7.19. Bang patterns
Prev | Chapter 7. GHC Language Features | Next

## 7.19. Bang patterns

GHC supports an extension of pattern matching called bang patterns, written `!`pat``. Bang patterns are under consideration for Haskell Prime. The Haskell prime feature description contains more discussion and examples than the material below.

The key change is the addition of a new rule to the semantics of pattern matching in the Haskell 98 report. Add new bullet 10, saying: Matching the pattern `!``pat` against a value `v` behaves as follows:

- if `v` is bottom, the match diverges

- otherwise, `pat` is matched against `v`

Bang patterns are enabled by the flag `-XBangPatterns`.

### 7.19.1. Informal description of bang patterns

The main idea is to add a single new production to the syntax of patterns:

      pat ::= !pat

Matching an expression `e` against a pattern `!p` is done by first evaluating `e` (to WHNF) and then matching the result against `p`. Example:

    f1 !x = True

This definition makes `f1` is strict in `x`, whereas without the bang it would be lazy. Bang patterns can be nested of course:

    f2 (!x, y) = [x,y]

Here, `f2` is strict in `x` but not in `y`. A bang only really has an effect if it precedes a variable or wild-card pattern:

    f3 !(x,y) = [x,y]
    f4 (x,y)  = [x,y]

Here, `f3` and `f4` are identical; putting a bang before a pattern that forces evaluation anyway does nothing.

There is one (apparent) exception to this general rule that a bang only makes a difference when it precedes a variable or wild-card: a bang at the top level of a `let` or `where` binding makes the binding strict, regardless of the pattern. (We say "apparent" exception because the Right Way to think of it is that the bang at the top of a binding is not part of the pattern; rather it is part of the syntax of the binding, creating a "bang-pattern binding".) For example:

    let ![x,y] = e in b

is a bang-pattern binding. Operationally, it behaves just like a case expression:

    case e of [x,y] -> b

Like a case expression, a bang-pattern binding must be non-recursive, and is monomorphic. However, nested bangs in a pattern binding behave uniformly with all other forms of pattern matching. For example

    let (!x,[y]) = e in b

is equivalent to this:

    let { t = case e of (x,[y]) -> x `seq` (x,y)
          x = fst t
          y = snd t }
    in b

The binding is lazy, but when either `x` or `y` is evaluated by `b` the entire pattern is matched, including forcing the evaluation of `x`.

Bang patterns work in `case` expressions too, of course:

    g5 x = let y = f x in body
    g6 x = case f x of { y -> body }
    g7 x = case f x of { !y -> body }

The functions `g5` and `g6` mean exactly the same thing. But `g7` evaluates `(f x)`, binds `y` to the result, and then evaluates `body`.

### 7.19.2. Syntax and semantics

We add a single new production to the syntax of patterns:

      pat ::= !pat

There is one problem with syntactic ambiguity. Consider:

    f !x = 3

Is this a definition of the infix function "`(!)`", or of the "`f`" with a bang pattern? GHC resolves this ambiguity in favour of the latter. If you want to define `(!)` with bang-patterns enabled, you have to do so using prefix notation:

    (!) f x = 3

The semantics of Haskell pattern matching is described in Section 3.17.2 of the Haskell Report. To this description add one extra item 10, saying:

- Matching the pattern `!pat` against a value `v` behaves as follows:

  - if `v` is bottom, the match diverges

  - otherwise, `pat` is matched against `v`

Similarly, in Figure 4 of Section 3.17.3, add a new case (t):

    case v of { !pat -> e; _ -> e' }
       = v `seq` case v of { pat -> e; _ -> e' }

That leaves let expressions, whose translation is given in Section 3.12 of the Haskell Report. In the translation box, first apply the following transformation: for each pattern `pi` that is of form `!qi = ei`, transform it to `(xi,!qi) = ((),ei)`, and replace `e0` by `(xi `seq` e0)`. Then, when none of the left-hand-side patterns have a bang at the top, apply the rules in the existing box.

The effect of the let rule is to force complete matching of the pattern `qi` before evaluation of the body is begun. The bang is retained in the translated form in case `qi` is a variable, thus:

      let !y = f x in b

The let-binding can be recursive. However, it is much more common for the let-binding to be non-recursive, in which case the following law holds: `(let !p = rhs in body)` is equivalent to `(case rhs of !p -> body)`

A pattern with a bang at the outermost level is not allowed at the top level of a module.

Prev | Up | Next
7.18. Arrow notation | Home | 7.20. Assertions