How to define abstract types in agda

You can use parameterized modules. Let's look at an example: we start by introducing a Nats

packing record a Set

along with operations on it.

record Nats : Set₁ where
  field
    Nat     : Set
    zero    : Nat
    succ    : Nat → Nat
    primrec : {B : Set} (z : B) (s : Nat → B → B) → Nat → B

      

        
        
        
      

    

We can then define a module parameterized with such a structure. Addition and multiplication can be defined in terms of primitive recursion, null and successor.

open import Function
module AbstractType (nats : Nats) where

  open Nats nats

  add : Nat → Nat → Nat
  add m n = primrec n (const succ) m

  mult : Nat → Nat → Nat
  mult m n = primrec zero (const (add n)) m

      

        
        
        
      

    

Finally, we can provide examples Nats

. Here I am reusing natural numbers defined in the standard library, but binary numbers can be used, for example.

open Nats
Natsℕ : Nats
Natsℕ = record { Nat     = ℕ
               ; zero    = 0
               ; succ    = suc
               ; primrec = primrecℕ }
  where
    open import Data.Nat
    primrecℕ : {B : Set} (z : B) (s : ℕ → B → B) → ℕ → B
    primrecℕ z s zero    = z
    primrecℕ z s (suc n) = s n $ primrecℕ z s n

      

        
        
        
      

    

Passing this instance to the module gives us the corresponding add / mult operations:

open import Relation.Binary.PropositionalEquality

example :
  let open AbstractType Natsℕ
  in mult (add 0 3) 3 ≡ 9
example = refl