Your understanding of the process is incorrect.
In both scenarios described in your query, the sequence of steps unfolds as follows:
A component calls for the presence of a module named some_Name. (Assuming here that RequireJS does not support module names with spaces and operates based on underscores instead.)
RequireJS starts by seeking out the dependencies and the factory function associated with the module some_Name. The factory represents the function provided to define during the module definition phase.
a. If indeed define("some_Name"... was invoked prior to this stage, then RequireJS simply retrieves the dependencies and factory function linked to that specific define call.
b. In cases where define("some_Name"... has not been triggered yet, RequireJS will proceed to access the network in an attempt to fetch a file containing the necessary define statement. Conventionally, this file would bear the identical name as the module along with the .js extension, although custom configurations within RequireJS can alter this behavior.
RequireJS verifies whether all required dependencies have been loaded. Any missing dependencies prompt subsequent require calls to fill the gaps.
The resolved dependencies are passed into the factory function by RequireJS.
I should mention that this overview does not encompass every conceivable scenario, as I've opted to focus on the most prevalent instances for simplicity's sake.
Thus...
I understand now that utilizing moduleOne.whatever directly may pose a challenge due to its asynchronous loading nature, potentially leading to it being unavailable when the callback executes.
My initial question: Is this interpretation accurate?
No, that assertion is incorrect. For moduleOne.whatEver(); to run successfully, the module moduleOne must have been loaded beforehand. The absence of moduleOne or its values being undefined does not trace back to RequireJS' asynchronous property but likely stems from errors in how moduleOne has been defined. If, for instance, moduleOne exports undefined, it naturally results in moduleOne being undefined. Similarly, encountering an undefined status while accessing moduleOne.whatEver typically indicates an oversight in exporting whatEver.
The distinction between the first and second cases lies in the CommonJS annnotation syntax utilized in the latter, impacting step 2's processing slightly. Prior to executing the factory function, RequireJS analyzes the function structure (as you pointed out), treating the factory as if the define operation had transpired like so:
define("some_Name", ['require', 'exports', './moduleOne'], function (require, exports) {
Note the insertion of ./moduleOne at the dependencies list's closure by RequireJS. Once completed, the remainder of the process mirrors that of the first case.
Upon
var moduleOne = require("./moduleOne");
's execution, the module will have already been loaded, merely fetching a reference to it with this action.