JS type and name resolution

reference/JSDoc-Type-References.md

@@ -0,0 +1,265 @@
+In Javascript files, the compiler understands Typescript types in
+JSDoc comments like `@type` and `@param`. However, it has additional
+rules to make type resolution work better for Javascript code that
+wasn't written with machine checking in mind. These rules apply only
+in JSDoc in Javascript files, and some can be disabled by setting
+`"noImplicitAny": true`, which the compiler takes as a signal that the
+code is being written with Typescript in mind.
+
+This document first describes the way Javascript type resolution is
+different, because those differences are bigger and more surprising.
+Then it covers differences in name resolution.
+
+## Simple Rewrites ##
+
+The simplest Javascript-only rule is to rewrite the primitive object
+types to the usual primitive types, plus `Object` to `any`. These are
+commonly used interchangeably in JSDoc:
+
+Type        | Resolved Type
+------------|--------------
+`Number`    | `number`
+`String`    | `string`
+`Boolean`   | `boolean`
+`Object`    | `any`
+
+In Typescript, the primitive type `number` is nearly always the right
+type; whenever methods from the object type `Number` are needed, the
+compiler asks for the apparent type anyway, and the apparent type of
+`number` is `Number`.
+
+Neither `object` nor `Object` have defined properties or string index
+signatures, which means that they give too many errors to be useful in
+Javascript. Until Typescript 3.7, both were rewritten to `any`, but we
+found that few people used `object` in JSDoc, and that more and more
+JSDoc authors wanted to use `object` with its Typescript meaning. The
+rewrite `Object -> any` is disabled when `"noImplicitAny": true`,
+which the compiler takes as a signal that the code is being written
+with Typescript in mind.
+
+There are also rewrites of other JSDoc types that are equivalent to
+built-in Typescript types:
+
+Type                  | Resolved Type
+----------------------|--------------
+`Null`                | `null`
+`Undefined`           | `undefined`
+`Void`                | `void`
+`function`            | `Function`
+`Object<string,Type>` | `{ [x: string]: Type }`
+`Object<number,Type>` | `{ [x: number]: Type }`
+
+The first three of this list are commonly used in unchecked
+Javascript, while the last three are commonly used in Javascript that
+is checked by the Closure compiler.
+
+Finally, `array` and `promise` rewrite to `Array<any>` and `Promise<any>`
+respectively, since they, too, are used without regard to case:
+
+Type        | Resolved Type
+------------|--------------
+`array`     | `any[]`
+`promise`   | `Promise<any>`
+
+Note that `array<number>` does *not* rewrite to `number[]`; it's just
+an error. Same for `promise<number>`. On the flip side, `Array` and
+`Promise` result in `Array<any>` and `Promise<any>` because of another
+rule that defaults missing type arguments to `any` in Javascript.
+
+### Where To Find The Code ###
+
+`getIntendedJSDocTypeReference` in `checker.ts`.
+
+## Values as Types ##
+
+The compiler maintains three namespaces: one each for values, types and
+namespaces. Put another way, each name can have a value meaning, a
+type meaning and a namespace meaning. However, there are fewer ways
+to declare and reference types in Javascript, and the distinction
+between type and value can be subtle, so for Javascript, the compiler
+tries to resolve type references as values if it can't find a type.
+
+Here's an example:
+
+```ts
+const FOO = "foo";
+const BAR = "bar";
+
+/** @param {FOO | BAR} type */
+function f(type) {
+}
+```
+
+In the compiler, this is resolved in two stages. Both stages use a
+JSDoc fallback. First, in `getTypeFromTypeReference`, after first
+checking the simple rewrites above, the compiler
+resolves the name `FOO`. Here's a simplified version of the name resolution code:
+
+```ts
+let symbol: Symbol | undefined;
+let type: Type | undefined;
+type = getIntendedTypeFromJSDocTypeReference(node);
+if (!type) {
+  symbol = resolveTypeReferenceName(node, SymbolFlags.Type);
+  if (symbol === unknownSymbol) {
+    symbol = resolveTypeReferenceName(node, SymbolFlags.Value);
+  }
+  type = getTypeReferenceType(node, symbol);
+}
+```
+
+Because `resolveTypeReferenceName` fails to find a type named `FOO`,
+the code makes a second calls looking for a value named `FOO`, which
+is found. Then it passes the `FOO` symbol to
+`getTypeReferenceType`, whose code looks a bit like this:
+
+``` ts
+if (symbol === unknownSymbol) {
+  return errorType;
+}
+const t = getDeclaredTypeOfSymbol(symbol);
+if (t) {
+  return t;
+}
+if (symbol.flags & SymbolFlags.Value && isJSDocTypeReference(node)) {
+  return getTypeOfSymbol(symbol);
+}
+return errorType;
+```
+
+In the same way as name resolution, type resolution first looks for
+the type of the type declaration of a symbol with `getDeclaredTypeOfSymbol`.
