rewrite is just a sugared with, which is just sugared "top-level" pattern matching. See in Agda’s documentation.
what are some of the downsides of using heterogeneous equality, it
doesn't seem like most people are fond of it. (also important)
This is OK
types-equal : ∀ {α} {A B : Set α} {x : A} {y : B} -> x ≅ y -> A ≡ B
types-equal refl = refl
this is OK as well
A-is-Bool : {A : Set} {x : A} -> x ≅ true -> A ≡ Bool
A-is-Bool refl = refl
This is an error
fail : ∀ {n m} {i : Fin n} {j : Fin m} -> i ≅ j -> n ≡ m
fail refl = {!!}
-- n != m of type ℕ
-- when checking that the pattern refl has type i ≅ j
because Fin n ≡ Fin m doesn't immediately imply n ≡ m (you can make it so by enabling --injective-type-constructors, but that makes Agda anti-classical) (Fin n ≡ Fin m -> n ≡ m is provable though).
Originally Agda permitted to pattern match on x ≅ y when x and y have non-unifiable types, but that allows to write weird things like (quoting from this thread)
P : Set -> Set
P S = Σ S (\s → s ≅ true)
pbool : P Bool
pbool = true , refl
¬pfin : ¬ P (Fin 2)
¬pfin ( zero , () )
¬pfin ( suc zero , () )
¬pfin ( suc (suc ()) , () )
tada : ¬ (Bool ≡ Fin 2)
tada eq = ⊥-elim ( ¬pfin (subst (\ S → P S) eq pbool ) )
Saizan or maybe it's just ignoring the types and comparing the constructor names?
pigworker Saizan: that's exactly what I think is happening
Andread Abel:
- If I slighly modify the code, I can prove Bool unequal Bool2, where true2, false2 : Bool2 (see file ..22.agda)
- However, if I rename the constructors to true, false : Bool2, then suddenly I cannot prove that Bool is unequal to Bool2 anymore (see
other file). So, at the moment Agda2 compares apples and oranges in
certain situations. ;-)
So in order to pattern match on i ≅ j, where i : Fin n, j : Fin m, you first need to unify n with m
OK : ∀ {n m} {i : Fin n} {j : Fin m} -> n ≡ m -> i ≅ j -> ...
OK refl refl = ...
That's the main drawback of heteregeneous equality: you need to provide proofs of equality of indices everywhere. Usual cong and subst are non-indexed, so you also have to provide indexed versions of them (or use even more annoying cong₂ and subst₂).
There is no such problem with "heteroindexed" (I don't know if it has a proper name) equality
data [_]_≅_ {ι α} {I : Set ι} {i} (A : I -> Set α) (x : A i) : ∀ {j} -> A j -> Set where
refl : [ A ] x ≅ x
e.g.
OK : ∀ {n m} {i : Fin n} {j : Fin m} -> [ Fin ] i ≅ j -> n ≡ m
OK refl = refl
More generally, whenever you have x : A i, y : A j, p : [ A ] x ≅ y, you can pattern match on p and j will be unified with i, so you don't need to carry an additional proof of n ≡ m.
Heterogeneous equality, as it presented in Agda, is also inconsistent with the univalence axiom.
EDIT
Pattern matching on x : A, y : B, x ≅ y is equal to pattern matching on A ≡ B and then changing every y in a context to x. So when you write
fail : ∀ {n m} {i : Fin n} {j : Fin m} -> i ≅ j -> n ≡ m
fail refl = {!!}
it's the same as
fail' : ∀ {n m} {i : Fin n} {j : Fin m} -> Fin n ≡ Fin m -> i ≅ j -> n ≡ m
fail' refl refl = {!!}
but you can't pattern match on Fin n ≡ Fin m
fail-coerce : ∀ {n m} -> Fin n ≡ Fin m -> Fin n -> Fin m
fail-coerce refl = {!!}
-- n != m of type ℕ
-- when checking that the pattern refl has type Fin n ≡ Fin m
like you cannot pattern match on
fail'' : ∀ {n m} -> Nat.pred n ≡ Nat.pred m -> n ≡ m
fail'' refl = {!!}
-- n != m of type ℕ
-- when checking that the pattern refl has type Nat.pred n ≡ Nat.pred m
In general
f-inj : ∀ {n m} -> f n ≡ f m -> ...
f-inj refl = ...
works only if f is obviously injective. I.e. if f is a series of constructors (e.g. suc (suc n) ≡ suc (suc m)) or computes to it (e.g. 2 + n ≡ 2 + m). Type constructors (which Fin is) are not injective because that would make Agda anti-classical, so you cannot pattern on Fin n ≡ Fin m unless you enable --injective-type-constructors.
Indices unify for
data [_]_≅_ {ι α} {I : Set ι} {i} (A : I -> Set α) (x : A i) : ∀ {j} -> A j -> Set where
refl : [ A ] x ≅ x
because you don't try to unify A i with A j, but instead explicitly carry indices in the type of [_]_≅_, which make them available for unification. When indices are unified, both types become the same A i and it's possible to proceed like with propositional equality.
EDIT
One another problem with heterogeneous equality is that it's not fully heterogeneous: in x : A, y : B, x ≅ y A and B must be in the same universe. The treatment of universe levels in data definitions has been changed recently and now we can define fully heterogeneous equality:
data _≅_ {α} {A : Set α} (x : A) : ∀ {β} {B : Set β} -> B -> Set where
refl : x ≅ x
But this doesn't work
levels-equal : ∀ {α β} -> Set α ≅ Set β -> α ≅ β
levels-equal refl = refl
-- Refuse to solve heterogeneous constraint Set α : Set (suc α) =?=
-- Set β : Set (suc β)
because Agda doesn't think suc is injective
suc-inj : {α β : Level} -> suc α ≅ suc β -> α ≅ β
suc-inj refl = refl
-- α != β of type Level
-- when checking that the pattern refl has type suc α ≅ suc β
If we postulate it, then we can prove levels-equal:
hcong : ∀ {α β δ} {A : Set α} {B : Set β} {D : Set δ} {x : A} {y : B}
-> (f : ∀ {γ} {C : Set γ} -> C -> D) -> x ≅ y -> f x ≅ f y
hcong f refl = refl
levelOf : ∀ {α} {A : Set α} -> A -> Level
levelOf {α} _ = α
postulate
suc-inj : {α β : Level} -> suc α ≅ suc β -> α ≅ β
levels-equal : ∀ {α β} -> Set α ≅ Set β -> α ≅ β
levels-equal p = suc-inj (suc-inj (hcong levelOf p))
