bifunctorlike

Bifunctorlike is a conceptual term used in functional programming and category theory to describe types that exhibit a "bifunctorial" behavior, even if they don't strictly implement the Bifunctor type class or interface. A bifunctor is a type constructor that takes two type arguments and can be "mapped" over independently for each of those arguments. For instance, in languages with explicit type classes or interfaces, a bifunctor `F` would typically have a function like `bimap :: (a -> b) -> (c -> d) -> F a c -> F b d`.

A type can be considered "bifunctorlike" if it has operations that allow for transformation of its contained values based on functions applied to each of its type parameters. This means you can provide a function for the first type parameter and a separate function for the second type parameter to modify the contents of the bifunctorlike type. This property is valuable for code reuse and composability, as it allows for targeted transformations without needing to unpack and repack the entire structure.

Examples of types that are often considered bifunctorlike include tuples, which hold two values of potentially different types. While a tuple might not have a built-in `bimap` function, you can achieve the same effect by applying functions to its individual components. Similarly, certain algebraic data types or custom data structures with two generic parameters can exhibit bifunctorlike behavior if they provide appropriate mapping functions for each parameter. The concept emphasizes the underlying pattern of dual mapping rather than a strict adherence to a specific interface.