Lambda the Ultimate

A constraint-based approach to guarded algebraic data types

We study HMG(X), an extension of the constraint-based type system HM(X) with deep pattern matching, polymorphic recursion, and guarded algebraic data types. Guarded algebraic data types subsume the concepts known in the literature as indexed types, guarded recursive datatype constructors, (first-class) phantom types, and equality qualified types, and are closely related to inductive types. Their characteristic property is to allow every branch of a case construct to be typechecked under different assumptions about the type variables in scope. We prove that HMG(X) is sound and that, provided recursive definitions carry a type annotation, type inference can be reduced to constraint solving. Constraint solving is decidable, at least for some instances of X, but prohibitively expensive. Effective type inference for guarded algebraic data types is left as an issue for future research.