# IDEA: Allow multiple uses statements
**URL:** https://talk.remobjects.com/t/idea-allow-multiple-uses-statements/22045
**Category:** Oxygene
**Tags:** oxygene, language
**Created:** [May 21, 2020, 2:58am UTC](https://talk.remobjects.com/t/idea-allow-multiple-uses-statements/22045 "2020-05-21T02:58:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@deltics](https://talk.remobjects.com/u/deltics)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2020, 2:58am UTC](https://talk.remobjects.com/t/idea-allow-multiple-uses-statements/22045/1 "2020-05-21T02:58:18Z")
The comma separated namespace list in a `uses` statement feels somewhat out of date these days. It could be a simple enhancement to allow multiple, consecutive `uses` statements. Each statement would optionally support a comma separate list of namespaces as currently, or could identify a single namespace.
If used, multiple `uses` clauses must be contiguous. That is you could not have a `uses` statement followed by a `type` declaration followed by a further `uses` statement.
Contiguous `uses` statements would have the same effect as if they were one single statement with all namespaces listed in the order in which they occur in the separate statements.
That is:
```
uses A;
uses B;
uses C;
```
Would be equivalent to:
```
uses A, B;
uses C;
```
Which would be equivalent to:
```
uses A, B, C;
```
This would then provide flexibility in organising uses clauses which could be grouped by root namespace (for example):
```
uses
System,
System.Net;
uses
Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc,
Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
uses
MyApp.MyNamespace;
```
Or, more practically, to list namespaces as discrete references that can be more easily modified without breaking valid termination of the statements (since each is individually moveable/removable, irrespective of current/starting position in the list).
```
uses A;
uses B;
uses C;
```
A small change (?) and granted not exactly a massive leap forward in terms of language technology, but might be worth considering ?
---
### Author:  [@mh](https://talk.remobjects.com/u/mh)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2020, 1:19pm UTC](https://talk.remobjects.com/t/idea-allow-multiple-uses-statements/22045/2 "2020-05-21T13:19:51Z")
While Iām not oppose don principle, Iām not exactly sure what actual _probem_ this solves?
> [@deltics](#):
>
> This would then provide flexibility in organising uses clauses which could be grouped by root namespace (for example):
You can already group (read: sort) them, now?
---
### Author:  [@Theo69](https://talk.remobjects.com/u/Theo69)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://talk.remobjects.com/t/idea-allow-multiple-uses-statements/22045/3 "2020-05-21T18:39:50Z")
It would be easy for code generation.
---
### Author:  [@mh](https://talk.remobjects.com/u/mh)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://talk.remobjects.com/t/idea-allow-multiple-uses-statements/22045/4 "2020-05-21T19:09:26Z")
> [@Theo69](#):
>
> It would be easy for code generation.
How so? Code generation (be it CodeDom, or CG4) has no problem just emitting all namespaces in a single list?
---
### Author:  [@deltics](https://talk.remobjects.com/u/deltics)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://talk.remobjects.com/t/idea-allow-multiple-uses-statements/22045/5 "2020-05-21T21:02:14Z")
tbh grouping was not the primary use case I had in mind. For me, it is the differentiation of the last namespace with the presence of a terminator rather than a separator that is the most significant pain. But still a small one. š
It is a minor problem, to be sure, but when adding namespaces to the list and needing to resort them, it is a pain to have fiddle around with terminators if the change affects the last one in the list.
```
uses
A,
B,
D,
C;
```
You cannot just move `C;` up in the list, you also have to replace the `;` with a ā,ā (and vice versa for the `D` entry). For sure this can be worked around with fugly formatting tricks:
```
uses
A
,B
,D
,C
;
```
Although this solves the problem for the last entry in the list, it just creates a similar one for the first.
With individual `uses` statements:
```
uses A;
uses B;
uses D;
uses C;
```
Each statement is self-contained, allowing each to be moved relative to any other more easily.
It was perhaps a mistake to provide the grouping example first, giving the impression that it was the most important, when the intent was to show that each `uses` statement could still include multiple, comma separated namespaces.
Upon reflection, allowing that might make things more complicated.
It is probably simpler to make this an option: EITHER use a single comma-separated list OR multiple contiguous statements with one namespace per `uses`. This option could then be determined for code generation by settings/configuration (possibly even a directive to allow for per-file configuration).
btw - I think the comment from Theo is thinking of code generation/modification using plain text emitters and handlers, rather than CodeDOM generators/modifiers.
Anyway, it was just an idea. š
---
### Author:  [@RemObjectsSoftware](https://talk.remobjects.com/u/RemObjectsSoftware)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2020, 2:17am UTC](https://talk.remobjects.com/t/idea-allow-multiple-uses-statements/22045/6 "2020-05-22T02:17:12Z")
Thanks, logged as [bugs://84339](https://www.remobjects.com/portal/bugs/?id=84339)
---
### Author:  [@Theo69](https://talk.remobjects.com/u/Theo69)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2020, 11:48am UTC](https://talk.remobjects.com/t/idea-allow-multiple-uses-statements/22045/7 "2020-05-22T11:48:45Z")
> [@mh](#):
>
> How so? Code generation (be it CodeDom, or CG4) has no problem just emitting all namespaces in a single list?
No,manual code generation. - I generate code regurarly from (html) documentation, just for my own project(s); just an exe that takses the sour and writes code in text. And for that case this can be handy.
> [@deltics](#):
>
> btw - I think the comment from Theo is thinking of code generation/modification using plain text emitters and handlers, rather than CodeDOM generators/modifiers.
Exactly what I meant.
---
### Author:  [@RemObjectsSoftware](https://talk.remobjects.com/u/RemObjectsSoftware)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2022, 7:45pm UTC](https://talk.remobjects.com/t/idea-allow-multiple-uses-statements/22045/8 "2022-02-16T19:45:35Z")
[bugs://E24136](https://www.remobjects.com/portal/bugs/?id=E24136) was closed as fixed.
Actually fixed/implemented ages ago, just got closed now.
---
### Author:  [@JohnMoshakis](https://talk.remobjects.com/u/JohnMoshakis)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2022, 8:13pm UTC](https://talk.remobjects.com/t/idea-allow-multiple-uses-statements/22045/9 "2022-02-16T20:13:28Z")
Oh yeah. It does look a bit strange