3.5 Code Binding-Space Adjusters🔗ℹ

A spacer is a compile-time function that is used by forms like rhombus to determine how names within a typeset form should be linked to documentation. For example, :: in some contexts should be linked to the :: expression operator, and in other contexts to the :: binding operator. In general, typeset code cannot be executed or expanded to determine those bindings. Instead, links are determined by a combination of meta_label imports and spacer-applied properties. Spacers thus provide an approximate and best-effort attempt to properly link names in documentation.

The body result should be a syntax object like '$self_id $tail_id', but where space properties are added within self_id and tail_id via functions like set and adjust_term. Take care to preserve syntax locations and properties via Syntax.relocate when reconstructing syntax objects; functions like adjust_term use Syntax.relocate automatically, but can obviously only cover the given syntax object.

The context_id argument will be a keyword, symbol, or list of symbols corresponding to one of the spaces. The spacer’s behavior might depend on that context, but often it’s passed along as-is to functions like set or adjust_group.

The esc_id argument is an identifier or operator syntax object that specifies an escape operator, such as #,. Spacing should general not traverse into escaped forms.

A Context represents one or more spaces for recording as a property or adding further space annotations. When a Context is a list to be recorded in a property, space symbols in the list will be tried first to last to look for link-target bindings within each space.