ref ← ##.refws wsid                         ⍝ Ref to saved ws ⍵.

Returns  a ref to a namespace containing a copy of workspace [wsid]. This may be
used to simulate remote expression execution. Refws is similar to Unix's _mount_
command, where a device (workspace) is mounted at a particular node (ref) in the
name  tree.  Note however, that changes made via the resulting ref are not saved
in  the  target  workspace.  In  this sense the mount is read-only (but gives no
warning that updates are ignored - see example below).

As a convenience (in common with →wsdiff←) an argument wsid of '' is interpreted
as ⎕WSID, so that refws'' refers to the saved version of the active workspace.

Examples:

      )clear                            ⍝ starting with a clear ws:
clear ws

      )copy dfns refws                  ⍝ import refws function
··saved··

      dfns←refws'dfns'                  ⍝ ref to copy of dfns ws.

      1 dfns.disp ⍳2 2                  ⍝ "remote" execute.
┌→──┬───┐
↓1 1│1 2│
├~─→┼~─→┤
│2 1│2 2│
└~─→┴~─→┘

⍝ Temporary ws-refs need not be named:

      (refws'eval').⎕ed'tasman'         ⍝ open remote edit window.
      (refws'tube').(⎕ed ⎕nl 3)         ⍝ view all fns in saved workspace.
      (refws'').⎕ed'refws'              ⍝ look at saved version of function.

      (refws'tube').(london trip 'Kings' 'Queens')      ⍝ remote execution.
compiling graph ...
Kingsbury
    Kingsbury      Jubilee
    Wembley Park   Jubilee
Wembley Park
    Wembley Park   Metropolitan
    Finchley Road  Metropolitan
    Baker Street   Metropolitan
Baker Street
    Baker Street   Jubilee
    Bond Street    Jubilee
Bond Street
    Bond Street    Central
    Marble Arch    Central
    Lancaster Gate Central
    Queensway      Central
Queensway

      (refws'util').⎕cr'DOIF'
 R←DOIF TEST       ⍝ Return next line number,
 R←TEST↓1+1↑1↓⎕LC  ⍝ ...  if TEST false

⍝ Note that changes made using refws are not saved in the reffed workspace:

      (refws'display').aa←99            ⍝ make var in copy of DISPLAY ws.

      (refws'display').⎕nc'aa'          ⍝ var was not saved in ws.
0

⍝ We can create and append to ⎕PATH, a ref to a copy of a saved utility work
⍝ space.  The advantage of this approach is that changes in the saved WS are
⍝ immediately available to the next APL session.

      )cs ⎕se

      CreateRefs←{
          refws←{}
          sink←⍎'''refws''⎕CY''dfns'' ⋄ 0'
          dfns∘←refws'dfns' ⋄ ⎕path,←' dfns'    ⍝ ⎕se.dfns.(...)
          util∘←refws'util' ⋄ ⎕path,←' util'    ⍝ ⎕se.util.(...)
      }

      onCreate←'CreateRefs'

      ⍝ ... now save the session [Session->Save]

See also: wsdiff exit

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