3.7 Modules and Paths

Define: Module

All Haxe code is organized in modules, which are addressed using paths. In essence, each .hx file represents a module which may contain several types. A type may be private, in which case only its containing module can access it.

The distinction of a module and its containing type of the same name is blurry by design. In fact, addressing haxe.ds.StringMap<Int> can be considered shorthand for haxe.ds.StringMap.StringMap<Int>. The latter version consists of four parts:

  1. the package haxe.ds
  2. the module name StringMap
  3. the type name StringMap
  4. the type parameter Int

If the module and type name are equal, the duplicate can be removed, leading to the haxe.ds.StringMap<Int> short version. However, knowing about the extended version helps with understanding how module sub-types are addressed.

Paths can be shortened further by using an import, which typically allows omitting the package part of a path. This may lead to usage of unqualified identifiers, for which understanding the resolution order is required.

Define: Type path

The (dot-)path to a type consists of the package, the module name and the type name. Its general form is pack1.pack2.packN.ModuleName.TypeName.