return m + 1; }
  int m;
};

int main() {
  // pointer to data member `m` of class C
  int C::* p = &C::m;
  C c = {2};
  assert(c.*p == 2);
  assert(Carbon::GetField(c, p) == 2);
  Carbon::SetField(&c, p, 4);
  assert(c.m == 4);
  // pointer to method `F` of class C
  int (C::*q)() const = &C::F;
  assert(Carbon::CallMethod(&c, q) == 5);
}

Instance interface members

Instance members of an interface, such as methods, can use this framework. For example, given these declarations:

interface I {
  fn F[self: Self]();
}
class C {
  impl as I;
}
let c: C = {};

Then I.F is its own value with its own type:

class __TypeOf_I_F {}
let __I_F:! __TypeOf_I_F = {};

That type implements BindToValue for any type that implements the interface I:

class __Binding_I_F(T:! I) {
  adapt T;
}
impl forall [T:! I] __TypeOf_I_F as BindToValue(T)
    where .Result = __Binding_I_F(T) {
  fn Op[self: Self](x: T) -> __Binding_I_F(T) {
    // Valid since `__Binding_I_F(T)` adapts `T`:
    return x as __Binding_I_F(T);
  }
}

The actual dispatch to the I.F method of C happens in the implementation of the Call interface of this adapter type that is the result of member binding to a value. So, this implementation of C as I:

impl C as I {
  fn F[self: Self]() {
    Fanfare(self);
  }
}

Results in this implementation:

impl __Binding_I_F(C) as Call(()) where .Result = () {
  fn Op[self: Self]() {
    inlined_method_call_compiler_intrinsic(
        <function body (C as I).F overload 0>, self as C, ());
  }
}

A call such as c.(I.F)() goes through these rewrites:

c.(I.F)() == c.(__I_F)()
          == __I_F.((__TypeOf_I_F as BindToValue(C)).Op)(c)()
          == (c as __Binding_I_F(C))()
          == (c as __Binding_I_F(C)).((__Binding_I_F(C) as Call(())).Op)()

Which results in invoking the above implementation that will ultimately call Fanfare(c).

Note: The Call interface gets special treatment and does not get these rewrites to avoid recursing forever.

Non-instance interface members

Non-instance members use the BindToType interface instead. For example, if G is a non-instance function of an interface J:

interface J {
  fn G();
}
impl C as J;

Again the member is given its own type and value:

class __TypeOf_J_G {}
let __J_G:! __TypeOf_J_G = {};

Since this is a non-instance member, this type implements BindToType instead of BindToValue:

class __TypeBinding_J_G(T:! J) {}
impl forall [T:! J] __TypeOf_J_G as BindToType(T)
    where .Result = __TypeBinding_J_G(T) {
  fn Op[self: Self]() -> __TypeBinding_J_G(T) {
    return {};
  }
}

So, this implementation of C as J:

impl C as J {
  fn G() {
    Fireworks();
  }
}

Results in this implementation:

impl __TypeBinding_J_G(C) as Call(()) where .Result = () {
  fn Op[self: Self]() {
    Fireworks();
  }
}

A call such as C.(J.G)() goes through these rewrites:

C.(J.G)() == C.(__J_G)()
          == __J_G.((__TypeOf_J_G as BindToType(C)).Op)()()
          == ({} as __TypeBinding_J_G(C))()
          == (({} as __TypeBinding_J_G(C)) as Call(())).Op()

Which calls the above implementation that calls Fireworks().

Note: Member binding for non-instance members doesn't work with BindToValue, we need BindToType. Otherwise there is no way to get the value C into the result type. Furthermore, we want BindToType implementation no matter which facet of the type is used in the code.

C++ operator overloading

C++ does not support customizing the behavior of x.y. It does support customizing the behavior of operator* and operator-> which is frequently used to support smart pointers and iterators. There is, however, nothing restricting the implementations of those two operators to be consistent, so that (*x).y and x->y are the same.

Carbon instead will only have a single interface for customizing dereference, corresponding to operator* not operator->. All uses of x->y will be rewritten to use (*x).y instead. This may cause some friction when porting C++ code where those operators are not consistent. If the C++ code is just missing the definition of operator* corresponding to an operator->, a workaround would be just to define operator*.

Other cases of divergence between those operators should be rare, since that is both surprising to users and for the common case of iterators, violates the C++ requirements. If necessary, we can in the future introduce a specific construct just for C++ interop that invokes the C++ arrow operator, such as CppArrowOperator(x), that returns a pointer.

Context: This was discuseed in 2024-02-29 open discussion and in a comment on this proposal.

