[TODO] `type outType = type(10)` prints as `int literal(10)` instead of `int`

[timotheecour]

# [`type outType = type(10)` prints as `int literal(10)` instead of `int` · Issue #8704 · nim-lang/Nim](https://github.com/nim-lang/Nim/issues/8704)
import typetraits

when defined(case1):
  type outType = type(10)
when defined(case2):
  let x=10
  type outType = type(x)

doAssert int is outType
doAssert outType is int

echo outType.name # BUG: int literal(10)
echo outType # BUG: int literal(10)

echo int.name # ok: int

# BUG: int literal(10) => this one could be due to `https://github.com/nim-lang/Nim/issues/8569` (compiler reuses whatever cached type name was previously found)
echo int

the 1st bug (echo outType.name shown as int literal(10)) looks new
it happens with case1; doesn't happen with case2 (ie only happens with litterals)

the subsequent ones could be due to #8569

[mratsim]

Maybe we need a typemod magic (for type modifier), that can catch:

• literals
• static
• lent
• var

and maybe it can be extended to parameters constraints like {call} as well.

[timotheecour]

maybe the new typeof @Araq introduced could be extended to do that?

proc typeof*(x: untyped; mode: TypeOfMode = typeOfIter)

[krux02]

This is not a bug, it is a feature. The type of 10 is actually an integer literal that knows it's value at compile time. You could complain thet int literal(10) is an ugly name to represent this type though.

[timotheecour]

@krux02 but that feature seems buggy, for example this code prints:

iterator (): int literal(10){.inline, noSideEffect, gcsafe, locks: 0.}

instead of:

iterator (): int {.inline, noSideEffect, gcsafe, locks: 0.}

iterator fun(): auto =
  var x = 12
  yield 10
  yield 20
  yield x

echo type(fun)

here's another case; I fail to see the logic / consistency:

• int is the only type that behaves this way; eg, float or int32 don't behave like that
• echo type(10) is different from type T = type(10); echo T

  echo type(10)
  type T = type(10)
  echo T
  echo type(10.2)
  type T2 = type(10.2)
  echo T2

prints:

int
int literal(10)
float64
float64