GHC.Generics.Generically

A datatype whose instances are defined generically, using the Generic representation. Generically1 is a higher-kinded version of Generically that uses Generic1.

Generic instances can be derived via Generically A using -XDerivingVia.

{-# LANGUAGE DeriveGeneric      #-}
{-# LANGUAGE DerivingStrategies #-}
{-# LANGUAGE DerivingVia        #-}

import GHC.Generics (Generic)

data V4 a = V4 a a a a
  deriving stock Generic

  deriving (Semigroup, Monoid)
  via Generically (V4 a)

This corresponds to Semigroup and Monoid instances defined by pointwise lifting:

instance Semigroup a => Semigroup (V4 a) where
  (<>) :: V4 a -> V4 a -> V4 a
  V4 a1 b1 c1 d1 <> V4 a2 b2 c2 d2 =
    V4 (a1 <> a2) (b1 <> b2) (c1 <> c2) (d1 <> d2)

instance Monoid a => Monoid (V4 a) where
  mempty :: V4 a
  mempty = V4 mempty mempty mempty mempty

Historically this required modifying the type class to include generic method definitions (-XDefaultSignatures) and deriving it with the anyclass strategy (-XDeriveAnyClass). Having a /via type/ like Generically decouples the instance from the type class.

A type whose instances are defined generically, using the Generic1 representation. Generically1 is a higher-kinded version of Generically that uses Generic.

Generic instances can be derived for type constructors via Generically1 F using -XDerivingVia.

{-# LANGUAGE DeriveGeneric      #-}
{-# LANGUAGE DerivingStrategies #-}
{-# LANGUAGE DerivingVia        #-}

import GHC.Generics (Generic)

data V4 a = V4 a a a a
  deriving stock (Functor, Generic1)

  deriving Applicative
  via Generically1 V4

This corresponds to Applicative instances defined by pointwise lifting:

instance Applicative V4 where
  pure :: a -> V4 a
  pure a = V4 a a a a

  liftA2 :: (a -> b -> c) -> (V4 a -> V4 b -> V4 c)
  liftA2 (·) (V4 a1 b1 c1 d1) (V4 a2 b2 c2 d2) =
    V4 (a1 · a2) (b1 · b2) (c1 · c2) (d1 · d2)

Historically this required modifying the type class to include generic method definitions (-XDefaultSignatures) and deriving it with the anyclass strategy (-XDeriveAnyClass). Having a /via type/ like Generically1 decouples the instance from the type class.