Failure to render links for specs when using Elixir 1.17 or later

[garazdawi]

The code in ExDoc.Language.Erlang.autolink_spec has started to break for certain modules when ex_doc uses Elixir 1.17 or later.

When building the docs in Erlang/OTP for mnesia I get the error below.

I did a git bisect of elixir to figure out what caused the regression and it is this commit: elixir-lang/elixir@d68c8d6

I'm unsure if the fault is with the change that was introduced in Elixir or if it is how ExDoc uses the type parser...

      warning: internal inconsistency, please submit bug: "atom" != "'...'"
      │
 1035 │ -spec activity(AccessContext, Fun, [Arg::_], Mod) -> t_result(Res) | Res when
      │ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      │
      └─ (mnesia 4.23.2) /home/eluklar/git/otp/lib/mnesia/src/mnesia.erl:1035: :mnesia.activity/4

      warning: spec references type ".../0" but it is undefined or private
      │
 1035 │ -spec activity(AccessContext, Fun, [Arg::_], Mod) -> t_result(Res) | Res when
      │ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      │
      └─ (mnesia 4.23.2) /home/eluklar/git/otp/lib/mnesia/src/mnesia.erl:1035: :mnesia.activity/4

     warning: internal inconsistency, please submit bug: "non_neg_integer" != "'...'"
     │
 799 │ -spec sync_transaction(Fun, Retries) -> t_result(Res) when
     │ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     │
     └─ (mnesia 4.23.2) /home/eluklar/git/otp/lib/mnesia/src/mnesia.erl:799: :mnesia.sync_transaction/2

     warning: spec references type ".../0" but it is undefined or private
     │
 799 │ -spec sync_transaction(Fun, Retries) -> t_result(Res) when
     │ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     │
     └─ (mnesia 4.23.2) /home/eluklar/git/otp/lib/mnesia/src/mnesia.erl:799: :mnesia.sync_transaction/2

     warning: internal inconsistency, please submit bug: "t_result" != "non_neg_integer"
     │
 799 │ -spec sync_transaction(Fun, Retries) -> t_result(Res) when
     │ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     │
     └─ (mnesia 4.23.2) /home/eluklar/git/otp/lib/mnesia/src/mnesia.erl:799: :mnesia.sync_transaction/2

     warning: internal inconsistency, please submit bug: "non_neg_integer" != "'...'"
     │
 821 │ -spec sync_transaction(Fun, [Arg::_], Retries) -> t_result(Res) when
     │ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     │
     └─ (mnesia 4.23.2) /home/eluklar/git/otp/lib/mnesia/src/mnesia.erl:821: :mnesia.sync_transaction/3

     warning: spec references type ".../0" but it is undefined or private
     │
 821 │ -spec sync_transaction(Fun, [Arg::_], Retries) -> t_result(Res) when
     │ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     │
     └─ (mnesia 4.23.2) /home/eluklar/git/otp/lib/mnesia/src/mnesia.erl:821: :mnesia.sync_transaction/3

     warning: internal inconsistency, please submit bug: "non_neg_integer" != "'...'"
     │
 786 │ -spec transaction(Fun, [Arg::_], Retries) -> t_result(Res) when
     │ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     │
     └─ (mnesia 4.23.2) /home/eluklar/git/otp/lib/mnesia/src/mnesia.erl:786: :mnesia.transaction/3

     warning: spec references type ".../0" but it is undefined or private
     │
 786 │ -spec transaction(Fun, [Arg::_], Retries) -> t_result(Res) when
     │ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     │
     └─ (mnesia 4.23.2) /home/eluklar/git/otp/lib/mnesia/src/mnesia.erl:786: :mnesia.transaction/3

View "html" docs at "html/index.html"

[josevalim]

I am looking into this and I think your fix is correct. Before ... could be written either as {:..., _, nil} a variable or as a call {:..., _, []}. Now it can only be a call and we were not handling it. The bug was there before, we were just not running into it. :)