Combinators

Combinators is a technique where combining several values of the same type gives us back a value of the same type.

For example:

and : Filter -> Filter -> Filter

and is a function that takes two filters and combines them using an AND join. It gives us back another Filter. Given that the return value is the same type, we can keep combining them endlessly.

Some examples of combinators are:

• Html
• Cmd.batch
• Parsers
• JSON Decoder / Encoders
• Filters e.g. (a AND (b OR c))
• Validations

Anything that resembles a tree is a good candiate for using combinators.

Combinators allow us to:

• Easily test each small part in isolation
• Make complex systems from very small part
• Create different combinations by cherry picking the parts we need