(* * tree_monadize.ml * * If you've got some block of code that uses `unit`s and `bind`s, and you * want to interpret it alternately using this monad, that monad, or another * monad, you can use OCaml's module system. You'd write your code like this: *) module Reader_monad = struct (* change this to suit your needs *) type env = int -> int;; type 'a m = env -> 'a;; let unit a : 'a m = fun e -> a;; let bind (u : 'a m) (f : 'a -> 'b m) : 'b m = fun e -> f (u e) e;; end module State_monad = struct (* change this to suit your needs *) type store = int;; type 'a m = store -> 'a * store;; let unit a : 'a m = fun s -> (a, s);; let bind (u : 'a m) (f : 'a -> 'b m) : 'b m = fun s -> (let (a, s') = u s in (f a) s');; end module List_monad = struct type 'a m = 'a list;; let unit a : 'a m = [a];; let bind (u: 'a m) (f : 'a -> 'b m) : 'b m = List.concat(List.map f u);; end (* * Then you can replace code that looks like this: * ... reader_bind ... * with code that looks like this: * ... Reader_monad.bind ... * and the latter can be reformulated like this: * let open Reader_monad in ... bind ... * or equivalently, like this: * Reader_monad.(... bind ...) * Then you can use literally the same `... bind ...` code when writing instead: * State_monad.(... bind ...) *) (* That's great, however it still requires us to repeat the * `... bind ...` code every time we want to change which monad we're working * with. Shouldn't there be a way to _parameterize_ the `... bind ...` code * on a monad, so that we only have to write the `... bind ...` code once, * but can invoke it alternately with the Reader_monad supplied as an * argument, or the State_monad, or another? * * There is a way to do this, but it requires putting the `... bind ...` code in * its own module, and making that module parameterized on some M_monad * module. Also we have to explicitly declare what commonality we're expecting * from M_monad modules we're going to use as parameters. We'll explain how to * do this in a moment. * * As preparation, a general observation: * 'a and so on are type variables in OCaml; they stand for arbitrary types. * What if you want a variable for a type constructor? For example, you want to * generalize this pattern: * type ('a) t1 = 'a -> ('a) list * type ('a) t2 = 'a -> ('a) option * type ('a) t3 = 'a -> ('a) reader * and so on? OCaml won't let you do this: * type ('a, 'b) t = 'a -> ('a) 'b * To generalize on the 'b position, we instead have to use OCaml's modules, * and in particular its ability to make modules parameterized on other modules * (OCaml calls these parameterized modules Functors, but that name is also * used in other ways in this literature, so I won't give in to it.) * * Here's how you'd have to define the t type from above: * module T_maker( * (* A sig...end block specifies the type of a module * * What we're doing here is specifying the type of the * * module parameter that will choose * * whether b = list or b = option or b = reader... * * This module parameter may supply values as well as types *) * M : sig * type ('a) b * end * ) = * (* A struct...end block gives a module value * * What we're doing here is building a new module that makes * * use of the module that was supplied as M *) * struct * type ('a) t = 'a -> ('a) M.b * end * And here's how you'd use it: * module T_list = T_maker(struct type 'a b = 'a list end);; * type 'a t1 = 'a T_list.t;; * module T_option = T_maker(struct type 'a b = 'a option end);; * type 'a t2 = 'a T_option.t;; * (* and so on *) * * I know, it seems unnecessarily complicated. Nonetheless, that's how it * works. And that is also the technique we'll use to make our * `... bind ...