Microsoft/TypeScript

Error message for invalid string literal type could be improved

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#10,203 opened on Aug 8, 2016

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Domain: Error MessagesEffort: ModerateExperience EnhancementHelp WantedSuggestion

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Description

TypeScript Version: 2.0 Beta

Code

// A *self-contained* demonstration of the problem follows...
interface Foo {

    method(value: 'aa'): void;
    method(value: 'bb'): void;
    method(value: 'zz'): void;
    method(value: 'last'): void;
}

const x: Foo = {} as any;

x.method('bar'); // Error line

Expected behavior:

A more meaningful error message, e.g.

Argument of type "'bar'" is not assignable to parameter of type "'aa' | 'bb'|...|'last'"

Actual behavior:

Argument of type "'bar'" is not assignable to parameter of type "'last'"

I am finding this error message confusing, because the compiler picks the value of the last overload in order to report the error, and there is nothing special about the last value.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Locate the error message generation for type mismatches in the TypeScript compiler source, specifically for string literal types, and modify it to display all possible values instead of only the last overload.
Tech stack
typescript
Domain
tooling
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
TypeScriptGit
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
80