Future work

Future: tuple indexing

We can reframe the use of the compound member access syntax for tuple fields as an implementation of member binding of tuples with compile-time integer expressions. The specifics of how this works will be resolved later, once we address how compile-time interacts with interfaces.

Future: properties

If there was a way to implement the member binding operator to only produce values, even when the expression to the left of the . was a reference expression, then that could be used to implement read-only properties. This would support something like:

let Pi: f64 = 3.1415926535897932384626433832795;

class Circle {
  var radius: f64;
  read_property area -> f64 {
    return Pi * self.radius * self.radius;
  }
}

let c: Circle = {.radius = 2};
Assert(NearlyEqual(c.area, 4 * Pi));

In this example, the member binding of c of type Circle to Circle.area would perform the computation and return the result as an f64.

If there was some way to customize the result of member binding, this could be extended to support other kinds of properties, such as mutable properties that use get and set methods to access and mutate the value. The main obstacle to any support for properties with member binding is how the customization would be done. The most natural way to support this customization would be to have multiple interfaces. The compiler would try them in a specified order and use the one it found first. This has the downside of the possibility of different behavior in a checked generic context where only some of the implementations are visible. Our choice to make the result type the same Result associated type of the Bind interface independent of whether the BindToValue or BindToRef interface is used makes this less concerning. Only the phase of the result, not the type, would depend on which implementations were found, similar to how indexing works.

Future: building block for language features such as API extension

We should be able to express other language features, such as API extension, in terms of customized member binding, plus possibly some new language primitives. This should be explored in a future proposal.

Rationale

This proposal is about:

• Orthogonality: separating the member binding process as a distinct and independent step of using the members of a type.
• Being consistent with our overall strategy for defining operators in terms of interface implementations.
• Allows member-binding-related functionality to be defined through library APIs.
• Increases uniformity by making member names into ordinary values with types.
• Adds expressiveness, enabling member forwarding, passing a member as an argument, and other use cases.

These benefits advance Carbon's goals including:

• Language tools and ecosystem: by making it easier to reason about more Carbon entities within Carbon itself, and reducing the number of different concepts that have to be modeled.
• Code that is easy to read, understand, and write: through increased consistency, uniformity, and expressiveness.
• Interoperability with and migration from existing C++ code: by adding support for pointer-to-member constructs.

Alternatives considered

Swap the member binding interface parameters

We considered instead making the receiver object the Self type of the interface, and using the member type as the parameter to the interface. This would have the advantage of matching the order that they appear in the source, consistent with other operators.

Alternative:

// For value `x` with type `T` and `y` of type `U`,
// `x.(y)` is `x.((T as ValueBind(U)).Op)(y)`
interface ValueBind(U:! type) {
  extend Bind(U);
  fn Op[self: Self](x: U) -> Result;
}

// For reference expression `var x: T` and `y` of type `U`,
// `x.(y)` is `*x.((T as RefBind(U)).Op)(y)`
interface RefBind(U:! type) {
  extend Bind(U);
  fn Op[addr self: Self*](x: U) -> Result*;
}

This had some disadvantages however:

• The binding property is more associated with the member than the receiver.
• Some patterns are more awkward in the alternative syntax.

As an example of this last point, consider a function that takes multiple (or even a variadic list) methods to call on a receiver object. With the proposed approach, each method type is constrained:

// `m1`, `m2`, and `m3` are methods on class `T`.
fn Call3Methods[T:! type,
                M1:! BindToValue(T) where .Result impls Call(()),
                M2:! BindToValue(T) where .Result impls Call(()),
                M3:! BindToValue(T) where .Result impls Call(())]
    (x: T, m1: M1, m2: M2, m3: M3) -> auto;

With the alternative, the type of the receiver would be constrained, and the deduced types would be written in a different order:

Alternative:

// `m1`, `m2`, and `m3` are methods on class `T`.
fn Call3MethodsAlternative1
    [M1:! type, M2:! type, M3:! type,
     T:! ValueBid(M1) & ValueBind(M2) & ValueBind(M3)
         where .(ValueBind(M1).Result) impls Call(())
           and .(ValueBind(M2).Result) impls Call(())
           and .(ValueBind(M3).Result) impls Call(())]
    (x: T, m1: M1, m2: M2, m3: M3) -> auto;

Or, the constraints can be moved to the method types at the cost of additional length:

Alternative:

// `m1`, `m2`, and `m3` are methods on class `T`.
fn Call3MethodsAlternative2
    [T:! type,
     M1:! type where T impls (ValueBind(.Self) where .Result impls Call(())),
     M2:! type where T impls (ValueBind(.Self) where .Result impls Call(())),
     M3:! type where T impls (ValueBind(.Self) where .Result impls Call(()))]
    (x: T, m1: M1, m2: M2, m3: M3) -> auto;

Member binding to references produces a value that wraps a pointer

Consider a mutating method on a class:

class Counter {
  var count: i32 = 0;
  fn Increment[addr self: Self*]() {
    self->count += 1;
  }
}

var c: Counter = {};

This proposal says c.Increment is a reference expression with a type that adapts Counter. For c.Increment() to affect the value of c.count, there needs to be some way for the Call operator to mutate c. The current definition of Call takes self by value, though, so this doesn't work. Addressing this is out of scope of the current proposal.

