[Haskell-cafe] Packages and modules

[Ian Lynagh]

On Mon, Jun 26, 2006 at 04:20:16PM +0100, Brian Hulley wrote:
> 
> I don't think this solves the whole problem. Suppose M1 needs to use A.B.C 
> from P1 *and* A.B.C from P2

For a simple example of a case where this might arise, suppose M1 is the
migration module for data (stored in a database, received over a
network, or some other such case) in P version 1's format to P version
2's format.

> [from wiki]
> >import Packages.Gtk-1_3_4.Widget.Button

I'm also not a fan of this magic Packages.* hierarchy, nor the package
name change hoops it makes us jump through.

>   package gtk-1_3_4 as Gtk
> or
>   package gtk as Gtk -- use the current version of gtk
> or
>   if package directive is omitted an import Xyz/Mod is equivalent to:
> 
>         package xyz as Xyz -- initial letter capitalised
>         import Xyz/Mod

The "package gtk as Gtk" bit makes sense to me, but I'd expect then to
use "Gtk.Foo.Bar" for module "Foo.Bar" in package "Gtk".

"import gtk-1.3.4/Foo.Bar" also makes sense, although personally I'd
prefer the syntax

    from gtk-1.3.4 import Foo.Bar

where either "from <packagename>" is an optional prefix to current
import declaration syntax, or "from <packagename>" starts a block so we
can say

    from gtk1
        import Foo.Bar  as Gtk1.Foo.Bar
        import Baz.Quux as Gtk1.Baz.Quux
    from gtk2
        import Foo.Bar  as Gtk2.Foo.Bar
        import Baz.Quux as Gtk2.Baz.Quux

If we have gtk-1.something and gtk-2.something (rather than
gtk1-version and gtk2-version as above) then we'd probably instead want
the wiki's

    -package gtk-2.0.1=Gtk2

which could be generated due to a .cabal build-depends of

    gtk (>= 2) as Gtk2


Thanks
Ian