[m-dev.] Module qualification of typeclass methods

[Fergus Henderson]

On 23-Nov-2001, Simon Taylor <stayl at cs.mu.OZ.AU> wrote:
> On 23-Nov-2001, Fergus Henderson <fjh at cs.mu.OZ.AU> wrote:
> > On 23-Nov-2001, Simon Taylor <stayl at cs.mu.OZ.AU> wrote:
> > > On 22-Nov-2001, Peter Ross <peter.ross at miscrit.be> wrote:
> > > > On Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 12:10:39AM +1100, Simon Taylor wrote:
> > > > > If the System.Data.{SqlClient,SqlTypes,OleDb,Common} modules are all used
> > > > > then `:- import_package System.Data.*' might be appropriate, but I
> > > > > shouldn't be tempted to import everything just to use some of the
> > > > > basic classes (DataColumn, etc.) in System.Data. `:- auto_import'
> > > > > should be used to import the modules for the basic classes.
> > > > > 
> > > > I would argue that this is a packaging problem.  The .NET library
> > > > designers decided to put all these classes into one deployment unit
> > > > (assembly).
> > > >
> > > > I would argue that the namespace pollution issue is due to bad library
> > > > design, rather then a problem with the import_package declaration.
> > > 
> > > I would argue that it's a bit of both.
> > > 
> > > Any extension to the module system should gracefully handle libraries
> > > which aren't organised in the ideal way (whatever that is).
> > > As this example demonstrates, `:- import_package' does not.
> > 
> > I don't find this example particularly convincing...
> > just use `:- use_package'.
> 
> I don't think that's an acceptable solution.
> Why do we have `:- import_module' at all?

So people can be sloppy.

> Why shouldn't we be able to use it for the .NET library?

You should.  And if you want to be really sloppy,
you should use `:- import_package'.

> > Anyway, even if this example was serious problem,
> > is `:- auto_import' going to solve it?
> > The user of the package is at the mercy of the package designer.
> > If the package designer didn't factor the modules well in the first place,
> > what makes you think they're going to use `:- auto_import' well?
> 
> In this case it's not the package designer using `:- auto_import',
> it's the .NET interface generation tool.

Exactly my point -- how is this automatic tool going to know which
`:- auto_import' declarations to use?

-- 
Fergus Henderson <fjh at cs.mu.oz.au>  |  "I have always known that the pursuit
The University of Melbourne         |  of excellence is a lethal habit"
WWW: <http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/~fjh>  |     -- the last words of T. S. Garp.
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