We could instead make c.Increment be a value holding &c. That would allow Call to work even when taking self by value. This is the solution likely implied by the current proposal #2875, though that proposal does not say what the bound method type is at all. It leaves two other problems, however:

• We will still need a way to support function objects that are mutated by calling them. This comes up, for example, with C++ types that define operator().
• We want the proposed behavior when member binding a field.

As a result, it would be better to evaluate this alternative later as part of considering mutation in calls.

Separate interface for compile-time member binding instead of type member binding

The first proposed way to handle non-instance interface members was in the #typesystem channel on Discord on 2024-03-07. The suggestion was to have a CompileBind interface used for any compile-time value to the left of the .. It would have access to the value, which is needed when accessing the members of a type.

We eventually concluded that the special treatment was specifically needed for types, not all compile-time values. The insight was that types are special because their members are defined by their values, not by their type (which is always type).

Non-instance members are idempotent under member binding

In the current proposal, member binding of non-instance members results in an adapter type, the same as an instance member. For example,

class C {
  fn Static() -> i32;
}

is translated into something like:

Current proposal:

class __TypeOf_C_Static {}
let __C_Static:! __TypeOf_C_Static = {};

class __Binding_C_Static {
  adapt C;
}

impl __TypeOf_C_Static as BindToValue(C)
    where .Result = __Binding_C_Static;

impl __TypeOf_C_Static as BindToRef(C)
    where .Result = __Binding_C_Static;

An alternative is that member binding of a non-instance member is idempotent, so there is no __Binding_C_Static type and BindToValue(C) results in a value of type __TypeOf_C_Static instead:

Alternative:

class __TypeOf_C_Static {}
// Might need to be a `var` instead?
let __C_Static:! __TypeOf_C_Static = {};

impl __TypeOf_C_Static as BindToValue(C)
    where .Result = __TypeOf_C_Static;
impl __TypeOf_C_Static as BindToRef(C)
    where .Result = __TypeOf_C_Static;

There are a few concerns with this alternative:

• This is less consistent with the instance member case.
• There would be a discontinuity when adding an instance overload to a name that was previously only a non-instance member.
• Member binding to a reference is trickier, since it would have to return the address of an object of type __TypeOf_C_Static. Perhaps a global variable?
• The current proposal rejects v.(v.(C.Static)), which is desirable.

This was discussed in this comment on #3720.

Separate Result types for BindToValue and BindToRef

An earlier iteration of this proposal had separate Result associated types for BindToValue and BindToRef, as in:

interface BindToValue(T:! type) {
  let Result:! type;
  fn Op[self: Self](x: T) -> Result;
}

interface BindToRef(T:! type) {
  let Result:! type;
  fn Op[self: Self](p: T*) -> Result*;
}

However, this results in the type of a member binding depending on the what category the expression to the left of the dot has. This could change the interpretation of code using indexing, such as an expression like a[b].F(), when the type of a is changed from or to a checked generic. This is because the the expression is legal as long as the type of a implements IndexWith(typeof(b)), but category of a[b] depends on whether the type of a is known to implement IndirectIndexWith(typeof(b)).

To avoid this problem, we make the result type of the member binding the same whether it is binding to a value or reference. See this comment on #3720.

BindToValue is a subtype of BindToRef

We could make BindToValue be a subtype of BindToRef, as suggested in this comment on #3720. This would be a step beyond just saying they have to have the same Result type, which is achieved by that type being defined in the Bind interface they both extend.

This approach would rule out the use case where value binding computes a new value rather than returning an existing one -- that is, a read-only property. That use case isn't currently well supported by this proposal -- while you can make x.ComputeSize work when x is a value expression, you can't make it work when x is a reference expression. However, that use case can be supported with the approach described in future work.

Directly rewrite all calls to interface member functions to method call intrinsics

In this proposal, the Call interface is given special treatment, in that invoking its method is rewritten into a primitive operation rather than going through the customizable member binding that other interfaces use. This is described in the Details and Instance interface members sections.

In a comment on #3720 (1, 2), we considered the possibility that invoking any interface member would be directly rewritten into a primitive operation. We realized the downside of this approach in open discussion on 2024-05-16, that this would not allow interface members to support overloading.