Assertions

In many languages, the source files and the test files are typically kept separate. With arrow testing, it is possible to have a reasonable amount of testing integrated naturally into the code.

To expand on this, assertions can be integrated into the code as well. The effect of an assertion can be assumed to limit the domain of a value, often relative to other values and inputs within the function. There are two major purposes to this.

First, the assertions are used for testing. In a specific test function, it would act like a normal unit test or integration test. When integrated into the main code functions, it behaves like property testing. Those tests can run one of two ways. If it is possible to prove the assertion using the type system's type properties, it is the best assurance. Otherwise, a testing Engine can attempt to provide inputs that are random and edge cases to verify that the assertion is always true. See the testing document for more details.

The other key benefit of the assertions is that they can serve as a key input with respect to type properties. Because the assertion is true, it can be used to trigger various implications. From there, the type inference engine can use it to better understand the surrounding code. So, the assertions can be used to give "type hints" to help make up for holes in the type inference process.