` code parametric on some M_monad module. *) type 'a tree = Leaf of 'a | Node of ('a tree) * ('a tree);; let t1 = Node (Node (Leaf 2, Leaf 3), Node (Leaf 5, Node (Leaf 7, Leaf 11)));; module Tree_monadizer(M : sig (* the module we're using as a parameter has to supply function values * for unit and bind, as well as a monadic type constructor *) type 'a m val unit : 'a -> 'a m val bind : 'a m -> ('a -> 'b m) -> 'b m end) = struct let rec monadize (f: 'a -> 'b M.m) (t: 'a tree) : 'b tree M.m = match t with | Leaf a -> M.bind (f a) (fun b -> M.unit (Leaf b)) | Node(l, r) -> M.bind (monadize f l) (fun l' -> M.bind (monadize f r) (fun r' -> M.unit (Node (l', r')))) end;; (* Now we supply Reader_monad as a parameter to Tree_monadizer. * We'll get back a module TreeReader that contains a single value, * the monadize function specialized to the Reader monad *) module TreeReader = Tree_monadizer(Reader_monad);; (* Make a TreeState module containing monadize specialized to the State monad *) module TreeState = Tree_monadizer(State_monad);; (* Make a TreeList module containing monadize specialized to the List monad *) module TreeList = Tree_monadizer(List_monad);; (* The Continuation monad is a bit more complicated *) module Continuation_monad = struct type ('r,'a) m = ('a -> 'r) -> 'r;; let unit a : ('r,'a) m = fun k -> k a;; let bind (u: ('r,'a) m) (f: 'a -> ('r,'b) m) : ('r,'b) m = fun k -> u (fun a -> f a k);; end (* Since the Continuation monad is parameterized on two types---it's * ('r,'a) cont not ('a) cont---we can't match the type ('a) monad that * Tree_monadizer expects in its parameter. So we have to make a different * Tree_monadizer2 that takes a ('r,'a) monad type constructor in its * parameter instead *) module Tree_monadizer2(M : sig type ('r,'a) m val unit : 'a -> ('r,'a) m val bind : ('r,'a) m -> ('a -> ('r,'b) m) -> ('r,'b) m end) = struct (* the body of the monadize function is the same; the only difference is in * the types *) let rec monadize (f: 'a -> ('r,'b) M.m) (t: 'a tree) : ('r,'b tree) M.m = match t with | Leaf a -> M.bind (f a) (fun b -> M.unit (Leaf b)) | Node(l, r) -> M.bind (monadize f l) (fun l' -> M.bind (monadize f r) (fun r' -> M.unit (Node (l', r')))) end;; (* Make a TreeCont module containing monadize specialized to the Cont monad *) module TreeCont = Tree_monadizer2(Continuation_monad);; (* * Here are all the examples from * http://lambda.jimpryor.net/manipulating_trees_with_monads/ *) let asker : int -> int Reader_monad.m = fun (a : int) -> fun (env : int -> int) -> env a;; (* asker takes an int and returns a Reader monad that * "looks up" that int in the environment (i.e. modifies it) * this is structurally parallel to the function `lookup` we used * before to "look up" variables in the environment *) (* double each leaf *) let env = fun i -> i + i in TreeReader.monadize asker t1 env;; (* You can also avoid declaring a separate toplevel TreeReader module * (or even a separate Reader_monad module) by using one of these forms: * ... * let module T = Tree_monadizer(Reader_monad) in * T.monadize asker t1 env;; * or: * ... * let env = fun i -> i + i in * let module Monad = struct * type env = int -> int;; * type 'a m = env -> 'a;; * let unit a : 'a m = fun e -> a;; * let bind (u : 'a m) (f : 'a -> 'b m) : 'b m = * fun e -> f (u e) e;; * end in * let module T = Tree_monadizer(Monad) in * T.monadize asker t1 env;; * or: * ... * let module T = Tree_monadizer(struct * type env = int -> int;; * type 'a m = env -> 'a;; * let unit a : 'a m = fun e -> a;; * let bind (u : 'a m) (f : 'a -> 'b m) : 'b m = * fun e -> f (u e) e;; * end) in * T.monadize asker t1 env;; *) (* square each leaf *) let env = fun i -> i * i in TreeReader.monadize asker t1 env;; (* count leaves *) let incrementer : int -> int State_monad.m = fun (a : int) -> fun s -> (a, s+1);; (* incrementer takes an 'a and returns it wrapped in a * State monad that increments the store *) let initial_store = 0 in TreeState.monadize incrementer t1 initial_store;; (* annotate leaves as they're visited *) let annotater : int -> (int * int) State_monad.m = fun (a : int) -> fun s -> ((a,s+1), s+1);; let initial_store = 0 in TreeState.monadize annotater t1 initial_store;; (* copy tree with different choices for leaves *) let chooser i = if i = 2 then [20; 21] else [i];; TreeList.monadize chooser t1;; (* do nothing *) let initial_continuation = fun t -> t in TreeCont.monadize Continuation_monad.unit t1 initial_continuation;; (* convert tree to list of leaves *) let initial_continuation = fun t -> [] in TreeCont.monadize (fun a k -> a :: k a) t1 initial_continuation;; (* square each leaf using continuation *) let initial_continuation = fun t -> t in TreeCont.monadize (fun a k -> k (a*a)) t1 initial_continuation;; (* count leaves, using continuation *) let initial_continuation = fun t -> 0 in TreeCont.monadize (fun a k -> 1 + k a) t1 initial_continuation;;