# 6.4.3. Infix type constructors, classes, and type variables¶

GHC allows type constructors, classes, and type variables to be operators, and to be written infix, very much like expressions. More specifically:

• A type constructor or class can be any non-reserved operator. Symbols used in types are always like capitalized identifiers; they are never variables. Note that this is different from the lexical syntax of data constructors, which are required to begin with a :.

• Data type and type-synonym declarations can be written infix, parenthesised if you want further arguments. E.g.

data a :*: b = Foo a b
type a :+: b = Either a b
class a :=: b where ...

data (a :**: b) x = Baz a b x
type (a :++: b) y = Either (a,b) y

• Types, and class constraints, can be written infix. For example

x :: Int :*: Bool
f :: (a :=: b) => a -> b

• Back-quotes work as for expressions, both for type constructors and type variables; e.g. Int Either Bool, or Int a Bool. Similarly, parentheses work the same; e.g. (:*:) Int Bool.

• Fixities may be declared for type constructors, or classes, just as for data constructors. However, one cannot distinguish between the two in a fixity declaration; a fixity declaration sets the fixity for a data constructor and the corresponding type constructor. For example:

infixl 7 T, :*:


sets the fixity for both type constructor T and data constructor T, and similarly for :*:. Int a Bool.

• The function arrow -> is infixr with fixity -1.