Here's a series of refactorings that I feel gets to the essence of the code.
For reference, here's the original. > add :: JSON a => MyData -> String -> a -> MyData > add m k v = fromJust $ (return $ json m) >>= jsObj >>= (return . > fromJSObject) >>= (return . ((k, showJSON v):)) >>= (return . > toJSObject) >>= (return . showJSON) >>= \js -> (return $ m { json = js > }) -- turn into do notation add :: JSON a => MyData -> String -> a -> MyData add m k v = fromJust $ do t1 <- return $ json m t2 <- jsObj t1 t3 <- return $ fromJSObject t2 t4 <- return ( (k, showJSON v) : t3 ) t5 <- return $ toJSObject t4 js <- return $ showJSON t5 t6 <- return $ m { json = js } return t6 -- replace "var <- return exp" with "let var = exp" add :: JSON a => MyData -> String -> a -> MyData add m k v = fromJust $ do let t1 = json m t2 <- jsObj t1 let t3 = fromJSObject t2 let t4 = (k, showJSON v) : t3 let t5 = toJSObject t4 let js = showJSON t5 let t6 = m { json = js } return t6 -- inline some small definitions add m k v = fromJust $ do t2 <- jsObj (json m) let js = showJSON $ toJSObject ((k, showJSON v) : fromJSObject t2) let t6 = m { json = js } return t6 -- there's only one real "Maybe" object in here, and we fromJust afterwards, -- so put the "can't fail" assumption in the right place. -- -- This is the only refactoring that I felt was at all "tricky" to figure out. add m k v = let t2 = fromJust $ jsObj (json m) js = showJSON $ toJSObject ((k, showJSON v) : fromJSObject t2) t6 = m { json = js } in t6 -- sugar let, inline t6 add m k v = m { json = js } where t2 = fromJust $ jsObj (json m) js = showJSON $ toJSObject ((k, showJSON v) : fromJSObject t2) -- inline t2 add m k v = m { json = js } where js = showJSON $ toJSObject ((k, showJSON v) : fromJSObject (fromJust $ jsObj (json m))) -- uninline dictionary entry add m k v = m { json = js } where js = showJSON $ toJSObject (newEntry : fromJSObject (fromJust $ jsObj (json m))) newEntry = (k, showJSON v) -- factor out modification modifyJSON f m = m { json = f (json m) } add m k v = modifyJson go m where go js = showJSON $ toJSObject (newEntry : fromJSObject (fromJust $ jsObj js)) newEntry = (k, showJSON v) -- turn into pipeline modifyJSON f m = m { json = f (json m) } add m k v = modifyJSON go m where go js = showJSON $ toJSObject $ (newEntry :) $ fromJSObject $ fromJust $ jsObj js newEntry = (k, showJSON v) -- pointless modifyJSON f m = m { json = f (json m) } add m k v = modifyJSON go m where go = showJSON . toJSObject . (newEntry :) . fromJSObject . fromJust . jsObj newEntry = (k, showJSON v) Final result: > modifyJSON f m = m { json = f (json m) } > > add m k v = modifyJSON go m where > go = showJSON . toJSObject . (newEntry :) . fromJSObject . fromJust . > jsObj > newEntry = (k, showJSON v) Some stylistic choices are debatable (pointless vs. not, inline vs. not), but I think this is a lot more readable than the >>= and liftM madness you had going. I also might refactor the (fromJSObject --> some transformation --> toJSObject) path; this seems like a fundamental operation on "MyData", but I don't know enough about the library you are using to suggest the direction to go with this. -- ryan On Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 11:14 AM, Levi Greenspan <greenspan.l...@googlemail.com> wrote: > Dear list members, > > I started looking into monadic programming in Haskell and I have some > difficulties to come up with code that is concise, easy to read and > easy on the eyes. In particular I would like to have a function "add" > with following type signature: JSON a => MyData -> String -> a -> > MyData. MyData holds a JSValue and add should add a key and a value to > this JSON object. here is what I came up with and I am far from > satisfied. Maybe someone can help me to simplify this... > > module Test where > > import Text.JSON > import Data.Maybe (isJust, fromJust) > import Control.Monad > > data MyData = MyData { json :: JSValue } deriving (Read, Show) > > jsObj :: JSValue -> Maybe (JSObject JSValue) > jsObj (JSObject o) = Just o > jsObj _ = Nothing > > add :: JSON a => MyData -> String -> a -> MyData > add m k v = fromJust $ (return $ json m) >>= jsObj >>= (return . > fromJSObject) >>= (return . ((k, showJSON v):)) >>= (return . > toJSObject) >>= (return . showJSON) >>= \js -> (return $ m { json = js > }) > > add2 :: JSON a => MyData -> String -> a -> MyData > add2 m k v = fromJust $ (\js -> m { json = js }) `liftM` (showJSON > `liftM` (toJSObject `liftM` (((k, showJSON v):) `liftM` (fromJSObject > `liftM` (jsObj $ json m))))) > > add3 :: JSON a => MyData -> String -> a -> MyData > add3 = undefined -- How to simplify add? > > > What the code essentially does is that using functions from Text.JSON, > it gets the list of key-value pairs and conses another pair to it > before wrapping it again in the JSValue-Type. > > Many thanks, > Levi > _______________________________________________ > Haskell-Cafe mailing list > Haskell-Cafe@haskell.org > http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/haskell-cafe > _______________________________________________ Haskell-Cafe mailing list Haskell-Cafe@haskell.org http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/haskell-cafe