# How strict are the Naming Guidelines?

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-strict-are-the-naming-guidelines/137652>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Created:** [June 16, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-strict-are-the-naming-guidelines/137652 "2026-06-16T15:01:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![joa-quim](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/joa-quim/32/227_2.png) [@joa-quim](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/joa-quim)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-strict-are-the-naming-guidelines/137652/1 "2026-06-16T15:01:28Z")

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Hi,

I would like to name a package `iGMT.jl`, but that clearly violates some of the Guiding Lines (first char must be a capital letter, name distance to other packages must be 3)? The `i` here stands for `interactive` and the name similarity with an existing package (GMT.jl) is on purpose.

Thanks for the feedback.

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**Author:** ![oscarvdvelde](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/oscarvdvelde/32/202157_2.png) [@oscarvdvelde](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oscarvdvelde)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-strict-are-the-naming-guidelines/137652/2 "2026-06-16T15:22:53Z")

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Why not name it `InteractiveGMT.jl`? It would no longer need your explanation of what the ‘i’ means.

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**Author:** ![nilshg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/nilshg/32/2283_2.png) [@nilshg](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/nilshg)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-strict-are-the-naming-guidelines/137652/3 "2026-06-16T15:24:02Z")

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Name distance is not an issue, that’s just an auto check to prevent typo squatting.

First char not a capital is stricter, there are (outside jlls and the cuda-related `cu` packages) almost no lowercase package names.

More broadly, there should normally be a good reason for why an exception should be made. Just my personal opinion from watching the registry PRs and occasionally chiming in on discussions in this case it seems unlikely to me that a good argument could be made for an exception when `InteractiveGMT` is a perfectly fine and much more self-explanatory name.

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**Author:** ![goerz](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/goerz/32/3269_2.png) [@goerz](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/goerz)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-strict-are-the-naming-guidelines/137652/4 "2026-06-16T15:28:38Z")

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> [@nilshg](#):
>
> First char not a capital is stricter

This one in particular is close to a hard rule. At least I would not merge a package with a lowercase first letter under any circumstances beyond the narrow cuda exception that we agreed to grandfather in as a special category

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**Author:** ![joa-quim](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/joa-quim/32/227_2.png) [@joa-quim](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/joa-quim)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-strict-are-the-naming-guidelines/137652/5 "2026-06-16T16:43:07Z")

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OK, I can’t honestly say that I particularly like the `InteractiveGMT` name but agree that the justification for my preference is week.

Thanks for the replies, I got the answers that I need.

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**Author:** ![mbauman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mbauman/32/31082_2.png) [@mbauman](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mbauman)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-strict-are-the-naming-guidelines/137652/6 "2026-06-16T16:55:31Z")

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Alternatively, use something radically different! Maybe something like Fi **gm** en **t** s.jl!

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**Author:** ![joa-quim](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/joa-quim/32/227_2.png) [@joa-quim](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/joa-quim)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-strict-are-the-naming-guidelines/137652/7 "2026-06-16T17:03:29Z")

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I’ve been twisting my imagination along those lines too, but at the end I want to have the full `GMT` acronym in the name (or some really `Wow` name) specially for the GMT CLI users that still don’t know much about Julia. That’s why `iGMT` would be a preferable name IMO.