From: janosch-x via ruby-core <ruby-core@...>
Date: 2023-06-21T20:12:48+00:00
Subject: [ruby-core:113978] [Ruby master Feature#19742] Introduce `Module#anonymous?`

Issue #19742 has been updated by janosch-x (Janosch M�ller).





`#permanent?` is not very descriptive IMO. If I hadn't seen the code above, or the C code with that vocabulary, I would have a hard time guessing what its about. I'd probably guess it has to do with GC or so.



As seen in Xavier Noria's example, the word `anonymous` also does not cover *all* the ways in which a `Module#name` can become useless or wrong.



Then again, it might be really rare that people need to differentiate between the const-override case and say, classical anonymous modules or removed consts. So maybe it is not worth it to leak these subtleties to end users and the slightly imprecise `anonymous` is fine. A short and precise name that covers all cases is hard to find. Something like `#assigned_to_original_const?` doesn't exactly roll off the tongue...



----------------------------------------

Feature #19742: Introduce `Module#anonymous?`

https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/19742#change-103636



* Author: ioquatix (Samuel Williams)

* Status: Open

* Priority: Normal

----------------------------------------

As a follow-on <from https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/19521>, I'd like propose we introduce `Module#anonymous?`.



In some situations, like logging/formatting, serialisation/deserialization, debugging or meta-programming, we might like to know if a class is a proper constant or not.



However, this brings about some other issues which might need to be discussed.



After assigning a constant, then removing it, the internal state of Ruby still believes that the class name is permanent, even thought it's no longer true.



e.g.



```

m = Module.new

m.anonymous? # true



M = m

m.anonyomous # false



Object.send(:remove_const, :M)

M # uninitialized constant M (NameError)



m.anonymous? # false

```



Because RCLASS data structure is not updated after the constant is removed, internally the state still has a "permanent class name".



I want to use this proposal to discuss this issue and whether there is anything we should do about such behaviour (or even if it's desirable).



Proposed PR: https://github.com/ruby/ruby/pull/7966



cc @fxn







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