Original bug ID: 7932
Reporter: @stedolan
Status: new
Resolution: open
Priority: normal
Severity: minor
Version: 4.08.0+dev/beta1/beta2
Category: typing
Monitored by: @nojb

Bug description

The package frama-c-base does not build with 4.08 or trunk, due to a change in the typing rules around ocamlc -pack.

I've reduced the issue to a minimal example:

==> Cint.ml <==
let is_cint_simplifier = []

==> Cint.mli <==
val is_cint_simplifier: Conditions.simplifier

==> Conditions.ml <==
type simplifier = Lang.pred list

==> Conditions.mli <==
type simplifier = Lang.pred list

==> Lang.ml <==
type pred = unit

==> Lang.mli <==
type pred

==> Pack.mli <==
module Lang : sig
  type pred
end
module Cint : sig
  val is_cint_simplifier: Conditions.simplifier
end
module Conditions : sig
  type simplifier = Lang.pred list
end

The command ocamlc -o Pack.cmo -pack Lang.cmo Cint.cmo Conditions.cmo gives the following error on 4.08 and trunk, but succeeds on earlier versions:

File "none", line 1:
Error: The implementation (obtained by packing)
does not match the interface Pack.mli:
In module Cint:
Modules do not match:
sig val is_cint_simplifier : Conditions.simplifier end
is not included in
sig val is_cint_simplifier : Conditions/2.simplifier end
In module Cint:
Values do not match:
val is_cint_simplifier : Conditions/1.simplifier
is not included in
val is_cint_simplifier : Conditions/2.simplifier
File "Pack.mli", line 5, characters 2-47: Expected declaration
File "Cint.mli", line 1, characters 0-45: Actual declaration
File "none", line 1:
Definition of module Conditions/1
File "none", line 1:
Definition of module Conditions/2

(The reproduction case is available as a gist, see below)

I suspect the change occurred during #2175. However, upon examining the test case, I think the new behaviour might be correct: Pack.mli has the modules in the wrong order, and indeed frama-c-base builds correctly when they are reordered. So it's possible that the only change needed is to change a '-' to a '*' in the Changes entry for #2175. But since I don't precisely understand what -pack is meant to do, more opinions would be welcome.

Steps to reproduce

git clone https://gist.github.com/d0137407e00ace3e7f83c4414e9adf52.git ocaml-pack-issue && ( cd ocaml-pack-issue; ./run.sh /path/to/ocamlc-408; )