What is the reason that TypeScript cannot replace a method of the base class with a subtype?

Here's a straightforward example.

type Callback<T> = (sender: T) => void;

class Warehouse<T> {

    private callbacks: Callback<T>[];

    public constructor(callbacks: Callback<T>[]) {
        this.callbacks = callbacks;
    }

    // Tasks in the warehouse are executed.
    public update(sender: T): void {
        for (const callback of this.callbacks) {
            callback(sender);
        }
    }
}

class Item {
    public warehouse: Warehouse<Item>; 

    public constructor(...callback: Callback<Item>[]) {
        this.warehouse = new Warehouse(callback);
    }

    public process(): void {
        this.warehouse.update(this);
    }

    public checkStock(): void {}
}


class Product extends Item {
    public override warehouse: Warehouse<Product>;

    public constructor(...callback: Callback<Product>[]) {
        super(callback);
        this.warehouse = new Warehouse(callback);
    }

    public deliverOrder(): void {};
}

new Item((sender) => {
    sender.checkStock();
});

new Product((sender) => {
    sender.deliverOrder();
});

Link to Playground

I'm confused about the issue at hand here. Car is derived from Vehicle.

Is there something I'm overlooking, or is it a limitation with generic classes and TypeScript's ability to validate them accurately?

What might be an alternative solution where you pass the appropriate class to the callback and TypeScript interprets it correctly?

Answer №1

Parameter types of functions exhibit contravariant behavior (refer to Difference between Variance, Covariance, Contravariance, Bivariance and Invariance in TypeScript). This means that if T extends U, then

Callback<U> extends Callback<T>
rather than the other way around. Accordingly, a conceptual distinction arises where a Car is not inherently a Vehicle. For instance, while a Vehicle has a general-purpose Garage for all vehicles, a Car specifies a Garage tailored specifically for cars.

To achieve the desired functionality conceptually, it is advisable to employ the polymorphic this type. By leveraging this approach, Vehicle can be implicitly made generic via the use of generics. Consequently, attribute garage should be defined as type Garage<this>, allowing this to represent (a generic subtype of) Car within the scope of a Car. The implementation embodies an implicit form of F-bounded genericity, synonymous with

class Vehicle<this extends Vehicle<this>> {}
.

Regrettably, directly employing the aforementioned technique in the constructor is currently unfeasible due to constraints within TypeScript. An ongoing feature request aimed at addressing this limitation is documented at microsoft/TypeScript#5863, though its formal inclusion remains pending.

...

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