Module syntax

[stefjoosten]

Currently, all files specify a context by means of keywords CONTEXT and ENDCONTEXT.

We will introduce a module mechamism, drawn from Haskell's module mechanism. A module corresponds to one file in the file system. Every module is one name space. In a module there can be anything that can be in the current CONTEXT, such as interfaces, views, rules, relations, concepts, populations etc.

PATTERNs remain, but merely for documentation purposes. That goes for MEANING and PURPOSE too.

[RieksJ]

I propose to no longer require the CONTEXT-syntax in every file. In a prototype, we need the name of the application (e.g. to generate the database name out of). This could (still) be a CONTEXT name but also the name of the outermost MODULE (without file extension), or something else.

Modules can be IMPORTed, by the syntax

     IMPORT  `filename` AS  `prefix`

where the AS prefix is optional. If present, and if name is the name of relation (or concept? or rule?) that is defined in the module, then prefix.name must be used to refer to that relation (concept, rule). If not present, names can be used as defined in the module.

[stefjoosten]

Way of Working

First we will make the concept of Module and express the name-space mechanism in Ampersand itself. This is meant for inclusion in FormalAmpersand. Once that is satisfactory, we can do the same in Haskell in the code of the Ampersand compiler.

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