Scopesfrom

Scopesfrom is a concept in programming language design and software analysis that describes the propagation of name bindings from one lexical scope to another. It formalizes a relationship in which a target scope gains access to the bindings that exist in a specified source scope, subject to the language’s rules for shadowing, overriding, and visibility. The term is used both in theoretical discussions of scope graphs and in practical tooling such as compilers, interpreters, and static analyzers.

Semantically, scopesfrom can be implemented through a direct reference to a source scope, or via a chain of scopes that connects to the origin. In a typical implementation, a lookup started in the target scope first consults its own bindings; if a name is not found, the search proceeds to bindings in the source scope, potentially continuing through a chain of related scopes. This approach supports constructs like inheritance of bindings in template or macro systems, as well as closures that capture a parent scope’s variables for later use.

In practical terms, scopesfrom facilitates reuse of symbol tables, reduces boilerplate in large codebases, and simplifies name resolution in languages with modular or extensible syntax. It is related to, but distinct from, traditional lexical scoping and from dynamic scoping, and it interacts closely with concepts such as symbol resolution, scope graphs, and symbolic links between scopes.