Compose function can not deduce generic types of arguments if compose function is defined right to left

[kasperpeulen]

TypeScript Version: 3.6.0-dev.20190603

Search Terms:
Compose doesn't infer generic types of arguments.

Code

function compose<F, G, R>(f: (x: F) => R, g: (y: G) => F): (y: G) => R {
  return x => f(g(x));
}

function toArray<T extends any>(element: T): T[] {
  return [element];
}

const doubleArray = compose(
  toArray,
  toArray,
)(1);

(11,3): error TS2345: Argument of type '<T extends any>(element: T) => T[]' is not assignable to parameter of type '(y: unknown) => T'.
  Type 'unknown[]' is not assignable to type 'T'.
    'unknown[]' is assignable to the constraint of type 'T', but 'T' could be instantiated with a different subtype of constraint 'any'.

Expected behavior:
I expect doubleArray to be inferred as number[][].
Actual behavior:
It is inferred as unknown.

I'm also not sure how to help typescript, to infer this correctly, for example, this doesn't work:

const doubleArray = compose(
  toArray<number>,
  toArray<number>,
)(1);

Playground Link:
Playground

Related Issues:
#10247

Interestingly, if we define compose from left to right, instead of the standard mathematical composition, it actually works:

function compose<F, G, R>(f: (x: F) => G, g: (y: G) => R): (x: F) => R {
  return x => g(f(x));
}

Playground

I choose a very generic example, but the code that I actually try to type are HOC with react.

For example:

export const Container = compose(
  connect(...),
  withStyles(...),
  withLoader(LoaderComponent),
  withTranslations
)(Component);

This code doesn't get inferred correctly, and also here, with the left to right compose function it does get inferred.

[jack-williams]

I think this might be a design limitation. See this comment from the H-O inference PR: #30215

The above algorithm is not a complete unification algorithm and it is by no means perfect. In particular, it only delivers the desired outcome when types flow from left to right. However, this has always been the case for type argument inference in TypeScript, and it has the highly desired attribute of working well as code is being typed.