$ -package:conduit

($) is the function application operator. Applying ($) to a function f and an argument x gives the same result as applying f to x directly. The definition is akin to this:

($) :: (a -> b) -> a -> b
($) f x = f x

This is id specialized from a -> a to (a -> b) -> (a -> b) which by the associativity of (->) is the same as (a -> b) -> a -> b. On the face of it, this may appear pointless! But it's actually one of the most useful and important operators in Haskell. The order of operations is very different between ($) and normal function application. Normal function application has precedence 10 - higher than any operator - and associates to the left. So these two definitions are equivalent:

expr = min 5 1 + 5
expr = ((min 5) 1) + 5

($) has precedence 0 (the lowest) and associates to the right, so these are equivalent:

expr = min 5 $ 1 + 5
expr = (min 5) (1 + 5)

Examples

A common use cases of ($) is to avoid parentheses in complex expressions. For example, instead of using nested parentheses in the following Haskell function:

-- | Sum numbers in a string: strSum "100  5 -7" == 98
strSum :: String -> Int
strSum s = sum (mapMaybe readMaybe (words s))

we can deploy the function application operator:

-- | Sum numbers in a string: strSum "100  5 -7" == 98
strSum :: String -> Int
strSum s = sum $ mapMaybe readMaybe $ words s

($) is also used as a section (a partially applied operator), in order to indicate that we wish to apply some yet-unspecified function to a given value. For example, to apply the argument 5 to a list of functions:

applyFive :: [Int]
applyFive = map ($ 5) [(+1), (2^)]
>>> [6, 32]

Technical Remark (Representation Polymorphism)

($) is fully representation-polymorphic. This allows it to also be used with arguments of unlifted and even unboxed kinds, such as unboxed integers:

fastMod :: Int -> Int -> Int
fastMod (I# x) (I# m) = I# $ remInt# x m

Application operator. This operator is redundant, since ordinary application (f x) means the same as (f $ x). However, $ has low, right-associative binding precedence, so it sometimes allows parentheses to be omitted; for example:

f $ g $ h x  =  f (g (h x))

It is also useful in higher-order situations, such as map ($ 0) xs, or zipWith ($) fs xs. Note that ($) is representation-polymorphic in its result type, so that foo $ True where foo :: Bool -> Int# is well-typed.

Application operator. This operator is redundant, since ordinary application (f x) means the same as (f $ x). However, $ has low, right-associative binding precedence, so it sometimes allows parentheses to be omitted; for example:

f $ g $ h x  =  f (g (h x))

It is also useful in higher-order situations, such as map ($ 0) xs, or zipWith ($) fs xs. Note that ($) is levity-polymorphic in its result type, so that foo $ True where foo :: Bool -> Int# is well-typed.

Note that this denotes the identity function, so ($) f can usually be replaced with f.

Application operator. This operator is redundant, since ordinary application (f x) means the same as (f $ x). However, $ has low, right-associative binding precedence, so it sometimes allows parentheses to be omitted; for example:

f $ g $ h x  =  f (g (h x))

It is also useful in higher-order situations, such as map ($ 0) xs, or zipWith ($) fs xs.

Infix application.

f :: Either String $ Maybe Int
=
f :: Either String (Maybe Int)

Application operator. This operator is redundant, since ordinary application (f x) means the same as (f $ x). However, $ has low, right-associative binding precedence, so it sometimes allows parentheses to be omitted; for example:

f $ g $ h x  =  f (g (h x))

It is also useful in higher-order situations, such as map ($ 0) xs, or zipWith ($) fs xs. Note that ($) is levity-polymorphic in its result type, so that foo $ True where foo :: Bool -> Int# is well-typed

($) is the function application operator. Applying ($) to a function f and an argument x gives the same result as applying f to x directly. The definition is akin to this:

($) :: (a -> b) -> a -> b
($) f x = f x

This is id specialized from a -> a to (a -> b) -> (a -> b) which by the associativity of (->) is the same as (a -> b) -> a -> b. On the face of it, this may appear pointless! But it's actually one of the most useful and important operators in Haskell. The order of operations is very different between ($) and normal function application. Normal function application has precedence 10 - higher than any operator - and associates to the left. So these two definitions are equivalent:

expr = min 5 1 + 5
expr = ((min 5) 1) + 5

($) has precedence 0 (the lowest) and associates to the right, so these are equivalent:

expr = min 5 $ 1 + 5
expr = (min 5) (1 + 5)

Examples

A common use cases of ($) is to avoid parentheses in complex expressions. For example, instead of using nested parentheses in the following Haskell function:

-- | Sum numbers in a string: strSum "100  5 -7" == 98
strSum :: String -> Int
strSum s = sum (mapMaybe readMaybe (words s))

we can deploy the function application operator:

-- | Sum numbers in a string: strSum "100  5 -7" == 98
strSum :: String -> Int
strSum s = sum $ mapMaybe readMaybe $ words s

($) is also used as a section (a partially applied operator), in order to indicate that we wish to apply some yet-unspecified function to a given value. For example, to apply the argument 5 to a list of functions:

applyFive :: [Int]
applyFive = map ($ 5) [(+1), (2^)]
>>> [6, 32]

Technical Remark (Representation Polymorphism)

($) is fully representation-polymorphic. This allows it to also be used with arguments of unlifted and even unboxed kinds, such as unboxed integers:

fastMod :: Int -> Int -> Int
fastMod (I# x) (I# m) = I# $ remInt# x m

Type-level infix applcation for functors.

Strict (call-by-value) application operator. It takes a function and an argument, evaluates the argument to weak head normal form (WHNF), then calls the function with that value.

Flipped version of <$.

Examples

Replace the contents of a Maybe Int with a constant String:

>>> Nothing $> "foo"
Nothing

>>> Just 90210 $> "foo"
Just "foo"

Replace the contents of an Either Int Int with a constant String, resulting in an Either Int String:

>>> Left 8675309 $> "foo"
Left 8675309

>>> Right 8675309 $> "foo"
Right "foo"

Replace each element of a list with a constant String:

>>> [1,2,3] $> "foo"
["foo","foo","foo"]

Replace the second element of a pair with a constant String:

>>> (1,2) $> "foo"
(1,"foo")

This is >$ with its arguments flipped.

The deep analogue of $!. f $!! x fully evaluates x before returning f x. There is no guarantee about the ordering of evaluation. f x may be evaluated before x is fully evaluated. To impose an actual order on evaluation, use pseq from Control.Parallel in the parallel package.

Above, except that if the last line of the first argument stops at least one position before the first line of the second begins, these two lines are overlapped. For example:

text "hi" $$ nest 5 (text "there")

lays out as

hi   there

rather than

hi
there

$$ is associative, with identity empty, and also satisfies

• (x $$ y) <> z = x $$ (y <> z), if y non-empty.

Above, with no overlapping. $+$ is associative, with identity empty.

Above, except that if the last line of the first argument stops at least one position before the first line of the second begins, these two lines are overlapped. For example:

text "hi" $$ nest 5 (text "there")

lays out as

hi   there

rather than

hi
there

$$ is associative, with identity empty, and also satisfies

• (x $$ y) <> z = x $$ (y <> z), if y non-empty.

Above, with no overlapping. $+$ is associative, with identity empty.

Strict (call-by-value) application operator. It takes a function and an argument, evaluates the argument to weak head normal form (WHNF), then calls the function with that value.