josdejong/mathjs

Functions do not recon with `config.number` when converting a string into a numeric type

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#3,206 opened on May 29, 2024

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 (0 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)JavaScript (13,832 stars) (1,298 forks)batch import
bughelp wanted

Description

It's a bit of an edge case, but for example:

math.config({number: 'BigNumber'})
math.add('2', '3')
// results in a number with value 5, but should be a BigNumber with value 5

The reason is that functions like add do not have a signature like add(string, string). Therefore, automatic conversion kicks in. The automatic conversion finds a conversion from string -> number that fits the bill and uses that, without reconing with the configured config.number. I'm not sure how a proper solution to fix this would look like, since the type conversions are static 🤔.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
backend
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
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.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Knowledge of mathjs configurationUnderstanding of function signatures
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
45
Research direction
Investigate how mathjs functions handle argument type conversions, specifically in the `add` function. Look at the `conversion` module to understand how conversions are prioritized. Consider modifying the automatic conversion logic to respect `config.number` when converting strings to numeric types. The issue mentions that conversions are static, so a solution might involve dynamic conversion selection based on configuration.