HH\FIXME\UNSAFE_CAST

UNSAFE_CAST allows you to lie to the type checker

namespace HH\FIXME;

function UNSAFE_CAST<Tin, Tout>(
  Tin $t,
  ?\HH\FormatString<nothing> $msg = NULL,
): Tout;

This is almost always a bad idea. You might get an exception, or you might get an unexpected value. Even scarier, you might cause an exception in a totally different part of the codebase.

UNSAFE_CAST<Dog, Cat>($my_dog, 'my reason here')->meow()

In this example, the type checker will accept the code, but the code will still crash when you run it (no such method "meow" on "Dog").

UNSAFE_CAST has no runtime effect. It only affects the type checker. The above example will run the same as $my_dog->meow().

You can fix it!

It is always possible to write code without UNSAFE_CAST and without HH_FIXME. This usually requires changing type signatures and some refactoring. Your code will be more reliable, the type checker can help you, and future changes will be less scary.

UNSAFE_CAST is still better than HH_FIXME, because HH_FIXME applies the entire next line, and UNSAFE_CAST applies to a single expression.

Parameters

• Tin $t
• ?\HH\FormatString<nothing> $msg = NULL

Returns

• Tout