Is it possible to add type constraints to a Swift protocol conformance extension?

Question

I would like extend Array to add conformance to a new protocol — but only for arrays whose elements themselves conform to a specific protocol.

More generally, I’d like to have types (whether protocols or concrete types) with type parameters implement a protocol only when the type parameters match certain constraints.

As of Swift 2.0, this appears to be impossible. Is there a way I’m missing?

Example

Suppose we have the Friendly protocol:

protocol Friendly {
    func sayHi()
}

We can extend existing types to implement it:

extension String: Friendly {
    func sayHi() {
        print("Greetings from \(self)!")
    }
}

"Sally".sayHi()

We can also extend Array to implement sayHi() when its elements are all Friendly:

extension Array where Element: Friendly {
    func sayHi() {
        for elem in self {
            elem.sayHi()
        }
    }
}

["Sally", "Fred"].sayHi()

At this point, the type [Friendly] should itself implement Friendly, since it meets the protocol’s requirements. ~~However, this code doesn’t compile~~:

extension Array: Friendly where Element: Friendly {
    func sayHi() {
        for elem in self {
            elem.sayHi()
        }
    }
}

~~The error message is “extension of type 'Array' with constraints cannot have an inheritance clause,” which seems to shut the door definitively on that direct approach.~~

~~Is there an indirect workaround? Some clever trick I can use? Perhaps there’s a way that involves extending SequenceType instead of Array?~~

A working solution would make this code compile:

let friendly: Friendly = ["Foo", "Bar"]

Update: This has landed in Swift 4.1, and it is a thing of beauty!

The extension Array: Friendly where Element: Friendly example now compiles as given in the original question.

This seems to be on the wish list for Swift 3.0, compare github.com/apple/swift-evolution/blob/master/README.md: "... the ability to make a constrained extension conform to a new protocol (i.e., an array of Equatable elements is Equatable) ..." — Martin R

Rob Napier Rob Napier · Accepted Answer · 2015-10-25T18:18:01

EDIT: As noted in the updated question, this is now possible since Swift 4.1

This is not currently possible in Swift (as of Xcode 7.1). As the error indicates, you can't restrict protocol conformance ("inheritance clause") to a type-constrained extension. Maybe someday. I don't believe there's any deep reason for this to be impossible, but it's currently not implemented.

The closest you can get is to create a wrapper type such as:

struct FriendlyArray<Element: Friendly>: Friendly {
    let array: [Element]
    init(_ array: [Element]) {
        self.array = array
    }
    func sayHi() {
        for elem in array {
            elem.sayHi()
        }
    }
}

let friendly: Friendly = FriendlyArray(["Foo", "Bar"])

(You would likely want to extend FriendlyArray to be a CollectionType.)

For a tale of my own descent into the madness of trying to make this work, and my crawl back from the edge, see NSData, My Old Friend.

Is it possible to add type constraints to a Swift protocol conformance extension?

Example

2 Answers