DaAnalyst

DaAnalyst

The following is a snippet depicting my use case:

defmodule Abstract do
  @callback foo() :: binary()

  defmacro __using__( _) do
    quote do
      @behavior Abstract
 
      @impl true
      def foo() do
        raise RuntimeError, "shouldn't have been invoked!"
      end

      defoverridable Abstract
    end
  end
end

defmodule SpecificA do
  use Abstract
end

defmodule SpecificB do
  use Abstract

  @impl true
  def foo() do
    "foo"
  end
end

The problem is dialyzer keeps on showing this warning that foo/0 default implementation in SpecificA “has no local return”. Even if I change the callback return value to binary() | no_return(), it still gives the same warning.

Any ideas on how to circumvent the dialyzer warning without providing a dummy implementation of the foo/0 in SpecificA?

Thanks

Showing Posts 6 to 1

snofang

snofang

Applying the trick mentioned by @al2o3cr,

Dialyzer does not complain anymore:

  defmodule Abstract do
    @callback foo() :: {:ok, binary()} | {:error, binary()}

    defmacro __using__(_) do
      quote do
        @behaviour Abstract

        @impl true
        def foo() do
          case :erlang.phash2(1, 1) do
            0 ->
              {:ok, "Evrything is good:~"}

            1 ->
              {:error, "This is not possible to execute"}
          end
        end

        def bar() do
          case foo() do
            {:ok, message} -> IO.puts(message)
            {:error, message} -> IO.puts(message)
          end
        end

        defoverridable foo: 0
      end
    end
  end

  defmodule SpecificA do
    use Abstract
  end

Thank you

snofang

snofang

What if the foo function has a more serious default implementation? Such as those that exist in ‘GenServer’ for default callbacks implementations(e.g. handle-*)

If the original @DaAnalyst’s question’s code modified as such:

defmodule Abstract do
  @callback foo() :: {:ok, binary()} | {:error, binary()}
  # EDIT: Even by marking it as optional, Dialyzer complains
  @optional_callbacks foo: 0

  defmacro __using__(_) do
    quote do
      @behaviour Abstract

      @impl true
      def foo() do
        {:ok, "Evrything is good:~"}
      end

      def bar() do
        case foo() do
          {:ok, message} -> IO.puts(message)
          {:error, message} -> IO.puts(message)
        end
      end

      defoverridable foo: 0
    end
  end
end

defmodule SpecificA do
  use Abstract
end

Dialyzer complains:

ElixirLS Dialyzer: The pattern 
          {'error', _@2} can never match the type 
          {'ok', <<_:152>>}

How to say/trick Dialyzer to not complain?

rvirding

rvirding

Creator of Erlang

The basic reason is that raise generates an error so the function foo never returns. Dialyzer recognises this.

DaAnalyst

DaAnalyst OP

@optional_callbacks it is.

Thanks!

josevalim

josevalim

Creator of Elixir

In your case, it is better to not provide a default implantation and either let the compile warn or mark the callback as optional. :slight_smile:

al2o3cr

al2o3cr

I believe this specific situation is the same as what motivates this code in GenServer:

https://github.com/elixir-lang/elixir/blob/d33e934021cefda220da4b1720e59e996a03aa52/lib/elixir/lib/gen_server.ex#L799-L802

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