Recursive Type Families

haskell, type-families

Solution

EDITED Three times: see bottom for data family version. And changed GADT version to drop m.

Let me guess: leftovers?

Let me walk myself through the type error first, the a SOLUTION.

The class defines :
type C a0 b0 m  where a0 and b0 are fresh.
idT :: C a a m r, where a and r are fresh. 

The idT in the (Pipe i o m0) instance is okay by what I think is the logic:
LHS is idT :: C a0 a0 (Pipe i o m0) r0 which becomes Pipe a0 a0 m0 r0
RHS is Pipe idP :: Pipe a1 a1 m1 r1 starts fresh
And then these unify
because Pipe is a data constructor.

The idT in the MonadPipe m0 => (StateT s0 m0) instance:
LHS is idT :: C a0 a0 (StateT s0 m0) which becomes StateT s0 (C a0 a0 m0)
RHS is StateT (\s -> idT) :: StateT s1 m1 r1
Some unification seems to happen...
RHS is StateT (\s -> idT) :: StateT s1 (C a0 a0 m0) r1
  where expression idT :: MonadPipe m1 => (C a2 a2 m2) r2 starts fresh
        context of idT :: (C a0 a0 m0) (a1, s1)
And then (C a0 a0 m0) does not unify with (C a1 a2 m2)
because C is a type constructor.

Your previous `newtype` way to make the Category instances probably works here if the type family becomes a data family.

EDIT: You alter the order of parameters and newtype StateT to solve it:

{-# LANGUAGE TypeFamilies, MultiParamTypeClasses #-}

import Control.Monad.Trans.Free
import Control.Monad.Trans.State
import Control.Pipe hiding (Pipe)

data Pipe m a b r = Pipe { unPipe :: FreeT (PipeF a b) m r }

newtype StatePipe s mp a b r = SP (StateT s (mp a b) r)

class MonadPipe mp where
    idT :: mp a a r
    (<-<) :: mp b c r -> mp a b r -> mp a c r

instance (Monad m) => MonadPipe (Pipe m) where
    idT = Pipe idP
    (Pipe p1) <-< (Pipe p2) = Pipe (p1 <+< p2)

instance (MonadPipe mp) => MonadPipe (StatePipe s mp) where
     idT = SP . StateT $ \s -> idT
     (SP (StateT f1)) <-< (SP (StateT f2)) = SP . StateT $ \s -> f1 s <-< f2 s

Though MonadTrans might now be sad. Another approach keeps the argument order by using a GADT to, perhaps, more cleanly express what you are trying to build:

{-# LANGUAGE MultiParamTypeClasses, GADTs, FlexibleInstances #-}
import Control.Monad.Trans.Free
import Control.Monad.Trans.State
import Control.Pipe hiding (Pipe)

data Pipe s a b m r where
  FPipe :: { unPipe :: FreeT (PipeF a b) m r } -> Pipe () a b m r
  LPipe :: StateT s1 (Pipe s2 a b m) r -> Pipe (s1,s2) a b m r

class MonadPipe s where
    idT :: Monad m => Pipe s a a m r
    (<-<) :: Monad m => Pipe s b c m r -> Pipe s a b m r -> Pipe s a c m r

instance MonadPipe () where
    idT  = FPipe idP
    (FPipe p1) <-< (FPipe p2) = FPipe (p1 <+< p2)

instance MonadPipe s2 => MonadPipe (s1,s2) where
    idT  = LPipe (StateT $ \s -> idT)
    (LPipe (StateT f1)) <-< (LPipe (StateT f2)) = 
       LPipe (StateT $ \s1 -> (f1 s1 <-< f2 s1))

And I can translate this into a perhaps even nicer data family?

{-# LANGUAGE TypeFamilies #-}
import Control.Monad.Trans.Free
import Control.Monad.Trans.State
import Control.Pipe hiding (Pipe)

data family GPipe s :: * -> * -> (* -> *) -> * -> *
newtype instance GPipe () a b m r = Pipe { unPipe :: FreeT (PipeF a b) m r }
newtype instance GPipe (s1,s2) a b m r = LPipe ( StateT s1 (GPipe s2 a b m) r )

class MonadPipe s where
  idT :: Monad m => GPipe s a a m r
  (<-<) :: Monad m => GPipe s b c m r -> GPipe s a b m r -> GPipe s a c m r

instance MonadPipe () where
  idT = Pipe idP
  (Pipe p1) <-< (Pipe p2) = Pipe (p1 <+< p2)

instance MonadPipe s2 => MonadPipe (s1,s2) where
  idT = LPipe (StateT (\s -> idT))
  (LPipe (StateT f1)) <-< (LPipe (StateT f2)) = LPipe (StateT (\s -> f1 s <-< f2 s))

Problem

Original source