gleam-lang/gleam

Show hint to import unqualified types/values

Open

#4,297 opened on Mar 3, 2025

View on GitHub
 (8 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Rust (21,417 stars) (960 forks)batch import
help wanted

Description

For example:

import gleam/dict

type Grid(a) {
  Grid(Dict(#(Int, Int), a))
}

This is an error, since Dict is not imported. However, gleam/dict is. So we could either give a hint to import it unqualified: gleam/dict.{type Dict}, or (probably preferably), qualify it: dict.Dict(...) We could either just check for this in imported modules, or all importable modules.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
rust
Domain
developer experiencetooling
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Gleam language basicsRust programmingUnderstanding of compiler error reporting
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
40
Research direction
The issue proposes improving error messages when an unqualified type is used but only the module is imported. The implementation needs to modify the compiler's error reporting, likely in the type checking or import resolution module. The two approaches are: hint to import unqualified (e.g., `gleam/dict.{type Dict}`) or suggest qualification (`dict.Dict(...)`). Look at the discussion in the issue for community input, and examine the compiler source code in the `src/` directory, particularly files related to error messages and import handling.
Show hint to import unqualified types/values · gleam-lang/gleam#4297 | Good First Issue