scala.PartialFunction

trait PartialFunction[-A, +B] extends (A)  B

A partial function of type PartialFunction[A, B] is a unary function where the domain does not necessarily include all values of type A . The function isDefinedAt allows to test dynamically if a value is in the domain of the function.

Even if isDefinedAt returns true for an a: A , calling apply(a) may still throw an exception, so the following code is legal:

val f: PartialFunction[Int, Any] = { case _ => 1/0 }

It is the responsibility of the caller to call isDefinedAt before calling apply , because if isDefinedAt is false, it is not guaranteed apply will throw an exception to indicate an error condition. If an exception is not thrown, evaluation may result in an arbitrary value.

The main distinction between PartialFunction and scala.Function1 is that the user of a PartialFunction may choose to do something different with input that is declared to be outside its domain. For example:

val sample = 1 to 10
val isEven: PartialFunction[Int, String] = {
  case x if x % 2 == 0 => x+" is even"
}

// the method collect can use isDefinedAt to select which members to collect
val evenNumbers = sample collect isEven

val isOdd: PartialFunction[Int, String] = {
  case x if x % 2 == 1 => x+" is odd"
}

// the method orElse allows chaining another partial function to handle
// input outside the declared domain
val numbers = sample map (isEven orElse isOdd)

Abstract Value Members From scala.Function1

abstract def apply(v1: A): B

Apply the body of this function to the argument.

  • returns
    • the result of function application.
  • Definition Classes
    • Function1

(defined at scala.Function1)

Concrete Value Members From scala.Function1

def compose[A](g: (A) ⇒ A): (A) ⇒ B

Composes two instances of Function1 in a new Function1, with this function applied last.

  • A
    • the type to which function g can be applied
  • g
    • a function A => T1
  • returns
    • a new function f such that f(x) == apply(g(x))
  • Definition Classes
    • Function1
  • Annotations
    • @ unspecialized ()

(defined at scala.Function1)

Abstract Value Members From scala.PartialFunction

abstract def isDefinedAt(x: A): Boolean

Checks if a value is contained in the function’s domain.

  • x
    • the value to test
  • returns
    • true , iff x is in the domain of this function, false otherwise.

(defined at scala.PartialFunction)

Concrete Value Members From scala.PartialFunction

def andThen[C](k: (B) ⇒ C): PartialFunction[A, C]

Composes this partial function with a transformation function that gets applied to results of this partial function.

  • C
    • the result type of the transformation function.
  • k
    • the transformation function
  • returns
    • a partial function with the same domain as this partial function, which maps arguments x to k(this(x)) .
  • Definition Classes
    • PartialFunction → Function1

(defined at scala.PartialFunction)

def applyOrElse[A1 <: A, B1 >: B](x: A1, default: (A1) ⇒ B1): B1

Applies this partial function to the given argument when it is contained in the function domain. Applies fallback function where this partial function is not defined.

Note that expression pf.applyOrElse(x, default) is equivalent to

if(pf isDefinedAt x) pf(x) else default(x)

except that applyOrElse method can be implemented more efficiently. For all partial function literals the compiler generates an applyOrElse implementation which avoids double evaluation of pattern matchers and guards. This makes applyOrElse the basis for the efficient implementation for many operations and scenarios, such as:

  • combining partial functions into orElse / andThen chains does not lead to excessive apply / isDefinedAt evaluation
  • lift and unlift do not evaluate source functions twice on each invocation
  • runWith allows efficient imperative-style combining of partial functions with conditionally applied actions

For non-literal partial function classes with nontrivial isDefinedAt method it is recommended to override applyOrElse with custom implementation that avoids double isDefinedAt evaluation. This may result in better performance and more predictable behavior w.r.t. side effects.

  • x
    • the function argument
  • default
    • the fallback function
  • returns
    • the result of this function or fallback function application.
  • Since
    • 2.10

(defined at scala.PartialFunction)

def lift: (A) ⇒ Option[B]

Turns this partial function into a plain function returning an Option result.

  • returns
    • a function that takes an argument x to Some(this(x)) if this is defined for x , and to None otherwise.
  • See also
    • Function.unlift

(defined at scala.PartialFunction)

def orElse[A1 <: A, B1 >: B](that: PartialFunction[A1, B1]): PartialFunction[A1, B1]

Composes this partial function with a fallback partial function which gets applied where this partial function is not defined.

  • A1
    • the argument type of the fallback function
  • B1
    • the result type of the fallback function
  • that
    • the fallback function
  • returns
    • a partial function which has as domain the union of the domains of this partial function and that . The resulting partial function takes x to this(x) where this is defined, and to that(x) where it is not.

