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basic namespace question, and access to BinarySearch

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg131596] basic namespace question, and access to BinarySearch
• From: Alan <alan.isaac at gmail.com>
• Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 03:33:47 -0400 (EDT)
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What is the proper way to get access to a package without adding that
package to $ContextPath?  If I use Needs, the package name is added to
$ContextPath.  (Of course I can remove items from $ContextPath.)

Motivations: 1. I would like a cleaner namespace, and I don't mind using
long names.  2. I would like to avoid the following warning when I want
access just to Combinatorica`BinarySearch.

        General::compat: Combinatorica Graph and Permutations functionality has
        been superseded by preloaded functionality. The package now being
        loaded may conflict with this. Please see the Compatibility Guide for
        details.

Follow-up questions:

1. Mathematiaca documentation currently suggests loading Combinatorica to get BinarySearch:
http://reference.wolfram.com/mathematica/Combinatorica/ref/BinarySearch.html
However if one does so, the above warning is given.  It seems to me that 
this arrangement is buggy.  Is it?

2. I am surprised that BinarySearch is not in the Global context.
Am I overlooking similar functionality under another name?
The functionality I seek is the insertion point into a sorted
list that would maintain insertion order, ideally with left/right
option for when the inserted item matches a list item.
(See Pythons binary_search, for example.)

3. I see that a BinarySearch function is in the GeometricFunctions package,
which in turn is available by default.  But I cannot find any related
documentation.  What do I make of this arrangement?

Thank you,
Alan Isaac

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: basic namespace question, and access to BinarySearch
    • From: Itai Seggev <itais@wolfram.com>