--- a/NameSpace.st	Wed Feb 18 21:30:21 2015 +0100
+++ b/NameSpace.st	Thu Feb 19 10:44:38 2015 +0100
@@ -68,11 +68,24 @@
      intermediate spaces (if not already existing) and return the
      bottom-level space."
 
+    ^ self fullName:aFullNameSpacePathName createIfAbsent:true
+
+    "Created: 8.11.1996 / 13:41:59 / cg"
+    "Modified: 4.1.1997 / 16:50:59 / cg"
+!
+
+fullName:aFullNameSpacePathName createIfAbsent:createIfAbsent
+    "given a possibly nested name of a namespace, lookup and return
+     a namespace instance for it.
+     If createIfAbsent is true, create all required intermediate spaces (if not already existing) 
+     and return the bottom-level space.
+     If false, and if any namespace along the path does not exist, reutrn nil."
+
+    |list thisNamespace|
+
     "/ break it up, check for all intermediate spaces to exist
     "/ create them as required.
 
-    |list thisNamespace|
-
     (aFullNameSpacePathName includes:$:) ifTrue:[
         "/ old style
         list := aFullNameSpacePathName asCollectionOfSubstringsSeparatedByAll:'::'.
@@ -94,10 +107,12 @@
                 thisNamespace := Smalltalk at:key.
                 (thisNamespace notNil
                 and:[thisNamespace isBehavior not]) ifTrue:[
+                    createIfAbsent ifFalse:[ ^ nil ].
                     self error:'name conflict: namespace ' , aName , ' vs. global'.
                 ]
             ].
             thisNamespace isNil ifTrue:[
+                createIfAbsent ifFalse:[ ^ nil ].
                 thisNamespace := self name:key
             ].
         ] ifFalse:[
@@ -110,12 +125,13 @@
             ].
 
             x isNil ifTrue:[
+                createIfAbsent ifFalse:[ ^ nil ].
                 thisNamespace isNameSpace ifTrue:[
-		    thisNamespace == Smalltalk ifTrue:[
-			x := self name:key
-		    ] ifFalse:[
+                    thisNamespace == Smalltalk ifTrue:[
+                        x := self name:key
+                    ] ifFalse:[
                         x := thisNamespace name:key.
-		    ]
+                    ]
                 ] ifFalse:[
                     x :=
                         self subclass:key
@@ -740,7 +756,7 @@
 !NameSpace class methodsFor:'documentation'!
 
 version_CVS
-    ^ '$Header: /cvs/stx/stx/libbasic/NameSpace.st,v 1.78 2015-02-07 15:39:13 cg Exp $'
+    ^ '$Header: /cvs/stx/stx/libbasic/NameSpace.st,v 1.79 2015-02-19 09:44:38 cg Exp $'
 !
 
 version_SVN