defining function scope changes how result is returned

ih — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 01:11:18 GMT

Why don't all three of these return their unevaluated argument like the first one does? Is there a way to make the last two work like the first? Inside the function, e is still unevaluated, this seems to happen when the result is returned.

names default to here(1);
ns = New Namespace("n");

   foo = function({e}, Name Expr(e) );
ns:bar = function({e}, Name Expr(e) );

show(      foo( expr( notavar     ) ) ); // expected    returns notavar, unevalauted
show( here:foo( expr( notavarhere ) ) ); // unexpected  tries to evaluate notavarhere
show(   ns:bar( expr( notavarns   ) ) ); // unexpected  tries to evaluate notavarns

Inside the function e is unevaluated, as expected:

ns:bart = function( {e}, Show( Name Expr(e) ) );
ns:bart( expr( notavar ) );              // expected, unevaluated

There is an uninspiring workaround by copying the function to the current default namespace, although it doesn't solve nested function calls.

localbar = name expr( ns:bar );
show( localbar( expr( notavar ) ) );     // expected, unevaluated

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defining function scope changes how result is returned