Merge pull request #5366 from biboudis/eta-expansion-spec

Update automatic eta-expansion spec

Author: Aggelos Biboudis

docs/docs/reference/changed/eta-expansion-spec.md

@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+---
+layout: doc-page
+title: "Automatic Eta Expansion - More Details"
+---
+
+### Motivation
+
+Scala maintains a convenient distinction between _methods_ and _functions_.
+Methods are part of the definition of a class that can be invoked in objects while functions are complete objects themselves, making them first-class entities. For example they can be assigned in variables.
+These two mechanisms are bridged in Scala by a mechanism called _eta-expansion_ in literature also called eta-abstraction).
+According to this, methods can be turned into functions.
+The intuition behind this, is that if we have a function `f(x)` and we need to pass it around
+we can either pass its name `f` or a function `x => f(x)` which expresses the idea that two functions
+are equivalent if and only if they give the same result for all arguments.
+
+Consequently, the essense of eta-expansion is captured in the following snippet.
+Imagine that the `val` is generated by the compiler, when the programmer writes ```f = m```.
+The right-hand side is not a function so the compiler performs _automatic eta-expansion_:
+
+```scala
+def m(x: Int, y: String) = ???
+val f = m // generates val f = (x: Int, y: String) => m(x, y)
+```
+
+In Scala, previously, a method reference `m` was converted to a function value
+only if the expected type was a function type. If that was not the
+case, one had to write `m _` to force the conversion.
+
+For methods with one or more parameters like in the example above, this restriction has now been
+dropped. The syntax `m _` is no longer needed and will be deprecated in the
+future.
+
+## Automatic eta-expansion and partial application
+In the following example `m` can be partially applied to the first two parameters.
+Assignining `m` to `f1` will automatically eta-expand.
+
+```scala
+def m(x: Boolean, y: String)(z: Int): List[Int]
+val f1 = m
+val f2 = m(true, "abc")
+```
+
+This creates two function values:
+
+```scala
+f1: (Boolean, String) => Int => List[Int]
+f2: Int => List[Int]
+```
+
+## Automatic eta-expansion and implicit parameter lists
+
+Methods with implicit parameter lists will always get applied to implicit arguments.
+
+```scala
+def foo(x: Int)(implicit p: Double): Float = ???
+implicit val bla: Double = 1.0
+
+val bar = foo // val bar: Int => Float = ...
+```
+
+## Automatic Eta-Expansion and implicit function types
+
+Methods with implicit parameter lists can be assigned to a value with an implicit function type
+only by using the expected type explicitly.
+
+```scala
+def foo(x: Int)(implicit p: Double): Float = ???
+val bar: implicit Double => Float = foo(3) // val bar: implicit Double => Float = ...
+```
+
+## Rules
+
+- If `m` has one or more parameters, we always eta-expand
+- If `m` is nullary (i.e. has type `()R`):
+    1. If the expected type is of the form `() => T`, we eta expand.
+    2. If m is defined by Java, or overrides a Java defined method, we insert `()`.
+    3. Otherwise we issue an error of the form:
+Unapplied nullary methods are only converted to functions when a function type is expected.
+You need to either apply the method to `()`, or convert it to a function with `() => m()`.
+
+The syntax `m _` is deprecated.
+
+### Reference
+
+For more info, see [PR #2701](https://github.com/lampepfl/dotty/pull/2701).
+

docs/docs/reference/changed/eta-expansion.md

@@ -3,42 +3,40 @@ layout: doc-page
 title: "Automatic Eta Expansion"
 ---
 
-Previously, a method reference `m` was converted to a function value
-only if the expected type was a function type. If that was not the
-case, one had to write `m _` to force the conversion (which is called
-eta-expansion).
+The conversion of _methods_ into _functions_ has been improved and happens automatically for methods with one or more parameters.
 
-For methods with one or more parameters, this restriction has now been
-dropped. Example:
-
-    def m(x: Boolean, y: String)(z: Int): List[Int]
-    val f1 = m
-    val f2 = m(true, "abc")
+```scala
+def m(x: Boolean, y: String)(z: Int): List[Int]
+val f1 = m
+val f2 = m(true, "abc")
+```
 
 This creates two function values:
+```scala
+f1: (Boolean, String) => Int => List[Int]
+f2: Int => List[Int]
+```
 
-    f1: (Boolean, String) => Int => List[Int]
-    f2: Int => List[Int]
+The syntax `m _` is no longer needed and will be deprecated in the future.
 
-The syntax `m _` is no longer needed and will be deprecated in the
-future.
+## Automatic eta-expansion and nullary methods
 
-Automatic eta expansion does not apply to "nullary" methods that take an empty parameter list. Given
+Automatic eta expansion does not apply to "nullary" methods that take an empty parameter list.
 
-    def next(): T
+```scala
+def next(): T
+```
 
-, a simple reference to `next` does not auto-convert to a
-function. One has to write explicitly `() => next()` to achieve that
-(it's better to write it this way rather than `next _` because the latter
-will be deprecated).
+Given a simple reference to `next` does not auto-convert to a function.
+One has to write explicitly `() => next()` to achieve that
+Once again since the `_` is going to be deprecated it's better to write it this way
+rather than `next _`.
 
 The reason for excluding nullary methods from automatic eta expansion
 is that Scala implicitly inserts the `()` argument, which would
 conflict with eta expansion. Automatic `()` insertion is
 [limited](../dropped/auto-apply.md) in Dotty, but the fundamental ambiguity
 remains.
 
-### Reference
-
-For more info, see [PR #2701](https://github.com/lampepfl/dotty/pull/2701).
+[More details](eta-expansion-spec.html)