Name Resolution & Scoping

Marks can be given names with .name(...) and referenced elsewhere — across charts — via ref(name) (the single matching node) or selectAll(name) (one ref per matching node). GoFish resolves those names with hygienic, bounded scoping rather than letting every descendant name bubble up globally. This essay will explain the resolution algorithm and the design rationale.

Layer-name registration now obeys the same component-boundary hygiene as string-name ref resolution always has: a name registered inside a createMark component is internal to that component and is not selectable from outside. The inline-layout lookup and the chart-data (ref/selectAll) lookup therefore share one scoping rule.

Planned contents

• How .name() registers a node and how ref / selectAll resolve it.
• Hygienic scoping: why names are bounded to a scope instead of bubbling to all descendants, and what bug class that prevents.
• Interaction with the context system and with the layout passes.
• Cross-chart references and ref marks.

Source

Likely covers:: the name/scope resolution code under packages/gofish-graphics/src/ast/. Add the covers: frontmatter when writing this up, then run pnpm --filter docs sync-backlinks.