Dynamic Namespaces

[StartAutomating]

Dynamic Namespaces

Why should a dynamic language have static namespaces?

If a developer can dynamically define a variable, alias, or function with literally any name, and items can be queried efficiently enough, it makes a startling amount of sense to be able to dynamically define a namespace, too.

PipeScript should embrace dynamic namespacing.

That is, it should be easy to define a namespace in PipeScript, and the namespaces should be as dynamic as possible.

To that end, let us start to think of a dynamic namespace as "a pattern for names".

Justification

In many ways, it already has (see #452). Modules can define CommandTypes, which use a name and pattern to identify themselves.

This is a somewhat awkward name, as it overlaps with the built-in concept of Command Types.

By starting to call these namespaces, the concept should be clear to most programmers.

By letting them be as dynamic as the language they live in, they should be incredibly powerful.

Architecture

A namespace should be able to be self-described in any [PSObject], provided it has the typename 'Namespace'.

Core namespace support will be implemented in .types.ps1xml

Then any object can choose to become a namespace, simply by adding Namespace to it's .pstypenames.

Putting it very simply:

• Anything can become a namespace #1134

Once namespaces are easy to declare, they are easy to work with.

Implementation

Dynamic namespaces will bring some core changes to PipeScript:

• using namespace should support dynamic namespaces #1133

Any namespace will be able to perform the following methods:

• Namespace.Get should return $this or other namespaces #1136
• Namespace.Set should change $this or other namespaces
• Namespace.New should create namespaces from any object #1135

Any namespace will have the following ScriptProperties:

• Namespace.get/set_Pattern should get and set the pattern #1137
• Namespace.get_Alias should get aliases in a namespace #1138
• Namespace.get_Cmdlet should get cmdlets in a namespace #1139
• Namespace.get_Function should get functions in a namespace #1140
• Namespace.get_Filter should get filters in a namespace #1141
• Namespace.get_PSType should get PSTypes in a namespace #1142
• Namespace.get_Type should get types in a namespace #1143
• Namespace.get_Variable should get variables in a namespace #1144
• Namespace.get_Environment should get environment variables in a namespace #1145
• Namespace.get_Command should return namespace commands #1146

Any namespace will have the following ScriptMethods:

• Namespace.Member(s)() will return members of objects that are in the namespace. #1148

Namespaces should have fairly good formatting:

• Namespace default formatting should display the name and pattern #1147