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go/types, types2: confusing error message for invalid instantiation of non-generic type #48827

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findleyr opened this issue Oct 6, 2021 · 4 comments
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go/types, types2: confusing error message for invalid instantiation of non-generic type #48827

findleyr opened this issue Oct 6, 2021 · 4 comments
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FrozenDueToAge NeedsFix The path to resolution is known, but the work has not been done. okay-after-beta1 Used by release team to mark a release-blocker issue as okay to resolve either before or after beta1 release-blocker
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Go1.18

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@findleyr
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findleyr commented Oct 6, 2021 •
edited

For the example in #48818, @ALTree pointed out that the 1.18 error message is inscrutable

package main

func main() {
	_ = &([10]bool[1]{})
}

$ gotip tool compile test.go
test.go:4:12: bool is not a generic type

I think we can and should improve the error message. An easy fix would be to pass context and position the error on the '['. For example:

test.go:4:16: invalid instantiation: bool is not a generic type

Is that sufficient?

CC @griesemer
@findleyr findleyr added this to the Go1.18 milestone Oct 6, 2021
@findleyr findleyr added the NeedsDecision Feedback is required from experts, contributors, and/or the community before a change can be made. label Oct 6, 2021
@ALTree
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ALTree commented Oct 6, 2021 •
edited

Silly program:

package main

func main() {
	_ = int[0]
}

The 1.17 compiler says:

./test.go:4:9: invalid operation: int[0] (type int does not support indexing)

which is a great error message; tip:

./test.go:4:6: int is not a generic type

Since [0] is clearly an "indexing what it shouldn't be indexed" mistake, and not a bad generic instantiation, I wonder if it is possible to change tip so that it prints the old error message when inside the [] is an integer and not a type. Does the compiler have enough info to discriminate between the two, at the point where it reports this error?

@griesemer
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The type-checker can definitively produce a better error message. I will take care of this.

@griesemer griesemer self-assigned this Oct 6, 2021
@griesemer griesemer added NeedsFix The path to resolution is known, but the work has not been done. and removed NeedsDecision Feedback is required from experts, contributors, and/or the community before a change can be made. labels Oct 6, 2021
@findleyr
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findleyr commented Oct 6, 2021

@griesemer I was thinking we could change the signature of Checker.genericType. Just saying "%s is not a generic type" is probably never sufficient.

@findleyr findleyr assigned findleyr and unassigned griesemer Oct 7, 2021
@griesemer griesemer added the okay-after-beta1 Used by release team to mark a release-blocker issue as okay to resolve either before or after beta1 label Oct 21, 2021
@gopherbot
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Change https://golang.org/cl/363994 mentions this issue: go/types: return an error message from Checker.genericType

@golang golang locked and limited conversation to collaborators Jun 23, 2023
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