Type Classes in Scala

 Type Classes in Scala

Type classes are a way to define behavior for a class that is not part of its original definition. This can be useful for adding functionality to existing classes, or for defining behavior for classes that you don't have control over. Here's an example of using type classes to define serialization behavior:

python

trait Serializer[T] {

  def serialize(obj: T): String

}

object Serializer {

  implicit val intSerializer: Serializer[Int] = new Serializer[Int] {

    def serialize(obj: Int): String = obj.toString

  }

  implicit val stringSerializer: Serializer[String] = new Serializer[String] {

    def serialize(obj: String): String = s""""$obj""""

  }

}

def serialize[T](obj: T)(implicit serializer: Serializer[T]): String = {

  serializer.serialize(obj)

}

val num = 42

val str = "hello"

println(s"The serialized value of $num is ${serialize(num)}.")

println(s"The serialized value of $str is ${serialize(str)}.")

In this example, a Serializer trait is defined that has a single serialize method. The Serializer object defines implicit values for Int and String that implement the serialize method in different ways. Finally, a serialize method is defined that takes a type parameter T and an implicit Serializer[T] value, and returns the serialized value of the object. When calling the serialize method, the appropriate implicit serializer is automatically passed in based on the type of the object being serialized.