I have 3 files: 1) cpf0.ml type string = char list type url = string type var = string type name = string type symbol = | Symbol_name of name 2) problem.ml: type symbol = | Ident of string 3) test.ml open Problem;; open Cpf0;; let symbol b = function | Symbol_name n -> Ident n When I combine test.ml: ocamlc -c test.ml. I received an error: This expression has type Cpf0.name = char list but an expression was expected of type string Could you please help me to correct it? Thank you very much EDIT: Thank you for your answer. I want to explain more about these 3 files: Because I am working with extraction in Coq to Ocaml type: cpf0.ml is generated from cpf.v : Require Import String. Definition string := string. Definition name := string. Inductive symbol := | Symbol_name : name -> symbol. The code extraction.v: Set Extraction Optimize. Extraction Language Ocaml. Require ExtrOcamlBasic ExtrOcamlString. Extraction Blacklist cpf list. where ExtrOcamlString I opened: open Cpf0;; in problem.ml, and I got a new problem because in problem.ml they have another definition for type string This expression has type Cpf0.string = char list but an expression was expected of type Util.StrSet.elt = string Here is a definition in util.ml defined type string: module Str = struct type t = string end;; module StrOrd = Ord.Make (Str);; module StrSet = Set.Make (StrOrd);; module StrMap = Map.Make (StrOrd);; let set_add_chk x s = if StrSet.mem x s then failwith (x ^ " already declared") else StrSet.add x s;; I was trying to change t = string to t = char list, but if I do that I have to change a lot of function it depend on (for example: set_add_chk above). Could you please give me a good idea? how I would do in this case.