`promote_rule`: forbid method definitions which may cause ambiguity for unknown types

[nsajko]

Suppose a type T is defined in a package. Further suppose that S is some type not owned by the same package, and T <: S. Defining either of the following method signatures should be forbidden, because it causes dispatch ambiguity for perfectly valid promote_rule definitions from third-party packages:

Base.promote_rule(::Type{  T}, ::Type{<:S})
Base.promote_rule(::Type{<:T}, ::Type{<:S})
Base.promote_rule(::Type{<:S}, ::Type{  T})
Base.promote_rule(::Type{<:S}, ::Type{<:T})

NB: Base doesn't respect this rule, though perhaps this is OK/less bad, given that Base is an implicit dependency of everything anyway. Examples:

promote_rule(::Type{BigInt}, ::Type{<:Integer}) in Base.GMP at gmp.jl:460
promote_rule(::Type{BigFloat}, ::Type{<:Real}) in Base.MPFR at mpfr.jl:366
promote_rule(::Type{Bool}, ::Type{T}) where T<:Number @ Base bool.jl:4
promote_rule(::Type{<:AbstractIrrational}, ::Type{T}) where T<:Real @ Base irrationals.jl:47
promote_rule(::Type{S}, ::Type{T}) where {S<:AbstractIrrational, T<:Number} @ Base irrationals.jl:48

Example code for ambiguity errors:

# package A
struct TA <: Integer end
Base.promote_rule(::Type{TA}, t::Type{<:Real}) = promote_type(Int, t)  # offending definition
Base.promote_rule(t::Type{<:Real}, ::Type{TA}) = promote_type(Int, t)  # offending definition

# package B
struct TB <: AbstractFloat end
Base.promote_rule(::Type{TB}, t::Type{<:Integer}) = promote_type(Float64, t)  # OK

julia> promote_type(TA, TB)
ERROR: MethodError: promote_rule(::Type{TB}, ::Type{TA}) is ambiguous.

Candidates:
  promote_rule(::Type{TB}, t::Type{<:Integer})
    @ Main REPL[5]:1
  promote_rule(t::Type{<:Real}, ::Type{TA})
    @ Main REPL[3]:1

Possible fix, define
  promote_rule(::Type{TB}, ::Type{TA})

Stacktrace:
 [1] promote_type(::Type{TA}, ::Type{TB})
   @ Base ./promotion.jl:318
 [2] top-level scope
   @ REPL[6]:1

julia> using Test

julia> detect_ambiguities(Main, recursive=true)
8-element Vector{Tuple{Method, Method}}:
 (promote_rule(t::Type{<:Real}, ::Type{TA}) @ Main REPL[3]:1, promote_rule(::Type{BigInt}, ::Type{<:Integer}) @ Base.GMP gmp.jl:480)
 (promote_rule(t::Type{<:Real}, ::Type{TA}) @ Main REPL[3]:1, promote_rule(::Type{Bool}, ::Type{T}) where T<:Number @ Base bool.jl:4)
 (promote_rule(t::Type{<:Real}, ::Type{TA}) @ Main REPL[3]:1, promote_rule(::Type{Rational{T}}, ::Type{S}) where {T<:Integer, S<:Integer} @ Base rational.jl:180)
 (promote_rule(t::Type{<:Real}, ::Type{TA}) @ Main REPL[3]:1, promote_rule(::Type{TB}, t::Type{<:Integer}) @ Main REPL[5]:1)
 (promote_rule(t::Type{<:Real}, ::Type{TA}) @ Main REPL[3]:1, promote_rule(::Type{<:AbstractIrrational}, ::Type{T}) where T<:Real @ Base irrationals.jl:47)
 (promote_rule(::Type{TA}, t::Type{<:Real}) @ Main REPL[2]:1, promote_rule(t::Type{<:Real}, ::Type{TA}) @ Main REPL[3]:1)
 (promote_rule(t::Type{<:Real}, ::Type{TA}) @ Main REPL[3]:1, promote_rule(::Type{S}, ::Type{T}) where {S<:AbstractIrrational, T<:Number} @ Base irrationals.jl:48)
 (promote_rule(t::Type{<:Real}, ::Type{TA}) @ Main REPL[3]:1, promote_rule(::Type{BigFloat}, ::Type{<:Real}) @ Base.MPFR mpfr.jl:478)

[nsajko]

Another example:

• bug: overly permissive methods causing ambiguity JuliaPhysics/DynamicQuantities.jl#190