Modules/SetExports

STATUS: PROPOSAL, DISCUSSION

Specification

This proposal amends Modules/1.1.

• The "module" free variable exposes a "setExports" function.
• This function sets the module's export to the first argument, and returns it.
• To prevent problems with inconsistencies in the case of circular dependencies, if the module has already been required by another module, calling module.setExports() must throw an Error.

Relevant Discussions

• http://groups.google.com/group/commonjs/browse_thread/thread/11c6f25c46b3837b/c208f92d98c4f72c

Show of Hands

Those in favor of incorporating this proposal in the next minor revision of Modules/1:

• Isaac Schlueter
• Dean Landolt
• Kevin Dangoor
• Kris Zyp
• Francisco Tolmasky
• Jhuni

Those against:

• Mark S. Miller -- keep it simple. Why is there even a "module" free variable anyway?
• Ihab Awad
• Wes Garland
• Ondrej Zara -- a sane function (require) ought to return one data type
• Daniel Friesen
• Tom Robinson

Prototypes

• Node (isaacs branch)
• Narwhal (kriskowal's refactor and using-packages branches, landing in the 0.3 timeframe if ratified)