Feature request: "noexport" keyword

[Steven Schveighoffer]

On Sun, 20 Feb 2011 02:19:39 -0500, Bekenn <leaveme at alone.com> wrote:

> The "export" keyword is a protection attribute, along with "private",  
> "package", "protected", and "public".  This means that it can be used  
> with the same syntax as any of those other attributes; for instance, if  
> creating a D "header" for an existing Windows DLL file, you might do  
> something like this:
>
> 	export extern (Windows):
> 	void func1();
> 	int func2();
> 	...
>
> This notation is convenient when dealing with a very large existing  
> library; it avoids pointless repetition, and there's no need to keep  
> track of a closing end brace (as there would be with the scoped version).
>
> The problem here is that there is no way to cancel an export attribute.  
>   Whereas the other protection attributes can be overridden either  
> locally:
>
> 	public:
> 	void func1();
> 	package int func2();
>
> ...or globally:
>
> 	public:
> 	void func1();
> 	package:
> 	int func2();
>
> ...or with a scoped declaration, there is no way to specify that a given  
> symbol should *not* be exported once the "export:" version is used, or  
> inside a scoped export section.
>
> A "noexport" keyword would be useful in these situations, if for  
> instance you want to add very small convenience functions that are  
> intended to be inlined and are not actually exported members of the DLL:
>
> 	export extern (Windows):
> 	void func1();
> 	int func2();
> 	const(char)* func3(int arg1, int arg2, const(char)* arg3, float arg4,  
> int arg5, void* arg6);
> 	noexport const(char)* simpleFunc3(arg3, arg5, arg6) { return func3(0,  
> 0, arg3, 3.14, arg5, arg6);
> 	void func4();
> 	...
>
> Currently, to get the same effect, you have to either declare  
> simpleFunc3 above the export: line, use a scoped export block, or put  
> simpleFunc3 in an entirely different file.  None of these provide the  
> same level of convenience.
>
> What do you guys think?

I think static should override export.  But in any case, attributes are  
universally applicable in multiple ways (including using scope braces).   
This would probably solve your problem:

extern (Windows):
export {
   void func1();
   void func2();
   const(char)* func3(int arg1, int arg2, const(char)* arg3, float arg4,  
int arg5, void* arg6);
   void func4();
   ...
}

const(char)* simpleFunc3(arg3, arg5, arg6) { return func3(0, 0, arg3,  
3.14, arg5, arg6);