Programming Scala

Chapter 12. The Scala Type System

Scala is a statically typed language. Its type system is one of the most sophisticated in any programming language, in part because it combines comprehensive ideas from functional programming and object-oriented programming. The type system tries to be logically comprehensive, complete, and consistent. It exceeds limitations in Java’s type system while containing innovations that appear in Scala for the first time.

However, the type system can be intimidating at first, especially if you come from a dynamically typed language like Ruby or Python. Fortunately, type inference hides most of the complexities away. Most of the time, you don’t need to know the particulars, so we encourage you not to worry that you must master the type system in order to use Scala effectively. You might choose to skim this chapter if you’re new to Scala, so you’ll know where to look when type-related questions arise later.

Still, the more you know about the type system, the more you will be able to exploit its features in your programs. This is especially true for library writers, who will want to understand when to use parameterized types versus abstract types, which type parameters should be covariant, contravariant, or invariant under subtyping, and so forth. Also, some understanding of the type system will help you understand and debug the occasional compilation failure related to typing. Finally, this understanding will help you make sense of the type information shown ...