macros should be scoped like functions

[StefanKarpinski]

julia> let x = 1
         macro foo(v)
           :($v+1)
         end
         @foo x
       end
syntax error: macro foo not defined
in run_repl, /Users/stefan/projects/julia/j/client.j:22
in _start, /Users/stefan/projects/julia/j/client.j:134

Ideally, the macro @foo would exist only within the scope of the let block.

[JeffBezanson]

Yes, I know... Scheme got this perfect but I really don't think we'll have time to work on these little staging and scoping details that most people don't notice. Maybe in version 4 :)

[StefanKarpinski]

Yeah, that's fair. I'm just opening an issue so that we know to do it when we have time someday.

[johnwcowan]

IMAO, local macros are more trouble than they are worth. Macros extend the syntax of the language, which is a Good Thing. Local macros are about making the syntax different in some places than other places, which strikes me as a Bad Thing.

[pao]

Macros do currently have some locality in that they can be limited to a module scope.

[StefanKarpinski]

Honestly that seems like as much locality as one really needs. The reason I wanted this originally was to be able to define and use macros without having them pollute the global namespace. Having them be module-local addresses that.

[StefanKarpinski]

To that end, macro declarations should probably be allowed in the same places that module declarations are.