Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!dali!milton!blake!unicorn!n8243274
From: n8243274@unicorn.WWU.EDU (steven l. odegard)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.modula2
Subject: Re: IMPORTS and includes
Message-ID: <761@unicorn.WWU.EDU>
Date: 2 May 90 04:24:48 GMT
References: <4305.262FA33C@puddle.fidonet.org> <1812@gould.doc.ic.ac.uk>
Reply-To: n8243274@unicorn.WWU.EDU (steven l. odegard)
Organization: Western Washington Univ, Bellingham, WA
Lines: 34

Okay, here is my $.02 worth about the pain of IMPORTing all those names
explicitely, though I thought that by now everyone would have syntax-directed
editors....

Do it this way:
	IMPLEMENTATION MODULE Whatchamacallit ;
	IMPORT InOut QUALIFIED ; (* employ a new concept, "qualified import" *)
        ...(*rest of module*)
	END Whatchamacallit .

Why muck up the language by requiring the parser to recognize a new word
ALL?  (Excuse me while I put on my flame-retardant suit...)

Those who don't like the keywork QUALIFIED used this way can pick another of
the 110 of the "reserved" words.  May I suggest the following syntax for
importing in new MODULA-like languages:

	LANGUAGENAME programname ;
	IMPORT
	  FROM InOut WITH WriteString, WriteLn, WriteCard ;
	  FROM SYSTEM WITH WORD, BYTE, ADDRESS ;
	  FROM CommonInputOutputProcedures QUALIFIED ;
	  FROM TerminalIO ;
	EXPORT QUALIFIED OpenWindow, CloseWindow, WriteWindow ;

	  LANGUAGENAME submodulename ;
	  ...(*rest of module*)
	  END submodulename ;

	END programname .


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