add_numeral_form

Parse.add_numeral_form : (char * string option) -> unit

Adds support for numerals of differing types to the parser/pretty-printer.

This function allows the user to extend HOL’s parser and pretty-printer so that they recognise and print numerals. A numeral in this context is a string of digits. Each such string corresponds to a natural number (i.e., the HOL type num) but add_numeral_form allows for numerals to stand for values in other types as well.

A call to add_numeral_form(c,s) augments the global term grammar in two ways. Firstly, in common with the function add_bare_numeral_form (q.v.), it allows the user to write a single letter suffix after a numeral (the argument c). The presence of this character specifies s as the “injection function” which is to be applied to the natural number denoted by the preceding digits.

Secondly, the constant denoted by the s argument is overloaded to be one of the possible resolutions of an internal, overloaded operator, which is invisibly wrapped around all numerals that appear without a character suffix. After applying add_numeral_form, the function denoted by the argument s is now a possible resolution of this overloading, so numerals can now be seen as members of the range of the type of s.

Finally, if s is not NONE, the constant denoted by s is overloaded to be one of the possible resolutions of the string &. This operator is thus the standard way of writing the injection function from :num into other numeric types.

The injection function specifed by argument s is either the constant with name s0, if s is of the form SOME s0, or the identity function if s is NONE. Using add_numeral_form with NONE for this parameter is done in the development of arithmeticTheory, and should not be done subsequently.

Failure

Fails if arithmeticTheory is not loaded, as this is where the basic constants implementing natural number numerals are defined. Also fails if there is no constant with the given name, or if it doesn’t have type :num -> 'a for some 'a. Fails if add_bare_numeral_form would also fail on this input.

Example

The natural numbers are given numeral forms as follows:

   val _ = add_numeral_form (#"n", NONE);

This is done in arithmeticTheory so that after it is loaded, one can write numerals and have them parse (and print) as natural numbers. However, later in the development, in integerTheory, numeral forms for integers are also introduced:

   val _ = add_numeral_form(#"i", SOME "int_of_num");

Here int_of_num is the name of the function which injects natural numbers into integers. After this call is made, numeral strings can be treated as integers or natural numbers, depending on the context.

   - load "integerTheory";
   > val it = () : unit
   - Term`3`;
   <<HOL message: more than one resolution of overloading was possible.>>
   > val it = `3` : term
   - type_of it;
   > val it = `:int` : hol_type

The parser has chosen to give the string “3” integer type (it will prefer the most recently specified possibility, in common with overloading in general). However, numerals can appear with natural number type in appropriate contexts:

   - Term`(SUC 3, 4 + ~x)`;
   > val it = `(SUC 3,4 + ~x)` : term
   - type_of it;
   > val it = `:num # int` : hol_type

Moreover, one can always use the character suffixes to absolutely specify the type of the numeral form:

   - Term`f 3 /\ p`;
   <<HOL message: more than one resolution of overloading was possible.>>
   > val it = `f 3 /\ p` : term

   - Term`f 3n /\ p`;
   > val it = `f 3 /\ p` : term

Comments

Overloading on too many numeral forms is a sure recipe for confusion.

See also

Parse.add_bare_numeral_form, Parse.overload_on, Parse.show_numeral_types