Note [Data Constructor Naming]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-Each data constructor C has two, and possibly three, Names associated with it:
+Each data constructor C has two, and possibly up to four, Names associated with it:
- OccName Name space Used for
+ OccName Name space Name of
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- * The "source data con" C DataName The DataCon itself
- * The "real data con" C VarName Its worker Id
- * The "wrapper data con" $WC VarName Wrapper Id (optional)
-
-Each of these three has a distinct Unique. The "source data con" name
+ * The "data con itself" C DataName DataCon
+ * The "worker data con" C VarName Id (the worker)
+ * The "wrapper data con" $WC VarName Id (the wrapper)
+ * The "newtype coercion" :CoT TcClsName TyCon
+
+EVERY data constructor (incl for newtypes) has the former two (the
+data con itself, and its worker. But only some data constructors have a
+wrapper (see Note [The need for a wrapper]).
+
+Each of these three has a distinct Unique. The "data con itself" name
appears in the output of the renamer, and names the Haskell-source
data constructor. The type checker translates it into either the wrapper Id
(if it exists) or worker Id (otherwise).
nothing for the wrapper to do. That is, if its defn would be
$wC = C
+Note [The need for a wrapper]
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why might the wrapper have anything to do? Two reasons:
* Unboxing strict fields (with -funbox-strict-fields)
The third argument is a coerion
[a] :: [a]:=:[a]
+INVARIANT: the dictionary constructor for a class
+ never has a wrapper.
A note about the stupid context