(defined at scala.PartialFunction)

def runWith[U](action: (B) ⇒ U): (A) ⇒ Boolean

Composes this partial function with an action function which gets applied to results of this partial function. The action function is invoked only for its side effects; its result is ignored.

Note that expression pf.runWith(action)(x) is equivalent to

if(pf isDefinedAt x) { action(pf(x)); true } else false

except that runWith is implemented via applyOrElse and thus potentially more efficient. Using runWith avoids double evaluation of pattern matchers and guards for partial function literals.

  • action
    • the action function
  • returns
    • a function which maps arguments x to isDefinedAt(x) . The resulting function runs action(this(x)) where this is defined.
  • Since
    • 2.10
  • See also
    • applyOrElse . (defined at scala.PartialFunction)

Full Source:

/*                     __                                               *\
**     ________ ___   / /  ___     Scala API                            **
**    / __/ __// _ | / /  / _ |    (c) 2002-2013, LAMP/EPFL             **
**  __\ \/ /__/ __ |/ /__/ __ |    http://scala-lang.org/               **
** /____/\___/_/ |_/____/_/ | |                                         **
**                          |/                                          **
\*                                                                      */

package scala


/** A partial function of type `PartialFunction[A, B]` is a unary function
 *  where the domain does not necessarily include all values of type `A`.
 *  The function `isDefinedAt` allows to test dynamically if a value is in
 *  the domain of the function.
 *
 *  Even if `isDefinedAt` returns true for an `a: A`, calling `apply(a)` may
 *  still throw an exception, so the following code is legal:
 *
 *  {{{
 *  val f: PartialFunction[Int, Any] = { case _ => 1/0 }
 *  }}}
 *
 *  It is the responsibility of the caller to call `isDefinedAt` before
 *  calling `apply`, because if `isDefinedAt` is false, it is not guaranteed
 *  `apply` will throw an exception to indicate an error condition. If an
 *  exception is not thrown, evaluation may result in an arbitrary value.
 *
 *  The main distinction between `PartialFunction` and [[scala.Function1]] is
 *  that the user of a `PartialFunction` may choose to do something different
 *  with input that is declared to be outside its domain. For example:
 *
 *  {{{
 *  val sample = 1 to 10
 *  val isEven: PartialFunction[Int, String] = {
 *    case x if x % 2 == 0 => x+" is even"
 *  }
 *
 *  // the method collect can use isDefinedAt to select which members to collect
 *  val evenNumbers = sample collect isEven
 *
 *  val isOdd: PartialFunction[Int, String] = {
 *    case x if x % 2 == 1 => x+" is odd"
 *  }
 *
 *  // the method orElse allows chaining another partial function to handle
 *  // input outside the declared domain
 *  val numbers = sample map (isEven orElse isOdd)
 *  }}}
 *
 *
 *  @author  Martin Odersky, Pavel Pavlov, Adriaan Moors
 *  @version 1.0, 16/07/2003
 */
trait PartialFunction[-A, +B] extends (A => B) { self =>
  import PartialFunction._

  /** Checks if a value is contained in the function's domain.
   *
   *  @param  x   the value to test
   *  @return `'''true'''`, iff `x` is in the domain of this function, `'''false'''` otherwise.
   */
  def isDefinedAt(x: A): Boolean

  /** Composes this partial function with a fallback partial function which
   *  gets applied where this partial function is not defined.
   *
   *  @param   that    the fallback function
   *  @tparam  A1      the argument type of the fallback function
   *  @tparam  B1      the result type of the fallback function
   *  @return  a partial function which has as domain the union of the domains
   *           of this partial function and `that`. The resulting partial function
   *           takes `x` to `this(x)` where `this` is defined, and to `that(x)` where it is not.
   */
  def orElse[A1 <: A, B1 >: B](that: PartialFunction[A1, B1]): PartialFunction[A1, B1] =
    new OrElse[A1, B1] (this, that)
  //TODO: why not overload it with orElse(that: F1): F1?

