up previous next

1.7.1 Introduction to Packages

User-defined functions may be saved in separate files and read into a CoCoA session using the source command. If one sources several such files or, especially, if a file is to be made available for general use, a possible problem arises from conflicting function names. If two functions with the same name are read into a CoCoA session, only the one last read survives. To avoid this, functions may be collected in packages.

A CoCoA package is essentially a list of functions labeled with prefix.

Writing a package in CoCoA-5 is slightly different from how it was done in CoCoA-4 it is easier!).