/*! @file Forward declares `boost::hana::Monad`. @copyright Louis Dionne 2013-2016 Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying file LICENSE.md or copy at http://boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt) */ #ifndef BOOST_HANA_FWD_CONCEPT_MONAD_HPP #define BOOST_HANA_FWD_CONCEPT_MONAD_HPP #include BOOST_HANA_NAMESPACE_BEGIN //! @ingroup group-concepts //! @defgroup group-Monad Monad //! The `Monad` concept represents `Applicative`s with the ability to //! flatten nested levels of structure. //! //! Historically, Monads are a construction coming from category theory, //! an abstract branch of mathematics. The functional programming //! community eventually discovered how Monads could be used to //! formalize several useful things like side effects, which led //! to the wide adoption of Monads in that community. However, even //! in a multi-paradigm language like C++, there are several constructs //! which turn out to be Monads, like `std::optional`, `std::vector` and //! others. //! //! Everybody tries to introduce `Monad`s with a different analogy, and //! most people fail. This is called the [Monad tutorial fallacy][1]. We //! will try to avoid this trap by not presenting a specific intuition, //! and we will instead present what monads are mathematically. //! For specific intuitions, we will let readers who are new to this //! concept read one of the many excellent tutorials available online. //! Understanding Monads might take time at first, but once you get it, //! a lot of patterns will become obvious Monads; this enlightening will //! be your reward for the hard work. //! //! There are different ways of defining a Monad; Haskell uses a function //! called `bind` (`>>=`) and another one called `return` (it has nothing //! to do with C++'s `return` statement). They then introduce relationships //! that must be satisfied for a type to be a Monad with those functions. //! Mathematicians sometimes use a function called `join` and another one //! called `unit`, or they also sometimes use other category theoretic //! constructions like functor adjunctions and the Kleisli category. //! //! This library uses a composite approach. First, we use the `flatten` //! function (equivalent to `join`) along with the `lift` function from //! `Applicative` (equivalent to `unit`) to introduce the notion of //! monadic function composition. We then write the properties that must //! be satisfied by a Monad using this monadic composition operator, //! because we feel it shows the link between Monads and Monoids more //! clearly than other approaches. //! //! Roughly speaking, we will say that a `Monad` is an `Applicative` which //! also defines a way to compose functions returning a monadic result, //! as opposed to only being able to compose functions returning a normal //! result. We will then ask for this composition to be associative and to //! have a neutral element, just like normal function composition. For //! usual composition, the neutral element is the identity function `id`. //! For monadic composition, the neutral element is the `lift` function //! defined by `Applicative`. This construction is made clearer in the //! laws below. //! //! @note //! Monads are known to be a big chunk to swallow. However, it is out of //! the scope of this documentation to provide a full-blown explanation //! of the concept. The [Typeclassopedia][2] is a nice Haskell-oriented //! resource where more information about Monads can be found. //! //! //! Minimal complete definitions //! ---------------------------- //! First, a `Monad` must be both a `Functor` and an `Applicative`. //! Also, an implementation of `flatten` or `chain` satisfying the //! laws below for monadic composition must be provided. //! //! @note //! The `ap` method for `Applicatives` may be derived from the minimal //! complete definition of `Monad` and `Functor`; see below for more //! information. //! //! //! Laws //! ---- //! To simplify writing the laws, we use the comparison between functions. //! For two functions `f` and `g`, we define //! @code //! f == g if and only if f(x) == g(x) for all x //! @endcode //! //! With the usual composition of functions, we are given two functions //! @f$ f : A \to B @f$ and @f$ g : B \to C @f$, and we must produce a //! new function @f$ compose(g, f) : A \to C @f$. This composition of //! functions is associative, which means that //! @code //! compose(h, compose(g, f)) == compose(compose(h, g), f) //! @endcode //! //! Also, this composition has an identity element, which is the identity //! function. This simply means that //! @code //! compose(f, id) == compose(id, f) == f //! @endcode //! //! This is probably nothing new if you are reading the `Monad` laws. //! Now, we can observe that the above is equivalent to saying that //! functions with the composition operator form a `Monoid`, where the //! neutral element is the identity function. //! //! Given an `Applicative` `F`, what if we wanted to compose two functions //! @f$ f : A \to F(B) @f$ and @f$ g : B \to F(C) @f$? When the //! `Applicative` `F` is also a `Monad`, such functions taking normal //! values but returning monadic values are called _monadic functions_. //! To compose them, we obviously can't use normal function composition, //! since the domains and codomains of `f` and `g` do not match properly. //! Instead, we'll need a new operator -- let's call it `monadic_compose`: //! @f[ //! \mathtt{monadic\_compose} : //! (B \to F(C)) \times (A \to F(B)) \to (A \to F(C)) //! @f] //! //! How could we go about implementing this function? Well, since we know //! `F` is an `Applicative`, the only functions we have are `transform` //! (from `Functor`), and `lift` and `ap` (from `Applicative`). Hence, //! the only thing we can do at this point while respecting the signatures //! of `f` and `g` is to set (for `x` of type `A`) //! @code //! monadic_compose(g, f)(x) = transform(f(x), g) //! @endcode //! //! Indeed, `f(x)` is of type `F(B)`, so we can map `g` (which takes `B`'s) //! on it. Doing so will leave us with a result of type `F(F(C))`, but what //! we wanted was a result of type `F(C)` to respect the signature of //! `monadic_compose`. If we had a joker of type @f$ F(F(C)) \to F(C) @f$, //! we could simply set //! @code //! monadic_compose(g, f)(x) = joker(transform(f(x), g)) //! @endcode //! //! and we would be happy. It turns out that `flatten` is precisely this //! joker. Now, we'll want our joker to satisfy some properties to make //! sure this composition is associative, just like our normal composition //! was. These properties are slightly cumbersome to specify, so we won't //! do it here. Also, we'll need some kind of neutral element for the //! composition. This neutral element can't be the usual identity function, //! because it does not have the right type: our neutral element needs to //! be a function of type @f$ X \to F(X) @f$ but the identity function has //! type @f$ X \to X @f$. It is now the right time to observe that `lift` //! from `Applicative` has exactly the right signature, and so we'll take //! this for our neutral element. //! //! We are now ready to formulate the `Monad` laws using this composition //! operator. For a `Monad` `M` and functions @f$ f : A \to M(B) @f$, //! @f$ g : B \to M(C) @f$ and @f$ h : C \to M(D) @f$, the following //! must be satisfied: //! @code //! // associativity //! monadic_compose(h, monadic_compose(g, f)) == monadic_compose(monadic_compose(h, g), f) //! //! // right identity //! monadic_compose(f, lift) == f //! //! // left identity //! monadic_compose(lift, f) == f //! @endcode //! //! which is to say that `M` along with monadic composition is a Monoid //! where the neutral element is `lift`. //! //! //! Refined concepts //! ---------------- //! 1. `Functor` //! 2. `Applicative` (free implementation of `ap`)\n //! When the minimal complete definition for `Monad` and `Functor` are //! both satisfied, it is possible to implement `ap` by setting //! @code //! ap(fs, xs) = chain(fs, [](auto f) { //! return transform(xs, f); //! }) //! @endcode //! //! //! Concrete models //! --------------- //! `hana::lazy`, `hana::optional`, `hana::tuple` //! //! //! [1]: https://byorgey.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/abstraction-intuition-and-the-monad-tutorial-fallacy/ //! [2]: https://wiki.haskell.org/Typeclassopedia#Monad template struct Monad; BOOST_HANA_NAMESPACE_END #endif // !BOOST_HANA_FWD_CONCEPT_MONAD_HPP