Is it feasible to restrict a generic type using typeguard?

I'm currently working on refining a generic function, where the autocomplete feature recognizes that it's encountering a typeguard, preventing it from revisiting the same code block. I suspect that the issue lies in not restricting the type to the Generic, but I'm not sure how to accomplish this. Is it even feasible? It seems like it should be possible, but I have doubts. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

// Setup
export type Feature<Geometry> = {
  type: 'Feature',
  geometry: Geometry
}

type Geometry = Point | Curve

interface Base {
  type: string
}

interface Point extends Base{
  type: 'Point'
}

interface Curve extends Base {
  type: 'Curve'
}

// Typeguard
function isGeometry<G extends Geometry, U extends G['type']>(geometry: G, disciminator: U): geometry is Extract<G, {type: U}>{
  return geometry.type === disciminator
}


function isFeature<G extends Geometry, U extends G['type']>(feature: Feature<G>, disciminator: U): feature is Feature<Extract<G, {type: U}>> {
  return feature.geometry.type === disciminator
}

function whatGeometry(feature: Feature<Point | Curve>) {
  if(isGeometry(feature.geometry, 'Curve')){
    return feature.geometry;
                   // ^?
  }
  if(isGeometry(feature.geometry, 'Point')){
    return feature.geometry;
                    // ^?
  } // Autocompletes, and knows that we can't have anything else for a geometry, 
  return;
}

function whatFeature(feature: Feature<Point | Curve>) {
    if(isFeature(feature, 'Curve')){
      return feature.geometry;
              // ^?
    }
    if(isFeature(feature, 'Point')) {
      return feature;
              // ^?
    } // Assumes we can have another Feature<Point> even though the upper typeguard should have caught it

    return;
}

Playground

Answer №1

One of the key challenges you are currently encountering involves user-defined type guard functions like isFeature. These functions primarily dictate what should occur when they return true, allowing for the narrowing of the argument's type to match the guarded type. When the return type of a function is designated as arg is Type, it signifies that if the result is true, the argument 'arg' will be narrowed to something like typeof arg & Type or Extract<typeof arg, Type>, depending on the type of 'arg'. The behavior varies based on whether 'typeof arg' represents a union type, where an 'Extract'-like process unfolds, or another type, leading to more intersection-like behavior.

However, in cases where the function returns false, the compiler must autonomously determine its course of action. Currently, there are no specialized type guard functions offering distinct outcomes based on falsehood as proposed in microsoft/TypeScript#15048. In such circumstances, if 'arg' features a union type, the outcome resembles

Exclude<typeof arg, Type></code, effectively filtering 'arg'. On the other hand, non-union types result in straightforward retention of 'typeof arg'. With TypeScript lacking negated types like 'not Type', there exists no counterpart to <code>typeof arg & Type
for narrowing in false conditions.


This scenario directly correlates with the current behavior showcased by 'isFeature'. Given that the input type 'Feature<Point | Curve>' is not a union type, the compiler faces limitations in terms of altering the input type post-false evaluation.

If intending to refine the type during the negative branch, it may be beneficial to transform the input type into a union form, such as 'Feature<Point> | Feature<Curve>'. While this conversion poses additional complexity due to potential disruptions caused for your existing 'isFeature()' implementation, you could potentially restructure to accommodate union inputs through:

[insert refactored code snippet here]

Consequently, defining 'feature' as 'Feature<Point> | Feature<Curve>' enables the possibility of narrowing following a negative type guard outcome. Moreover, 'isFeature()' has been tailored to be generic concerning the 'type' T, facilitating acceptance of union inputs. Upon returning true, the compiler restricts the input solely to those union members matching geometry type 'U'; hence, a false case leads to narrowing the input to complementary members.

This configuration aligns with your anticipated behavior, allowing 'feature' to be refined to 'Feature<Point>' upon detecting 'isFeature(feature, 'Curve')' inaccurately.

Access the code on Playground

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