further clarify the docs for 'evaluate'

[haskell-directory.git] / GHC / Exception.lhs

diff --git a/GHC/Exception.lhs b/GHC/Exception.lhs
index 08f5e97..5cee08f 100644 (file)
--- a/GHC/Exception.lhs
+++ b/GHC/Exception.lhs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 \begin{code}
-{-# OPTIONS -fno-implicit-prelude #-}
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-implicit-prelude #-}
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -- |
 -- Module      :  GHC.Exception
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 -- 
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+-- #hide
 module GHC.Exception 
        ( module GHC.Exception, 
          Exception(..), AsyncException(..), 
@@ -100,4 +101,23 @@ block (IO io) = IO $ blockAsyncExceptions# io
 unblock (IO io) = IO $ unblockAsyncExceptions# io
 \end{code}
 
-
+\begin{code}
+-- | Forces its argument to be evaluated when the resultant 'IO' action
+-- is executed.  It can be used to order evaluation with respect to
+-- other 'IO' operations; its semantics are given by
+--
+-- >   evaluate x `seq` y    ==>  y
+-- >   evaluate x `catch` f  ==>  (return $! x) `catch` f
+-- >   evaluate x >>= f      ==>  (return $! x) >>= f
+--
+-- /Note:/ the first equation implies that @(evaluate x)@ is /not/ the
+-- same as @(return $! x)@.  A correct definition is
+--
+-- >   evaluate x = (return $! x) >>= return
+--
+evaluate :: a -> IO a
+evaluate a = IO $ \s -> case a `seq` () of () -> (# s, a #)
+        -- NB. can't write  
+        --      a `seq` (# s, a #)
+        -- because we can't have an unboxed tuple as a function argument
+\end{code}