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=head1 TITLE
Proposal to rename C<import> and C<unimport>
=head1 VERSION
Maintainer: Jonathan Scott Duff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: 8 Aug 2000
Last-Modified: 1 Sep 2000
Mailing List: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Version: 3
Number: 74
Status: Developing
=head1 ABSTRACT
C<import()> and C<unimport> should be C<IMPORT> and C<UNIMPORT>
respectively, in keeping with all of the other special-to-Perl names.
=head1 DESCRIPTION
The Perl documentation says that
use Module LIST;
is equivalent to
BEGIN { require Module; import Module LIST; }
so that C<use Module LIST> automatically calls the C<import> routine
for that module if it exists. Thus C<import> is a routine that has
special meaning to Perl. This RFC proposes that C<import> and C<unimport>
be renamed to C<IMPORT> and C<UNIMPORT> respectively. This would be
consistent with the naming of all other subroutines that are special
to Perl.
Nathan Wiger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> suggests that we create an C<import>
keyword (and I assume an C<unimport> keyword as well) that calls
C<import Module LIST>. The author of this RFC would rather not add
new keywords. However, I see no reason why the B<module> author
should not provide an C<import()> routine that is simply an alias for
C<IMPORT()>.
=head1 IMPLEMENTATION
Just change the names!
=head1 MIGRATION
The Perl5 -> Perl6 translator should provide a C<import> alias for the
C<IMPORT> routine to ease migration. Likewise for C<unimport>.
=head1 REFERENCES
Perl 5.6.0 documentation
RFC 59: Proposal to utilize C<*> as the prefix to magic subroutines
Email from Nathan Wiger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> that went to perl6-language
but I can't find at www.mail-archive.com :-(
