How to use generics with arrow functions in Typescript/JSX with React?

Question

Using Typescript, typing in Visual Studio, into a ".ts" file, consider the following declaration:

export const foo = <T>(myObject: T) => myObject.toString();

This works fine, type checking is fine, everything is great.

Now place that exact same code into a ".tsx" file that is being used for JSX and React.

Intellisense gets very upset and complains, because it is trying to make the <T> into a React JSX element. But my intention is to have the compiler treat it as a generic type designator.

The compiler complains with:

[gulp-typescript] 17008 JSX element 'T' has no corresponding closing tag.

I have tried numerous syntactical workarounds to try to get both the IDE and the compiler to let me escape the JSX and force the <T> to be understood by the compiler as a generic, as it would if JSX is not in use. But I can't find the magic sauce to do this.

Anyone smarter than I out there who can figure this out?

Answer 1

When you have a single type parameter, TypeScript isn't sure whether it might be a JSX opening tag or not. It has to choose one, so it goes with JSX.

If you want a function with the exact same semantics, you can explicitly list the constraint of T:

const foo = <T extends {}>(myObject: T) => myObject.toString();

This breaks the ambiguity for TypeScript so that you can use a generic type parameter. It also has the same semantics because type parameters always have an implicit constraint of {}.

Answer 2

I can't think of a way around that, and will be glad as you to learn of one.
However, here's a different way to achieve the same:

export const foo = function<T>(myObject: T) { return myObject.toString(); }

The compiler won't complain about the generics.