Getting Clojure

Chapter 9Namespaces

One of the best things about programming is that you are never done. Solve one problem, and chances are that three other issues tag along with your solution. You can find a great example of this in naming things in programs. It’s hard to imagine anything more important to a clear and concise program than well-chosen names. But create enough names, and now you have a new problem: how do you tell the difference between the book var in your book-store application, the book function that records revenue for the accounting department, and the function that registers a police arrest? In short, how do you manage the names?

In this chapter we’re going to look at Clojure’s answer to that question, the namespace. We’ll see how you ...