# Blatant return error confuses compiler

**URL:** <https://chapel.discourse.group/t/blatant-return-error-confuses-compiler/49881>\
**Category:** Users\
**Created:** [May 26, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://chapel.discourse.group/t/blatant-return-error-confuses-compiler/49881 "2026-05-26T18:28:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nelsonluisdias](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/chapel.discourse.group/nelsonluisdias/32/691_2.png) [@nelsonluisdias](https://chapel.discourse.group/u/nelsonluisdias)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://chapel.discourse.group/t/blatant-return-error-confuses-compiler/49881/1 "2026-05-26T18:28:24Z")

</div>

The following (wrong!) code

```chapel
var ax: [1..10] real = 1.0;
var yc = wrong(ax);
proc wrong(
   const in ax: [] real
   ): real
   where (ax.rank == 1): real {
   return 0.0;
}

```

has a blatant error: there should not be a " : real" after the **where** clause. This error causes a very cryptical error message,

```Chapel
nowhere.chpl:3: In function 'wrong':
nowhere.chpl:3: error: unresolved call '&(1.0, 1)'
$CHPL_HOME/modules/internal/ChapelBase.chpl:1067: note: this candidate did not match: &(a: bool, b: bool)
nowhere.chpl:3: note: because actual argument #1 with type 'real(64)'
$CHPL_HOME/modules/internal/ChapelBase.chpl:1067: note: is passed to formal 'a: bool'
nowhere.chpl:3: note: other candidates are:
$CHPL_HOME/modules/internal/ChapelBase.chpl:1069: note: &(a: int(8), b: int(8))
$CHPL_HOME/modules/internal/ChapelBase.chpl:1070: note: &(a: int(16), b: int(16))
note: and 36 other candidates, use --print-all-candidates to see them
  nowhere.chpl:1: called as wrong(ax: [domain(1,int(64),one)] real(64))
note: generic instantiations are underlined in the above callstack

```

Since my mistake might be somewhat common (where does the return type go? before or after the **where**? -- In my case I did both!), maybe the compiler could catch the second " : real " and stop right there?

Cheers

Nelson

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jabraham](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/chapel.discourse.group/jabraham/32/430_2.png) [@jabraham](https://chapel.discourse.group/u/jabraham)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 6:51pm UTC](https://chapel.discourse.group/t/blatant-return-error-confuses-compiler/49881/2 "2026-05-26T18:51:46Z")

</div>

There are some cases where this is caught today. For example, if you take your code and use `int` instead of `real`, the compiler gives you a nice error.

```Chapel
var ax: [1..10] real = 1.0;
var yc = wrong(ax);
proc wrong(
   const in ax: [] real
   ): real
   where (ax.rank == 1): int {
   return 0.0;
}

```

```Chapel
bug.chpl:3: In function 'wrong':
bug.chpl:3: error: invalid where clause
  bug.chpl:1: called as wrong(ax: [domain(1,int(64),one)] real(64))
note: generic instantiations are underlined in the above callstack

```

I have not looked too hard into why this error is not being propagated properly for `real`. I think what happens is during normalize the compiler inserts `&` because the array formal is used. With `int`, this whole expression could be resolved and then later the invalid where check fires and gives a nice error. With `real`, the resolution of this expression fails and you get a weird error long before you reach the check for where clauses.

This should be a better error message.

As an aside, I will note that the moment I opened this code in my editor I got a nice error from the Chapel language server, which could save time for you and others.

 ![Screenshot 2026-05-26 at 11.37.41 AM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/chapel/original/1X/d0e341e810d8bc0a094b92fd8ca7fa9e82b903c8.png)

-Jade

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bradcray](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/chapel.discourse.group/bradcray/32/72_2.png) [@bradcray](https://chapel.discourse.group/u/bradcray)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 6:57pm UTC](https://chapel.discourse.group/t/blatant-return-error-confuses-compiler/49881/3 "2026-05-26T18:57:48Z")

</div>

Hi Nelson —

[I wrote this up in parallel with Jade's message, but think it says some different things so am posting it all the same]

This is definitely a terrible error message, and if you would open an issue capturing it and requesting an improvement, that would be great.

