view mercurial/help/revisions.txt @ 29375:fcaf20175b1b

demandimport: delay loading for "from a import b" with absolute_import

Before this patch, "from a import b" doesn't delay loading module "b",
if absolute_import is enabled, even though "from . import b" does.

For example:

  - it is assumed that extension X has "from P import M" for module M
    under package P with absolute_import feature

  - if importing module M is already delayed before loading extension
    X, loading module M in extension X is delayed until actually
    referring

    util, cmdutil, scmutil or so of Mercurial itself should be
    imported by "from . import M" style before loading extension X

  - otherwise, module M is loaded immediately at loading extension X,
    even if extension X itself isn't used at that "hg" command invocation

    Some minor modules (e.g. filemerge or so) of Mercurial itself
    aren't imported by "from . import M" style before loading
    extension X. And of course, external libraries aren't, too.

This might cause startup performance problem of hg command, because
many bundled extensions already enable absolute_import feature.

To delay loading module for "from a import b" with absolute_import
feature, this patch does below in "from a (or .a) import b" with
absolute_import case:

  1. import root module of "name" by system built-in __import__
     (referred as _origimport)

  2. recurse down the module chain for hierarchical "name"

     This logic can be shared with non absolute_import
     case. Therefore, this patch also centralizes it into chainmodules().

  3. and fall through to process elements in "fromlist" for the leaf
     module of "name"

     Processing elements in "fromlist" is executed in the code path
     after "if _pypy: .... else: ..." clause. Therefore, this patch
     replaces "if _pypy:" with "elif _pypy:" to share it.

At 4f1144c3c72b introducing original "work around" for "from a import
b" case, elements in "fromlist" were imported with "level=level". But
"level" might be grater than 1 (e.g. level=2 in "from .. import b"
case) at demandimport() invocation, and importing direct sub-module in
"fromlist" with level grater than 1 causes unexpected result.

IMHO, this seems main reason of "errors for unknown reason" described
in 4f1144c3c72b, and we don't have to worry about it, because this
issue was already fixed by 78d05778907b.

This is reason why this patch removes "errors for unknown reasons"
comment.

Mercurial supports several ways to specify individual revisions.

A plain integer is treated as a revision number. Negative integers are
treated as sequential offsets from the tip, with -1 denoting the tip,
-2 denoting the revision prior to the tip, and so forth.

A 40-digit hexadecimal string is treated as a unique revision
identifier.

A hexadecimal string less than 40 characters long is treated as a
unique revision identifier and is referred to as a short-form
identifier. A short-form identifier is only valid if it is the prefix
of exactly one full-length identifier.

Any other string is treated as a bookmark, tag, or branch name. A
bookmark is a movable pointer to a revision. A tag is a permanent name
associated with a revision. A branch name denotes the tipmost open branch head
of that branch - or if they are all closed, the tipmost closed head of the
branch. Bookmark, tag, and branch names must not contain the ":" character.

The reserved name "tip" always identifies the most recent revision.

The reserved name "null" indicates the null revision. This is the
revision of an empty repository, and the parent of revision 0.

The reserved name "." indicates the working directory parent. If no
working directory is checked out, it is equivalent to null. If an
uncommitted merge is in progress, "." is the revision of the first
parent.