gleam-lang/gleam

The add-missing-import code action doesn't work when a variable has the same name

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#4,513 opened on Apr 27, 2025

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 (1 comment) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Rust (21,417 stars) (960 forks)batch import
help wanted

Description

(This might not be desired behavior, but I thought it was worth making the issue)[

Playground link](https://playground.gleam.run/#N4IgbgpgTgzglgewHYgFwEYA0IDGyAuES+aIADgK4BGABAGZI0C2AhnEgBQCUNwAOoxoAbCPhox8UdgHMaAXhp8QACzhKBNcZJk0APgD4tUpNIB0dOLHwCAviBtA).

The code action to import something that currently isn't imported doesn't trigger when a variable has the same name as your desired module, since the compiler assumes you're trying to access a field of the variable's type. I think it would be more intuitive if the code action was still offered.

One problem I see arising from this is if you have a custom type that provides the same record as your desired import. Here's some playground code to demonstrate this. It also could be slightly unintuitive if you have a field of a very similar name, and you just made a typo (example). If we really wanted to avoid cases like this, it could only trigger on variables that don't have any fields - since it's then much less likely that the user actually intended to access a field.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
rust
Domain
developer experiencetooling
Issue type
bug
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.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of Gleam's module systemFamiliarity with LSP code actions implementation
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60
Research direction
Investigate the code action logic for 'add missing import' in the Gleam language server. Look for where the compiler determines if a name refers to a module or a variable. The issue suggests modifying the condition to still offer the import when the variable has no fields. Check the compiler's type checking and completion modules, likely under `compiler core/src/` and `language server/src/`. The playground links provide reproduction steps.