Rename mod.rs files to self.rs

[ghost]

Rendered view

[huonw]

Self is used to refer to the type implementing the enclosing trait, not the trait itself.

[nmsmith]

I think this is a worthwhile change for consistency, and the changeover wouldn't be much trouble.

[steveklabnik]

I strongly prefer name_of_the_module.rs.

[bvssvni]

I like to the keep the name of the module separate from the directory structure. This means you can copy & paste it to another project without needing to change the name in the source.

mod.rs has a connection to the convention of lib.rs and main.rs/bin.rs. The difference is that mod.rs is enforced by the compiler.

mod.rs is good enough for me, but I would not mind changing to self.rs either. To me it looks like choosing between two different conventions that both makes sense to some extent.

[mrhandle]

i am a newbie so take my view with a grain of salt

doesn't self refer to too many things already? this is bound to be confusing for newbies.

[ghost]

We could have a nice correspondence between import-trees and files/folders given the changes discussed here and particularly demonstrated by this comment

[alexchandel]

For those unaware, mod.rs is good because mod is a keyword. There could never be a module or submodule called mod mod or ::mod, or a normal file called mod.rs, so this blindspot in the configuration space of names is repurposed for the language. And after all, the mod.rs file contains the mod block for the directory, so it makes sense to call it mod.rs.

You could say the same for mod self. I see the appeal of self.rs due to its similarity to the self implementation parameter and the self module reference. But these meanings are unrelated. One refers to both the implicit self parameter and the type of said parameter, while the other refers to the current module namespace. But it feels a little abusive to me, to create a third meaning for self. I'm not sure there's enough overlap with any of the current meanings. Sure, self:: inside directory/self.rs still refers to the mod directory, but self:: inside some_other.rs refers to mod some_other, not the mod directory. And the complementary super.rs is still meaningless. But someone who knows more about the design of Rust's module system like @alexcrichton might have a clearer view of this.

I think name_of_the_directory_module.rs isn't very desirable, since this makes the foo::foo submodule impossible, or at least a convoluted case. I like keeping the "special" rust file independent of the directory naming. However, the fact that generally the filename is the name_of_the_module.rs is a reason self.rs works.

Edited for clarity.

[liigo]

I prefer mod.rs.

[alexcrichton]

Thanks for taking the time to write an RFC! We talked about this at today's triage meeting, and we've decided to not change the conventions which we have in place today.