a recipe for Value SEMANTICS (not value types!) @alexisgallagher

POP SURVEY!

Agenda • review it • a proposed definition of it • recipe for it

REVIEW IT

The Mutation Game • Victor the Valucist: • chooses a type Foo • defends value of variable v • Salazar the SideEffector: • defines attack statement, using variable s • defines pure audit function valueOf

The Mutation Game Players: Victor the Valucist vs Salazar the SideEffector. Arena: var v:Foo = Foo() // Valucist chooses Foo to var s = v // defend the variable v let v0 = valueOf(v) /* { SideEffector attacks v using only s } */ let v1 = valueOf(v) assert(v0 == v1) // v unchanged? Valucist wins!

No content

Valucist wins with Int var v:Int = 100 var s = v let v0 = valueOf(v) s = 200 // attempted attack! let v1 = valueOf(v) assert(v0 == v1) // but true, Valuecist wins!

No content

SideEffector wins with NSMutableString var v:NSMutableString = NSMutableString() var s = v let v0 = valueOf(v) s.append("Hello, world") // attempted attack! let v1 = valueOf(v) assert(v0 == v1) // false! SideEffector wins

No content

So what? Benefits of value types • prevent unintended mutation • makes reasoning easier and more local • makes functions great again • helps with thread safety

Many great talks on value types ! Building Better Apps with Value Types, Gregor & Dudney, wwdc2015/s414; ! Making Friends with Value Types, Matuschak (2015), Realm; ! Protocol-Oriented Programming, Abrahams, wwdc2015/s408; ! What’s New in Foundation for Swift, Parker & LeHew, wwdc2016/s207; ! Value of Values. Rich Hickey (2012), InfoQ; ! Structs or Class. Crawford (2016); ! When to Use Swift Structs and Classes. Ash (2015). Value Semantics and Concepts-based Polymorphism Sean Parent (2012), BoostCon.

structs vs classes?

Does SideEffector win with classes? • No. Consider immutable classes. var v:UIImage = UIImage(named:"smile.jpg") var s = v let v0 = valueOf(v) // Hammer on s all you please. It's useless! let v1 = valueOf(v) assert(v0 == v1)

No content

Does Valucist win with structs? • No. Consider structs containing classes: var v:Array = [NSMutableString()] var s = v let v0 = valueOf(v) s[0].append("Hello, world") let v1 = valueOf(v) assert(v0 == v1) // false, SideEffector wins

No content

No content

No content

No content

Q: So which types win the mutation game?

Q: So which types win the mutation game? A: Types with value semantics

DEFINE IT

DEFINE IT beyond saying "like a value type" except ...

The Mutation Game is the defining test of value semantics A type Foo has value semantics if the Valucist always wins: var v:Foo = Foo() // Valucist chooses Foo to defend v var s = v let v0 = valueOf(v) /* { SideEffector attacks v using only s } */ let v1 = valueOf(v) assert(v0 == v1) // v unchanged? Valucist wins!

conceptual definition of value semantics Value semantics is a guarantee of the independence of values of variables. A type has value semantics if the only way to modify a variable's value is through the variable itself. (where a variable's value is just the value of its instance, and an instance's value is defined as if by Equatable.)

Adapts hints of Apple's definition ...

... to emphasize effects and use

value semantics is INTERFACE value type is IMPLEMENTATION

value semantics lets you dream in values

No content

No content

No content

No content

Consequence 1: Immutable Reference Types have Value Semantics !

Consequence 2: Types have Value Semantics relative to an access level

No content

RECIPE FOR value semantic types

Recipe for Value Semantic Types • primitive value type → sit tight They provide value semantics by default. • reference type → make it immutable Use let-constant stored properties of value semantic types. • composite value type → make a choice • either, use stored properties all of value semantic types • or, handle the tricky copy-on-write case

Recipe for Value Semantic Types The tricky copy-on-write case 1. Pick the value semantic access level for the type's users 2. Restrict any mutable reference-type properties to a lower acces level 3. Define accessible setters and mutating functions to copy the mutable instance instead of mutating a shared instance 4. Verify it passes the Mutation Game Test.

No content

SURVEY ANSWERS

One consistent survey response: 1. Are structs value types? Yes, definitionally, since they use assign-by-(shallow)-copy. 2. Do structs have value semantics? No. But yes when designed to pass the mutation game test. 3. Are classes value types? No, by definition, as they use assign-by-reference. 4. Do class have value semantics? No. But yes when immutable.

Key points (my take?) on value semantics • definable as: only a variable can affect its own value • testable by: the Mutation Game • can be built by recipe, from value or reference types • defined relative to access level • is about interface

Acknowledgements Thanks for informal discussion and manuscript criticisms: • Chris Belanger, Russ Bishop, Alan Cannistraro, Chris Eidhof, Benjamin Encz, Tyler Fox, Steven Van Impe, Andy Matuschak, Jordan Rose All errors are where I did not listen.

a recipe for Value SEMANTICS (not value types!) @alexisgallagher