当我们需要定义一些对应高阶类型进行相互类型转换的操作函数时,我们发现scala语言并不提供能定义这种函数的支持。举例来说:如果我们希望定义一个函数把对于任何T值的Option[T]转换成List[T]的话,我们可能这样定义:
def toList[T](opt: Option[T]): List[T] = opt.toList
//> toList: [T](opt: Option[T])List[T]
val hOptFun = toList _ //> hOptFun : Option[Nothing] => List[Nothing] = <function1>
hOptFun(None) //> res0: List[Nothing] = List()
//hOptFun(Some(10)) //type mismatch; found : Int(10) required: Nothing
//hOptFun(Some("hi")) //type mismatch; found : String("hi") required: Nothing
/** A universally quantified function, usually written as `F ~> G`,
* for symmetry with `A => B`.
*
* Can be used to encode first-class functor transformations in the
* same way functions encode first-class concrete value morphisms;
* for example, `sequence` from [[scalaz.Traverse]] and `cosequence`
* from [[scalaz.Distributive]] give rise to `([a]T[A[a]]) ~>
* ([a]A[T[a]])`, for varying `A` and `T` constraints.
*/
trait NaturalTransformation[-F[_], +G[_]] {
self =>
def apply[A](fa: F[A]): G[A]
...
val optionToListTrans = new (Option ~> List) {
def apply[T](opt: Option[T]): List[T] = opt.toList
} //> optionToListTrans : scalaz.~>[Option,List] = Exercises.naturaltransform$$an
//| onfun$main$1$$anon$1@2d554825
optionToListTrans(None) //> res1: List[Nothing] = List()
optionToListTrans(Some("hi")) //> res2: List[String] = List(hi)
optionToListTrans.apply(3.some) //> res3: List[Int] = List(3)