  /**  Composes this partial function with a transformation function that
   *   gets applied to results of this partial function.
   *   @param  k  the transformation function
   *   @tparam C  the result type of the transformation function.
   *   @return a partial function with the same domain as this partial function, which maps
   *           arguments `x` to `k(this(x))`.
   */
  override def andThen[C](k: B => C): PartialFunction[A, C] =
    new AndThen[A, B, C] (this, k)

  /** Turns this partial function into a plain function returning an `Option` result.
   *  @see     Function.unlift
   *  @return  a function that takes an argument `x` to `Some(this(x))` if `this`
   *           is defined for `x`, and to `None` otherwise.
   */
  def lift: A => Option[B] = new Lifted(this)

  /** Applies this partial function to the given argument when it is contained in the function domain.
   *  Applies fallback function where this partial function is not defined.
   *
   *  Note that expression `pf.applyOrElse(x, default)` is equivalent to
   *  {{{ if(pf isDefinedAt x) pf(x) else default(x) }}}
   *  except that `applyOrElse` method can be implemented more efficiently.
   *  For all partial function literals the compiler generates an `applyOrElse` implementation which
   *  avoids double evaluation of pattern matchers and guards.
   *  This makes `applyOrElse` the basis for the efficient implementation for many operations and scenarios, such as:
   *
   *  - combining partial functions into `orElse`/`andThen` chains does not lead to
   *    excessive `apply`/`isDefinedAt` evaluation
   *  - `lift` and `unlift` do not evaluate source functions twice on each invocation
   *  - `runWith` allows efficient imperative-style combining of partial functions
   *    with conditionally applied actions
   *
   *  For non-literal partial function classes with nontrivial `isDefinedAt` method
   *  it is recommended to override `applyOrElse` with custom implementation that avoids
   *  double `isDefinedAt` evaluation. This may result in better performance
   *  and more predictable behavior w.r.t. side effects.
   *
   *  @param  x       the function argument
   *  @param default  the fallback function
   *  @return   the result of this function or fallback function application.
   *  @since   2.10
   */
  def applyOrElse[A1 <: A, B1 >: B](x: A1, default: A1 => B1): B1 =
    if (isDefinedAt(x)) apply(x) else default(x)

  /** Composes this partial function with an action function which
   *  gets applied to results of this partial function.
   *  The action function is invoked only for its side effects; its result is ignored.
   *
   *  Note that expression `pf.runWith(action)(x)` is equivalent to
   *  {{{ if(pf isDefinedAt x) { action(pf(x)); true } else false }}}
   *  except that `runWith` is implemented via `applyOrElse` and thus potentially more efficient.
   *  Using `runWith` avoids double evaluation of pattern matchers and guards for partial function literals.
   *  @see `applyOrElse`.
   *
   *  @param   action  the action function
   *  @return  a function which maps arguments `x` to `isDefinedAt(x)`. The resulting function
   *           runs `action(this(x))` where `this` is defined.
   *  @since   2.10
   */
  def runWith[U](action: B => U): A => Boolean = { x =>
    val z = applyOrElse(x, checkFallback[B])
    if (!fallbackOccurred(z)) { action(z); true } else false
  }
}

/** A few handy operations which leverage the extra bit of information
 *  available in partial functions.  Examples:
 *  {{{
 *  import PartialFunction._
 *
 *  def strangeConditional(other: Any): Boolean = cond(other) {
 *    case x: String if x == "abc" || x == "def"  => true
 *    case x: Int => true
 *  }
 *  def onlyInt(v: Any): Option[Int] = condOpt(v) { case x: Int => x }
 *  }}}
 *
 *  @author  Paul Phillips
 *  @since   2.8
 */
object PartialFunction {
  /** Composite function produced by `PartialFunction#orElse` method
   */
  private class OrElse[-A, +B] (f1: PartialFunction[A, B], f2: PartialFunction[A, B])
    extends scala.runtime.AbstractPartialFunction[A, B] with Serializable {
    def isDefinedAt(x: A) = f1.isDefinedAt(x) || f2.isDefinedAt(x)

    override def apply(x: A): B = f1.applyOrElse(x, f2)

    override def applyOrElse[A1 <: A, B1 >: B](x: A1, default: A1 => B1): B1 = {
      val z = f1.applyOrElse(x, checkFallback[B])
      if (!fallbackOccurred(z)) z else f2.applyOrElse(x, default)
    }

    override def orElse[A1 <: A, B1 >: B](that: PartialFunction[A1, B1]) =
      new OrElse[A1, B1] (f1, f2 orElse that)

    override def andThen[C](k: B => C) =
      new OrElse[A, C] (f1 andThen k, f2 andThen k)
  }

  /** Composite function produced by `PartialFunction#andThen` method
   */
  private class AndThen[-A, B, +C] (pf: PartialFunction[A, B], k: B => C) extends PartialFunction[A, C] with Serializable {
    def isDefinedAt(x: A) = pf.isDefinedAt(x)

    def apply(x: A): C = k(pf(x))

    override def applyOrElse[A1 <: A, C1 >: C](x: A1, default: A1 => C1): C1 = {
      val z = pf.applyOrElse(x, checkFallback[B])
      if (!fallbackOccurred(z)) k(z) else default(x)
    }
  }

