WebAssembly / WebAssembly/component-model

Package declaration syntax clarity

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Description

The current syntax for a package declaration is this:

package-decl        ::= 'package' ( id ':' )+ id ( '/' id )* ('@' valid-semver)?

The spec doesn't describe the purpose of the ( '/' id )* part, and I think it's misplaced. For instance, in use wasi:io/streams@0.2.6.{output-stream};, the slash comes after the package name and is used to denote a sub-package resource (an interface). A package declaration should probably be this:

package-decl        ::= 'package' ( id ':' )+ id ('@' valid-semver)?

If there's something important I'm missing, then it's missing from the spec.

I might also chime in that I think the version and sub-resource components of a use statement could be switched, i.e. use wasi:cli@0.2.0/imports instead of use wasi:cli/imports@0.2.0.

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Research direction

Start with the package-decl grammar in the specification and compare it with the use wasi:io/streams@0.2.6.{output-stream} example. Clarify whether slash-separated identifiers belong in package declarations, then update the grammar and explain the syntax; resolve the proposed ordering question for use statements.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
wasm
Domain
documentation
Issue type
Documentation
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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