@with macro clashes with Base.@with in Julia 1.11+

[tkemmer]

Julia 1.11 is the first version to export Base.@with:

help?> @with
  @with vars... expr

  Macro version of with(f, vars...) but with expr instead of f function. This is similar to using with with a do block, but avoids creating a closure.

This causes a name conflict with DataFramesMeta.@with (i.e., error when the latter used in a module). MWE:

julia> module Foo
    using DataFrames, DataFramesMeta

    const df = DataFrame(a = [1, 2, 3])
    print() = @with df println.(:a)
end
WARNING: both DataFramesMeta and Base export "@with"; uses of it in module Foo must be qualified
ERROR: LoadError: UndefVarError: `@with` not defined
in expression starting at REPL[14]:6

[bkamins]

This is indeed a problematic issue. Probably we need to un-export @with (and the question is if there is a sensible way to rename it).

[pdeffebach]

This is definitely a bummer. Honestly, it seems like a pretty niche application (apply a function with in a temporary context) to use for such an obvious name.

We should brainstorm a renaming.

R calls this feature attach, but I don't think that's a very good name and attach has a bad reputation in the R community (for reasons which don't apply to DataFramesMeta.jl).

[bkamins]

I would go for withdf or with_df or with_dataframe. Since it is a metapackage probably sortest i.e. withdf is my preference. Also with such a name there is low risk of name clash in the future.

[pdeffebach]

Thats a good idea. And will likely be the answer.

[pdeffebach]

@bkamins I've thought about this and decided @attach is the best name. @withdf is awkward because people will write @withdf df begin ... (assuming they name their dataframe df).

Maybe @attaching?

[bkamins]

@attach is OK (it is a common name, but hopefully with low risk of overlap.

[nathanrboyer]

That is a bummer that @with has to change. FWIW, I like the @withdf name better than @attach.

@withdf is awkward because people will write @withdf df begin ...

I understand that you don't like the repeated df df, but if you read it this way, I think it is natural: "With data frame df, begin ..." or "With data frame iris, begin ...".

@attach iris, in contrast, sounds like the end of the sentence: "Attach iris. Begin ...". This makes less sense to me, since attach doesn't feel like it needs begin.

[pdeffebach]

We could do @attaching but that's more characters.

@using would have been great, but of course that will confuse people a lot.

Maybe @from ? As in, when I see :x I know that column is from df.