How can I hide methods in F#?

Question

I am currently implementing a Spec framework in F# and I want to hide the Equals, GetHashCode etc. methods on my `should` type, so that the API is not cluttered with these. I know in C# it is done by making the class implement an interface like this: ``` using System; using System.ComponentModel; public interface IFluentInterface { [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] bool Equals(object other); [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] string ToString(); [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] int GetHashCode(); [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] Type GetType(); } ``` I tried doing the same in F#: ``` type IFluentInterface = interface [] abstract Equals : (obj) -> bool [] abstract ToString: unit -> string [] abstract GetHashCode: unit -> int [] abstract GetType : unit -> Type en…

Accepted Answer

Alternatively, you could design the library using an alternative style using functions enclosed in a module. This is the usual way for writing functional code in F# and then you won't need to hide any standard .NET methods. To complete the example given by 'kvb', here is an example of object-oriented solution:

```
type MyNum(n:int) =
  member x.Add(m) = MyNum(n+m)
  member x.Mul(m) = MyNum(n*m)

let n = new MyNum(1)
n.Add(2).Mul(10) // 'ToString' shows in the IntelliSense
```

The functional way of writing the code might look like this:

```
type Num = Num of int
module MyNum =
  let create n = Num n
  let add m (Num n) = Num (m + n)
  let mul m (Num n) = Num (m * n)

MyNum.create 1 |> MyNum.add 2 |> MyNum.mul 10
```

If you type `MyNum.`, the F# IntelliSense will show the functions defined in the module, so you won't see any noise in this case.

How can I hide methods in F#?

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