有关Weak Head Normal Form

参考：https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6872898/haskell-what-is-weak-head-normal-form

Normal form：

An expression in normal form is fully evaluated, and no sub-expression could be evaluated any further (i.e. it contains no un-evaluated thunks).

These expressions are all in normal form:

42
(2, "hello")
\x -> (x + 1)

These expressions are not in normal form:

1 + 2                 -- we could evaluate this to 3
(\x -> x + 1) 2       -- we could apply the function
"he" ++ "llo"         -- we could apply the (++)
(1 + 1, 2 + 2)        -- we could evaluate 1 + 1 and 2 + 2

Weak head normal form

An expression in weak head normal form has been evaluated to the outermost data constructor or lambda abstraction (the head). Sub-expressions may or may not have been evaluated. Therefore, every normal form expression is also in weak head normal form, though the opposite does not hold in general.

WHNF的定义：An expression如果是下面中的一种，则in weak head normal form:

• a constructor (eventually applied to arguments) like True, Just (square 42) or (:) 1（注意True是Bool的一个Constructor, (:) 1是列表的一个Constructor）
• a built-in function applied to too few arguments (perhaps none) like (+) 2 or sqrt.
• or a lambda abstraction \x -> expression.

To determine whether an expression is in weak head normal form, we only have to look at the outermost part of the expression. If it's a data constructor or a lambda, it's in weak head normal form. If it's a function application, it's not.

These expressions are in weak head normal form:

(1 + 1, 2 + 2)       -- the outermost part is the data constructor (,)
 \x -> 2 + 2          -- the outermost part is a lambda abstraction  这只是一个lambda抽象
'h' : ("e" ++ "llo") -- the outermost part is the data constructor (:)

As mentioned, all the normal form expressions listed above are also in weak head normal form.

These expressions are not in weak head normal form:

1 + 2                -- the outermost part here is an application of (+)，它是函数应用，不是Constructor
(\x -> x + 1) 2      -- the outermost part is an application of (\x -> x + 1) 这里lambda函数是函数应用，不是一个lambda抽象，注意和上面的区别（当然，如果提供的实参少，则又是WHAT）
"he" ++ "llo"        -- the outermost part is an application of (++)   ++在这里是函数应用

WHNF特点是：参数只计算到第一个 data constructor，它不会把整个值一次全部算出来。
比如 Just (square 42) is WHNF，它不会有进一步的计算
又如 (+) (2 * 3 * 4)也是一个 WHNF,尽管 (2 * 3 * 4)能被简化为标准格式24.

例1

ghci> let t = const (Just "hello") ()
ghci> :sprint t
t =\_
ghci> seq t ()
()
ghci> :sprint t
t = Just _

例2（注意多态）

多态值在被赋予具体的类型前是不会被计算的，即使用seq也不行；

ghci> data F a = SomeVal a 
ghci> let t = SomeVal 3 :: F Int
ghci> :sprint t
t =  3

注意下面是多态，类型不确定

ghci> let t = SomeVal 3
ghci> :sprint t
t = _

两者上面两个例子的区别在于前者类型是确定的
—————————————————————
下面仍然要注意泛型和非泛型的区别

ghci> let t = const (SomeVal 3) ()
ghci> :sprint t
t = \_
ghci> seq t ()
()
ghci> :sprint t
t = _
ghci> 

ghci> let t = const (SomeVal 3) () :: F Int
ghci> :sprint t
t = _
ghci> seq t ()
()
ghci> :sprint t
t =  3