Converting an array of arguments into tuples within the range of <T extends Tuple> is denoted by [T, (...args: NonNullArray<T>) => any], where each tuple represents the argument of a

Let's start with a simple function that takes a tuple as its first argument and a function whose arguments are elements of the tuple that are not null as its second argument:

let first: number | null | undefined;
let last: number | null | undefined;
let before: Date | null | undefined;
let after: Date | null | undefined;

function iff<T extends any[]>(...arr: [T, (...args: NonNullableArray<T>) => any]): void {}

iff([first, last], (first, last) => null); // (first, last) is (number, number)

Now, let's try to extend this functionality to accept an array of arguments where each argument matches the signature of the previous function (ignoring non-nullable part for now).

function multipleIfs<
  A extends any[] & {
    [k in ArrayKeys<A>]: [A[k][0], (args: A[k][0]) => any];
  }
>(arg: A): void {}

multipleIfs([
  [[first, last], ([first, last]) => null], // (first, last) is (any, any)
  [[after, before], ([after, before]) => null], // (after, before) is (any, any)
]);
// More function calls...

The implementation has its limitations and doesn't always work perfectly. I couldn't find a better method programmatically, but I did come up with another approach for smaller arrays:

type IffArgs<T extends Tuple> = [T, (...args: NonNullableArray<T>) => any];
function multipleIfs3<
  T0 extends Tuple,
  T1 extends Tuple,
  T2 extends Tuple,
  T3 extends Tuple,
  T4 extends Tuple,
  T5 extends Tuple,
  T6 extends Tuple,
  T7 extends Tuple,
  T8 extends Tuple,
  T9 extends Tuple
>(
  ...arr: [
    IffArgs<T0>,
    IffArgs<T1>?,
    IffArgs<T2>?,
    IffArgs<T3>?,
    IffArgs<T4>?,
    IffArgs<T5>?,
    IffArgs<T6>?,
    IffArgs<T7>?,
    IffArgs<T8>?,
    IffArgs<T9>?,
    never?
  ]
): void {}
// Example call for multipleIfs3 function.

If you have any ideas on how to improve this code, feel free to share!

Answer №1

Presently, TypeScript faces a constraint.

The inference mechanism of TypeScript functions effectively across various real-world scenarios, yet it is not flawless. One notable limitation is its inability to consistently infer generic type arguments and parameter types for context-sensitive functions (i.e., those with unannotated parameters such as x => x + 1 in contrast to (x: number) => x + 1). Inferences take place within a finite number of "passes", and at times, some types remain undetermined due to exhaustion of these passes.

There have been advancements, like TS4.7's enhanced support for such inference in objects and methods, but shortcomings still exist. Without the presence of a comprehensive unification algorithm as deliberated in microsoft/TypeScript#30134, instances where the compiler struggles to infer types will persist.

Your multipleIfs function with ten generic type parameters (T0, T1, ⋯, T9) functions because the compiler can individually infer each type argument and then derive each callback parameter from it. However, if an attempt is made to switch to a single type parameter that acts as a mapped tuple of type parameters (like type T = [T0, T1, ⋯, T9]), contextual inference falls short despite correctly inferring the type argument:

const result = multipleIfs([
  [[first, last], (first, last) => null],
  //               ~~~~~  ~~~~ implicit any ☹
  [[after, before], (after, before) => null]
  //                 ~~~~~  ~~~~~~ implicit any ☹
]);
/* const result: OutputType<[
     [number | null | undefined, number | null | undefined], 
     [Date | null | undefined, Date | null | undefined]
]> */

This occurs because for this to succeed, the compiler would need to either infer T piece by piece or conduct numerous contextual typing passes after inferring

T</code, neither of which is currently supported.</p>
<hr />
<p>Possibly in the future, the inference algorithm might be refined to accommodate such scenarios. Until then, my recommendation is to adjust your approach to align with TypeScript's inference mechanism rather than against it. One strategy involves replacing your array with a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluent_interface" rel="nofollow noreferrer">fluent</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Builder_pattern" rel="nofollow noreferrer">builder</a>, allowing you to create something suitable for varying numbers of arguments wherein each method call provides a fresh opportunity for inference to function effectively.</p>
<p>For <code>multipleIfs
, a potential implementation could resemble:

interface MultipleIfs<T extends readonly (readonly any[])[]> {
  and<U extends readonly any[]>(
    args: readonly [...U],
    cb: (...args: NonNullableArray<U>) => unknown
  ): MultipleIfs<[...T, U]>;
  done(): OutputType<T>;
}

declare function multipleIfs<U extends readonly any[]>(
  args: readonly [...U],
  cb: (...args: NonNullableArray<U>) => unknown
): MultipleIfs<[U]>;

Here, a MultipleIfs<T> represents an object featuring an and() method that accepts another pair of args/cb and generates a MultipleIfs<[...T, U]>, where T mirrors the same tuple-of-tuples as earlier, and U denotes the new element appended at the end, along with a done() method returning the final output outcome.

Now, the inference process works seamlessly:

const result =
  multipleIfs([first, last], (first, last) => null) // okay
    .and([after, before], (after, before) => null) // okay
    .done();

// const result: OutputType<[
//   [number | null | undefined, number | null | undefined], 
//   [Date | null | undefined, Date | null | undefined]
// ]>

Appears promising!

Playground link to code

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