+But there *is* no type declaration for `FOO`, so it returns
+`undefined`. Then the fallback code looks for the type of the value
+declaration for `FOO`, which it finds to be `"foo"`.
+
+For comparison, here is an example that has both a value declaration
+and a type declaration:
+
+```ts
+var i = 0;
+interface i {
+  e: 1;
+  m: 1;
+}
+```
+
+If you ask for the type of the value declaration of `i` &mdash; say, with
+`/** @type {typeof i} */` &mdash; you'll get `number` from `var i = 0`. If
+you ask for the type of `i`'s type declaration (with `/** @type {i} */`
+this time), you'll get `{ e: 1, m: 1 }` from the `interface`
+declaration.
+
+But in Javascript, you can't even write `interface`, so what should
+`/** @type {i} */` mean if your program is just:
+
+```js
+var i = 0
+```
+
+With no type declaration, the compiler just reuses the type of the value
+declaration: `number`. This is equivalent to inserting the `typeof`
+type operator to get `typeof i`. The effect is to make types more
+Javascripty, allowing you to specify objects as example types without
+having to learn about the difference between type and value:
+
+``` js
+/**
+ * @param {number} n
+ * @param {number} m
+ * @returns {-1 | 0 | 1}
+ */
+function exampleCompare(n, m) {
+}
+
+/** @param {exampleCompare} f */
+function sort(f, l) {
+  // ...
+}
+```
+
+This also works with objects, whether anonymous or an instance of a class:
+
+``` js
+const initial = {
+  frabjous: true,
+  beamish: true,
+  callooh: "callay",
+}
+
+/** @param {initial} options */
+function setup(options) {
+}
+```
+
+Relying on this fallback for complex types does produce a simpler
+type, but makes the equivalent Typescript really confusing to produce:
+
+``` js
+import { options } from './initial'
+/**
+ * @param {keyof options} k
+ * @param {options[keyof options]} v
+ */
+function demo(k, v) {
+    options[k] = v;
+}
+```
+
+is equivalent to the Typescript:
+
+```ts
+import { options } from './initial'
+function demo(k: keyof typeof options, v: typeof options[keyof typeof options]) {
+}
+```
+
+Knowing where to insert the missing `typeof` operators requires more
+experience with complex type than most people can be expected to have.
+
+### Where To Find The Code ###
+
+In `checker.ts`, `getTypeFromTypeReference` contains the symbol
+resolution fallback. Then it calls `getTypeReferenceType`, which
+contains the type resolution fallback.
+
+## Bonus: `@enum` tag ##
+
+The `@enum` tag is quite unlike Typescript's `enum`. Instead, it's
+basically a `@typedef` with some additional checking. Here's an
+example:
+
+
+``` js
+/** @enum {string} */
+const ProblemSleuth = {
+    mode: "hard-boiled",
+    compensation: "adequate",
+};
+```
+
+The name of the type comes from the subsequent declaration
+`ProblemSleuth`, which also works for `@typedef`. In fact, the
+meaning is almost equivalent to a `@typedef` followed by a
+`@type`:
+
+``` js
+/** @typedef {string} ProblemSleuth */
+/** @type {{ [s: string]: ProblemSleuth }} */
+const ProblemSleuth = {
+    mode: "hard-boiled",
+    compensation: "adequate",
+};
+```
+
+The difference is that, although `ProblemSleuth`'s initializer is
+checked for assignability to the index signature type, the type of the
+value `const ProblemSleuth` is not the index signature type. It's
+still the type of the initializer. It has exactly two properties, both
+of type `string`. Because of that type, assignment of new properties
+is not allowed, so the following is an error:
+
+``` js
+ProblemSleuth.solicitations = "numerous"
+```
+