[Proposal] Make stdlib index types Hashable

proposals/0188-stdlib-index-types-hashable.md

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+# Make Standard Library Index Types Hashable
+
+* Proposal: [SE-0188](0188-stdlib-index-types-hashable.md)
+* Author: [Nate Cook](https://github.com/natecook1000)
+* Review Manager: [Ben Cohen](https://github.com/airspeedswift)
+* Status: **Active Review (November 8...14, 2017)**
+* Implementation: [apple/swift#12777](https://github.com/apple/swift/pull/12777)
+
+## Introduction
+
+Key-path expressions can now include subscripts to reference individual positions in collections and other subscriptable types, but only when the subscript parameters are `Hashable`. To provide maximum utility, the standard library index types should all have `Hashable` conformance added.
+
+Swift-evolution "thread:" [[draft] Make Standard Library Index Types Hashable](https://lists.swift.org/pipermail/swift-evolution/Week-of-Mon-20171030/040908.html)
+
+## Motivation
+
+You can only use subscripts in key-path expressions when the subscript parameter type is `Hashable`. This means that you can use a subscript as part of a key-path expression with an array, which uses `Int` as its index type, but not with a string, which uses a custom index type.
+
+```swift
+let numbers = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50]
+let firstValue = \[Int].[0]
+print(numbers[keyPath: firstValue])     // 10
+
+let string = "Helloooo!"
+let firstChar = \String.[string.startIndex]
+// error: subscript index of type 'String.Index' in a key path must be Hashable
+```
+
+## Proposed solution
+
+This proposal would add `Hashable` conformance to all the index types in the standard library. With that done, `[Int]`, `String`, and all other standard libary collections would have the same behavior when using subscripts in key paths.
+
+## Detailed design
+
+For index types that wrap an internal offset or other value, adding `Hashable` conformance will be simple. For index types that wrap another index type, such as `ReversedIndex`, `Hashable` conformance must wait until the implementation of conditional conformance is complete. 
+
+This is the breakdown of the standard library's index types:
+
+#### Simple Index Types
+
+- `Int` (already `Hashable`)
+- `Dictionary.Index`
+- `Set.Index`
+- `String.Index`
+
+#### Wrapping Index Types
+
+- `ClosedRangeIndex`
+- `FlattenCollectionIndex`
+- `LazyDropWhileIndex`
+- `LazyFilterIndex`
+- `LazyPrefixWhileIndex`
+- `ReversedIndex`
+
+`AnyIndex`, which type erases any index type at run-time, would not be hashable since it might wrap a non-hashable type.
+
+## Source compatibility
+
+This is an additive change in the behavior of standard library index types, so it should pose no source compatibility burden. Specifically, this proposal does *not* change the requirements for an index type in the `Collection` protocol, so collections and custom index types that have been written in prior versions of Swift will be unaffected.
+
+## Effect on ABI stability & API resilience
+
+Beyond an additional conformance for the types mentioned above, this proposal has no effect on ABI stability or API resilience.
+
+## Alternatives considered
+
+None.
+