The Chameleon Type Debugger (Tool Demonstration)

Abstract

In this tool demonstration, we give an overview of the Chameleon type debugger. The type debugger's primary use is to identify locations within a source program which are involved in a type error. By further examining these (potentially) problematic program locations, users gain a better understanding of their program and are able to work towards the actual mistake which was the cause of the type error. The debugger is interactive, allowing the user to provide additional information to narrow down the search space. One of the novel aspects of the debugger is the ability to explain erroneous-looking types. In the event that an unexpected type is inferred, the debugger can highlight program locations which contributed to that result. Furthermore, due to the flexible constraint-based foundation that the debugger is built upon, it can naturally handle advanced type system features such as Haskell's type classes and functional dependencies.