Magic hash

Only enable the MagicHash extension if you need it because you’re working with the primitives found in GHC.Exts.

You technically can apply a hash suffix to the names of your own types and variables if you really want to:

λ> :set -XMagicHash

λ> data Person# = Person# { name# :: String, age# :: Natural }

But this is ill-advised. It is strongly conventional for the hash suffix to be applied only to unlifted types (types that have kind #). See primitives, levity, and boxing for more a lengthier discussion of this convention.

Note that MagicHash only affects the rules for what constitutes a valid identifier name. You do not need an extension to have operator symbols that contain a hash. See identifiers and operators for a discussion on the difference between identifiers and operator symbols. That is always permissible.

λ> a # b = a^2 + b^2

λ> a ## b = a^3 + b^3

λ> 3 # 4
25

λ> 3 ## 4
91

Here are some examples of ordinary, non-weird examples of hash operators:

• The diagrams library(Diagrams.Util.#) defines (#) as a synonym for ($) with a different fixity.
• The lens library(Control.Lens.Operators.#) also defines an operator named (#).

Using those functions does not require a language extension because they are operator symbols, not identifiers.

Unlifted literals look like regular literals, but with one or two # characters at the end.

λ> :type 3#
3# :: GHC.Prim.Int#

λ> :type 3##
3## :: GHC.Prim.Word#

λ> :type 3.2#
3.2# :: GHC.Prim.Float#

λ> :type 3.2##
3.2## :: GHC.Prim.Double#

λ> :type 'x'#
'x'# :: GHC.Prim.Char#

λ> :type "xyz"#
"xyz"# :: GHC.Prim.Addr#