What is the reason behind Typescript's inability to utilize a generic as a type guard?

Check out this example of Typescript code utilizing a generic to narrow down a second parameter's possible input value based on the first value:

type DataMap = {
  A: { a: string };
  B: { b: string };
};

type Type = keyof DataMap;

type Data<TType extends Type> = DataMap[TType];

interface ItemOptions<TType extends Type> {
  data: Data<TType>;
  type: TType;
}

function Item<TType extends Type>({ type, data }: ItemOptions<TType>) {
  if (type === "A") {
    // Typescript error: Property 'a' does not exist on type '{ a: string; } | { b: string; }'.
    return data.a;
  }
  if (type === "B") {
    // Typescript error: Property 'b' does not exist on type '{ a: string; } | { b: string; }'.
    return data.b;
  }
}

I'm puzzled as to why this code doesn't compile, considering that it correctly identifies valid parameter values when calling the function:

// This works
Item({ type: "B", data: { b: "" } });

// These don't compile
Item({ type: "B", data: { a: "" } });
Item({ type: "A", data: { b: "" } });

What could be the reason for this issue, and what would be a reliable way to resolve it?

Answer №1

The main issue arises when the TType is set to "A"|"B". In this scenario, the type of data within ItemOptions becomes mixed (

Data<"A"|"B">
) instead of being separated as
Data<"A"> | Data<"B">
. Here is an illustration:

const a = {} as ItemOptions<"A"|"B">
if(a.type) {
  // Error in Typescript: Property 'a' does not exist on type 'Data<"A" | "B">'.
  a.data.a
}

To address this issue, a helper type is required:

type ItemOptionsArg<TType extends Type> = TType extends TType ? ItemOptions<TType> : never

Further explanation on TType extends TType can be found here: Why ts-toolbelt library uses the "O extends unknown" expression

The ItemOptionsArg type segregates the ItemOptions into a union object. For example:

ItemOptionsArg<"A"|"B">
transforms into
ItemOptions<"A"> | ItemOptions<"B">

Additionally, the function can be refactored as follows: (It is unclear why if does not work but switch does)

function Item<TType extends Type>({ type, data }: ItemOptionsArg<TType>) {
    switch (type) {
        case "A":
            return data.a
        case "B":
            return data.b
    }
}

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