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What's New in Version 2

Version 2 of the Morphir IR schema introduces partial capitalization and a new module structure, representing a significant evolution from version 1.

Key Changes from Version 1​

Partial Capitalization​

Version 2 introduces capitalization for distribution, access control, and type-related tags:

Capitalized Tags​

Distribution:

  • "library" → "Library"

Access Control:

  • "public" → "Public"
  • "private" → "Private"

Type Tags:

  • "variable" → "Variable"
  • "reference" → "Reference"
  • "tuple" → "Tuple"
  • "record" → "Record"
  • "extensible_record" → "ExtensibleRecord"
  • "function" → "Function"
  • "unit" → "Unit"

Type Specifications:

  • "type_alias_specification" → "TypeAliasSpecification"
  • "opaque_type_specification" → "OpaqueTypeSpecification"
  • "custom_type_specification" → "CustomTypeSpecification"
  • "derived_type_specification" → "DerivedTypeSpecification"

Type Definitions:

  • "type_alias_definition" → "TypeAliasDefinition"
  • "custom_type_definition" → "CustomTypeDefinition"

Unchanged (Lowercase) Tags​

Value expressions remain lowercase:

  • "apply", "lambda", "let_definition", "if_then_else", etc.

Patterns remain lowercase:

  • "wildcard_pattern", "as_pattern", "constructor_pattern", etc.

Literals remain lowercase:

  • "bool_literal", "string_literal", "whole_number_literal", etc.

New Module Structure​

Version 2 changes how modules are represented in packages:

Version 1 Structure​

{
  "modules": [
    {
      "name": [["my"], ["module"]],
      "def": ["public", { ... }]
    }
  ]
}

Version 2 Structure​

{
  "modules": [
    [
      [["my"], ["module"]],
      {
        "access": "Public",
        "value": { ... }
      }
    ]
  ]
}

Changes:

  • Modules are now represented as arrays instead of objects
  • Structure changed from {"name": ..., "def": ...} to [modulePath, accessControlled]
  • Access control uses the new AccessControlled wrapper with capitalized values

Access Control Wrapper​

Version 2 introduces a structured AccessControlled wrapper:

AccessControlled:
  type: object
  required: ["access", "value"]
  properties:
    access:
      type: string
      enum: ["Public", "Private"]
    value:
      description: "The value being access controlled."

This provides a consistent way to manage visibility across types and values.

Benefits​

Improved Clarity​

  • Capitalized type tags stand out more clearly in JSON structures
  • Structured access control makes visibility explicit and consistent
  • Array-based module structure is more compact and follows the pattern used elsewhere in the IR

Better Type Safety​

The structured AccessControlled wrapper provides:

  • Explicit access level declaration
  • Type-safe representation
  • Easier validation

Foundation for Version 3​

Version 2 serves as a transition toward the fully capitalized format in version 3, making eventual migration easier.

Migration from Version 1​

To migrate from version 1 to version 2:

  1. Capitalize distribution tag: "library" → "Library"
  2. Capitalize access control: "public" → "Public", "private" → "Private"
  3. Update module structure: Convert {"name": ..., "def": ...} to array format
  4. Capitalize all type tags: "variable" → "Variable", "reference" → "Reference", etc.
  5. Capitalize type specification and definition tags

Looking Forward​

While version 2 introduces important improvements, version 3 completes the capitalization by extending it to value expressions, patterns, and literals. For new projects, consider using version 3 directly for maximum consistency.

See Also​