I don't think we can simply make this a parsing error (if that's what you're proposing) since `:` is not only used for specifying types, but also for casts. And since the `where` clause is intended to be a general Chapel expression, there's no reason to prevent it from using the cast operator.

That said, there is still plenty of room to improve the message, for example by complaining if the result is not a `bool` (or perhaps an `int` if we permit coercions to bool in where-clauses? I can't recall offhand and would need to check...).

Thanks for bringing this to our attention,  
-Brad

PS — As a somewhat contrived example of where a cast in a where clause might make sense, I might have:

```chapel
config param debug, verbose, myFlag: bool;`

proc foo() where (debug + verbose + myFlag): bool { … }

```

as a way of checking whether any of the three flags are `true`. Personally, I'd prefer to see this written as `where (debug || verbose || myFlag)` stylistically, but don't think we should rule out the ability to write such code.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nelsonluisdias](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/chapel.discourse.group/nelsonluisdias/32/691_2.png) [@nelsonluisdias](https://chapel.discourse.group/u/nelsonluisdias)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 7:27pm UTC](https://chapel.discourse.group/t/blatant-return-error-confuses-compiler/49881/4 "2026-05-26T19:27:01Z")

</div>

Thanks Jade and Brad!

Jade, out of curiosity, what editor are you using, and how do you make it interact with the language server?

I opened an issue in the github page.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jabraham](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/chapel.discourse.group/jabraham/32/430_2.png) [@jabraham](https://chapel.discourse.group/u/jabraham)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 7:40pm UTC](https://chapel.discourse.group/t/blatant-return-error-confuses-compiler/49881/5 "2026-05-26T19:40:47Z")

</div>

The screenshot is from vim, but it also works in VSCode

The setup is easiest for VSCode, you just need the language server installed and the vscode Chapel extension (with the resolver turned on). If you have a binary release of Chapel, you should have the language server already installed. If you built from source, you also need to build it with `make chpl-language-server`

For vim, its a little more involved because you need to setup vim with some extra plugins. Other editors will work as well.

There are docs for all of these here: [Editor Support For Chapel — Chapel Documentation 2.9](https://chapel-lang.org/docs/main/usingchapel/editor-support.html). If you use an editor not listed here, the language server will mostly likely work, its just a matter of setting it up.

-Jade

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nelsonluisdias](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/chapel.discourse.group/nelsonluisdias/32/691_2.png) [@nelsonluisdias](https://chapel.discourse.group/u/nelsonluisdias)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 8:06pm UTC](https://chapel.discourse.group/t/blatant-return-error-confuses-compiler/49881/6 "2026-05-26T20:06:27Z")

</div>

thanks!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![damianmoz](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/chapel.discourse.group/damianmoz/32/319_2.png) [@damianmoz](https://chapel.discourse.group/u/damianmoz)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 1:53am UTC](https://chapel.discourse.group/t/blatant-return-error-confuses-compiler/49881/7 "2026-05-27T01:53:43Z")

</div>

Nelson,

I have taken to letting the compiler decide on the return type. In the event that it gets confused between the values at two different return statements, I cast the value(s) as appropriate. I do not rely on the compiler doing any type promotion/coercion.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nelsonluisdias](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/chapel.discourse.group/nelsonluisdias/32/691_2.png) [@nelsonluisdias](https://chapel.discourse.group/u/nelsonluisdias)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://chapel.discourse.group/t/blatant-return-error-confuses-compiler/49881/8 "2026-05-27T16:34:21Z")

</div>

Thanks Damian! Just a thing: doesn't it leave the door open for inadvertent returns of the wrong type? Cheers Nelson

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bradcray](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/chapel.discourse.group/bradcray/32/72_2.png) [@bradcray](https://chapel.discourse.group/u/bradcray)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://chapel.discourse.group/t/blatant-return-error-confuses-compiler/49881/9 "2026-05-27T23:14:11Z")

</div>

> [@bradcray](#):
>
> That said, there is still plenty of room to improve the message, for example by complaining if the result is not a `bool` (or perhaps an `int` if we permit coercions to bool in where-clauses? I can't recall offhand and would need to check...).

For those following this discussion, I've merged a PR to improve Chapel's error messages for unexpected where clause expressions today, so things should be better in `main` or in next month's 2.9 release.

Thanks to Nelson for bringing this issue to our attention,  
-Brad