Consider re-naming this package`

[pdeffebach]

DataFramesMeta is not a very clear name to new users. "Meta" means metaprogramming in this context, of course, but it's not clear form the name.

Alternatives: DataFramesMacros?

[bkamins]

I know it was a raised issue, but on the other hand DataFramesMeta.jl is a long established name.

[pdeffebach]

Yes, I think that it would make this package harder to discover and a lot of people would be downloading a no-longer-supported package if we rename.

[jmboehm]

There is https://github.com/matthieugomez/DataFramesMacros.jl. Conceptually, the separation between the two packages is not clear to me, as both packages seem to provide convenience macros that do not impose a particular 'ideology' on how to use DataFrames (in contrast to, say, Query.jl and Douglass.jl)-- except for the LINQ macro.

You're right about the fact that rename the package would break a lot of existing references to it. My sense is that the current user base of Julia's data ecosystem is only a fraction of what it could be, so my preference would be to 'do it right for the long term'. But I see the counterargument.

[pdeffebach]

My impression is that everything in DataFramesMacros.jl will be incorporated into DataFramesMeta in the near-term. We already have a @cols macro that has not been exposed to the user. A @rows macro will be added soon.

Right now the package is an interesting experiment in testing out use x instead of :x inside these macros to refer to column names. I guess it's a bit unfortunate that this package is sitting on such prime namespace, but it's not big deal.

I will leave this issue open for now as a place to discuss further. I see your point about the right thing "long term". I will think on this more.

[CameronBieganek]

I agree that DataFramesMacros.jl would probably be a better name in the long run.

[tk3369]

There's also JuliaDBMeta which probably got the naming idea from this package 😉

[matthieugomez]

+1 for DataFramesMacros (This is the main reason I have not registered it yet). EDIT: DataFramesMacros.jl is now called PairsMacros.jl

[pdeffebach]

Marking this as Decision 1.0.

But this package has a lot of users and i think I don't think it would be best to change at this point in time.

[bkamins]

I would be OK with staying with the current name.

[ym-han]

For those of you who prefer 'DataFrameMacros' / 'DataFramesMacros': why's that?

I personally suspect that there won't be much of a difference between 'Macros' and 'Meta' for new users (though I'm not sure; it's an empirical question). I can see how 'Macros' might seem more descriptive (Wikipedia says: "Macros are used to make a sequence of computing instructions available to the programmer as a single program statement, making the programming task less tedious and less error-prone"). But I'm not sure how much more descriptive 'Macros' really would be than 'Meta' for the sorts of people who don't know much CS / don't do that much computing (I'm thinking, e.g., of a Biostats professor I had last semester who had to reach for his mouse and click his way to the appropriate menu item in RStudio every time he wanted to undo something). And the sorts of folks for whom it would be much more descriptive are likely to be able to find the package anyway.

This is obviously just armchair speculation; I'm raising it only because I don't personally find it obvious that 'Macros' is that much more newbie-friendly.

(Maybe what we need is a third option or something!)

[CameronBieganek]

@ym-han There is now a different registered package called DataFrameMacros, so it's a bit of a moot point now.

https://github.com/jkrumbiegel/DataFrameMacros.jl

[bkamins]

@pdeffebach - I would close this issue.