Objecty

In Java, every object has 3 functions:

  • toString
  • equals
  • hashCode

However, some types do not need these functions (e.g. singletons, lambda functions, etc.). Furthermore, equals should only work between objects of the same type (i.e. 4 == "4" shouldn't compile).

In PureScript, we can only determine whether a value of type A is equal to another value of type A if it has an Eq instance. Similarly, values of a given type can only be "ordered" if the type has an instance of the Ord type class.

Whether a type implements a type class or not restricts or increases what one can do with it.

Show, Eq, Ord, Bounded

Since the documentation for these type classes are clear, we will redirect you to them instead of repeating them here:

  • Show converts a value into a String. Unfortunately, people out of convenience use it for multiple purposes. See hdgarrood's Down With Show 3-part series as to why he thinks we should replace Show with something that better suits the purposes for which it is normally used.
  • Eq determines whether two values of the same type are equal. In this way, it avoids the problem that Java has above.
  • Ordering is a data type for specifying whether something is less than (LT), equal to (EQ), or greater than (GT) something else. Ord takes two values of type, a, and returns an Ordering. Ord uses total ordering. There are a different kinds of ordering that require a different number and type of laws:
    • Preorder: reflexive and transitive laws
    • Parital order: reflexive, transitive, and antisymmetric
    • Total order: reflexive, transitive, antisymmetric, and total (e.g. it can order every value of a given type)
  • Bounded just adds an upper and lower bound to Ord.

Useful Derived Functions

Most of these come from Ord:

  • min/max - self-explanatory
  • clamp - clamp lowerBound upperBound value
  • between - between lowerBound upperBound value