  /** To implement patterns like {{{ if(pf isDefinedAt x) f1(pf(x)) else f2(x) }}} efficiently
   *  the following trick is used:
   *
   *  To avoid double evaluation of pattern matchers & guards `applyOrElse` method is used here
   *  instead of `isDefinedAt`/`apply` pair.
   *
   *  After call to `applyOrElse` we need both the function result it returned and
   *  the fact if the function's argument was contained in its domain. The only degree of freedom we have here
   *  to achieve this goal is tweaking with the continuation argument (`default`) of `applyOrElse` method.
   *  The obvious way is to throw an exception from `default` function and to catch it after
   *  calling `applyOrElse` but I consider this somewhat inefficient.
   *
   *  I know only one way how you can do this task efficiently: `default` function should return unique marker object
   *  which never may be returned by any other (regular/partial) function. This way after calling `applyOrElse` you need
   *  just one reference comparison to distinguish if `pf isDefined x` or not.
   *
   *  This correctly interacts with specialization as return type of `applyOrElse`
   *  (which is parameterized upper bound) can never be specialized.
   *
   *  Here `fallback_pf` is used as both unique marker object and special fallback function that returns it.
   */
  private[this] val fallback_pf: PartialFunction[Any, Any] = { case _ => fallback_pf }
  private def checkFallback[B] = fallback_pf.asInstanceOf[PartialFunction[Any, B]]
  private def fallbackOccurred[B](x: B) = (fallback_pf eq x.asInstanceOf[AnyRef])

  private class Lifted[-A, +B] (val pf: PartialFunction[A, B])
      extends scala.runtime.AbstractFunction1[A, Option[B]] with Serializable {

    def apply(x: A): Option[B] = {
      val z = pf.applyOrElse(x, checkFallback[B])
      if (!fallbackOccurred(z)) Some(z) else None
    }
  }

  private class Unlifted[A, B] (f: A => Option[B]) extends scala.runtime.AbstractPartialFunction[A, B] with Serializable {
    def isDefinedAt(x: A): Boolean = f(x).isDefined

    override def applyOrElse[A1 <: A, B1 >: B](x: A1, default: A1 => B1): B1 = {
      val z = f(x)
      if (!z.isEmpty) z.get else default(x)
    }

    override def lift = f
  }

  private[scala] def unlifted[A, B](f: A => Option[B]): PartialFunction[A, B] = f match {
    case lf: Lifted[A, B] => lf.pf
    case ff => new Unlifted(ff)
  }

  /** Converts ordinary function to partial one
   *  @since   2.10
   */
  def apply[A, B](f: A => B): PartialFunction[A, B] = { case x => f(x) }

  private[this] val constFalse: Any => Boolean = { _ => false}

  private[this] val empty_pf: PartialFunction[Any, Nothing] = new PartialFunction[Any, Nothing] with Serializable {
    def isDefinedAt(x: Any) = false
    def apply(x: Any) = throw new MatchError(x)
    override def orElse[A1, B1](that: PartialFunction[A1, B1]) = that
    override def andThen[C](k: Nothing => C) = this
    override val lift = (x: Any) => None
    override def runWith[U](action: Nothing => U) = constFalse
  }

  /** The partial function with empty domain.
   *  Any attempt to invoke empty partial function leads to throwing [[scala.MatchError]] exception.
   *  @since   2.10
   */
  def empty[A, B] : PartialFunction[A, B] = empty_pf

  /** Creates a Boolean test based on a value and a partial function.
   *  It behaves like a 'match' statement with an implied 'case _ => false'
   *  following the supplied cases.
   *
   *  @param  x   the value to test
   *  @param  pf  the partial function
   *  @return true, iff `x` is in the domain of `pf` and `pf(x) == true`.
   */
  def cond[T](x: T)(pf: PartialFunction[T, Boolean]): Boolean = pf.applyOrElse(x, constFalse)

  /** Transforms a PartialFunction[T, U] `pf` into Function1[T, Option[U]] `f`
   *  whose result is `Some(x)` if the argument is in `pf`'s domain and `None`
   *  otherwise, and applies it to the value `x`.  In effect, it is a
   *  `'''match'''` statement which wraps all case results in `Some(_)` and
   *  adds `'''case''' _ => None` to the end.
   *
   *  @param  x     the value to test
   *  @param  pf    the PartialFunction[T, U]
   *  @return `Some(pf(x))` if `pf isDefinedAt x`, `None` otherwise.
   */
  def condOpt[T,U](x: T)(pf: PartialFunction[T, U]): Option[U] = pf.lift(x)
}