diff --git a/docs/property-writeonly.md b/docs/property-writeonly.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1a49c26 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/property-writeonly.md @@ -0,0 +1,179 @@ +# Write-only properties + +## Summary + +Allow properties of classes and tables to be inferred as write-only. + +## Motivation + +This RFC is a follow-on to supporting read-only properties. + +Read-only properties have many obvious use-cases, but write-only properties +are more technical. + +The reason for wanting write-only properties is that it means +that we can infer a most specific type for functions, which we can't do if +we only have read-write and read-only properties. + +For example, consider the function +```lua + function f(t) t.p = Dog.new() end +``` + +The obvious type for this is +```lua + f : ({ p: Dog }) -> () +``` + +but this is not the most specific type, since read-write properties +are invariant, We could have inferred `f : ({ p: Animal }) -> ()`. +These types are incomparable (neither is a subtype of the other) +and there are uses of `f` that fail to typecheck depending which one choose. + +If `f : ({ p: Dog }) -> ()` then +```lua + local x : { p : Animal } = { p = Cat.new() } + f(x) -- Fails to typecheck +``` + +If `f : ({ p: Animal }) -> ()` then +```lua + local x : { p : Dog } = { p = Dog.new() } + f(x) -- Fails to typecheck +``` + +The reason for these failures is that neither of these is the most +specific type. It is one which includes that `t.p` is written to, and +not read from. +```lua + f : ({ set p: Dog }) -> () +``` + +This allows both example uses of `f` to typecheck. To see that it is more specific than `({ p: Animal }) -> ()`: + +* `Dog` is a subtype of `Animal` +* so (since write-only properties are contravariant) `{ set p: Dog }` is a supertype of `{ set p: Animal }` +* and (since read-write properties are a subtype of write-only properties) `{ set p: Animal }` is a supertype of `{ p: Animal }` +* so (by transitivity) `{ set p: Dog }` is a supertype of `{ set p: Animal }` is a supertype of `{ p: Animal }` +* so (since function arguments are contravariant `({ set p: Dog }) -> ()` is a subtype of `({ p: Animal }) -> ()` + +and similarly `({ set p: Dog }) -> ()` is a subtype of `({ p: Dog }) -> ()`. + +Local type inference depends on the existence of most specific (and most general) types, +so if we want to use it "off the shelf" we will need write-only properties. + +There are also some security reasons why properties should be +write-only. If `t` is a shared table, and any security domain can +write to `t.p`, then it may be possible to use this as a back-channel +if `t.p` is readable. If there is a dynamic check that a property is +write-only then we may wish to present a script analysis error if a +user tries reading it. + +## Design + +### Properties + +Add a modifier to table properties indicating that they are write-only. + +This proposal is not about syntax, but it will be useful for examples to have some. Write: + +* `set p: T` for a write-only property of type `T`. + +For example: +```lua +function f(t) + t.p = 1 + t.q +end +``` +has inferred type: +``` +f: (t: { set p: number, get q: number }) -> () +``` +indicating that `p` is used write-only but `q` is used read-only. + +### Adding read-only and write-only properties + +There are various points where type inference adds properties to types, we now have to consider how to treat each of these. + +When reading a property from a free table, we should add a read-only +property if there is no such property already. If there is already a +write-only property, we should make it read-write. + +When writing a property to a free table, we should add a write-only +property if there is no such property already. If there is already a +read-only property, we should make it read-write. + +When writing a property to an unsealed table, we should add a read-write +property if there is no such property already. + +When declaring a method in a table or class, we should add a read-only property for the method. + +### Subtyping + +Write-only properties are contravariant: + +* If `T` is a subtype of `U` then `{ set p: U }` is a subtype of `{ set p: T }`. + +Read-write properties are a subtype of write-only properties: + +* If `T` is a subtype of `U` then `{ p: U }` is a subtype of `{ set p: T }`. + +### Indexers + +Indexers can be marked write-only just like properties. In +particular, this means there are write-only arrays `{set T}`, that are +contravariant. These are sometimes useful, for example: + +```lua +function move(src, tgt) + for i,v in ipairs(src) do + tgt[i] = src[i] + src[i] = nil + end +end +``` + +we can give this function the type +``` + move: ({a},{set a}) -> () +``` + +and since write-only arrays are contravariant, we can call this with differently-typed +arrays: +```lua + local dogs : {Dog} = {fido,rover} + local animals : {Animal} = {tweety,sylvester} + move (dogs,animals) +``` + +This program does not type-check with read-write arrays. + +### Classes + +Classes can also have write-only properties and indexers. + +Some Roblox APIs which manipulate callbacks are write-only for security reasons. + +### Separate read and write types + +Once we have read-only properties and write-only properties, type intersection +gives read-write properties with different types. + +```lua + { get p: T } & { set p : U } +``` + +If we infer such types, we may wish to present them differently, for +example TypeScript allows both a getter and a setter. + +## Drawbacks + +This is adding to the complexity budget for users, who will be faced +with inferred set modifiers on many properties. There is a trade-off +here about how to spend the user's complexity budget: on understanding +inferred types with write-only properties, or debugging false positive +type errors caused by variance issues). + +## Alternatives + +Just stick with read-only and read-write accesses.