rfcs/docs/syntax-from-require.md

Scoped Module Imports for Luau

Summary

Introduce a new syntax for scoped module imports in Luau, allowing selective imports of module members without requiring manual local assignments. This would streamline working with many dependencies, making code more readable and maintainable.

Motivation

Currently, Luau requires modules to be imported using require, followed by manual assignments:

local Pet = require(game.ReplicatedStorage.Library.Items.Pet)
local Currency = require(game.ReplicatedStorage.Library.Items.Currency)

In large Roblox projects, developers often need to require 20-50 individual modules to accomplish a task. This results in repetitive and verbose module imports, making code harder to manage.

I propose a cleaner syntax:

from game.ReplicatedStorage.Library.Items require Pet, Currency
Pet("Dog")
Currency("Coins")

This improves readability and better reflects how modules are organized in large-scale Roblox development.

Expected Benefits

• More concise and readable imports.
• Eliminates redundant local assignments after requiring modules.
• Reduces clutter in scripts that rely on many modules.
• Better organization of large libraries with deeply nested module structures.

Design

Syntax

from <ModulePath> require <Name1>, <Name2>
from <ModulePath> require <Name1> as <Alias1>, <Name2> as <Alias2>
from <ModulePath> require *

Example Usage

-- Old way
local Pet = require(game.ReplicatedStorage.Library.Items.Pet)
local Currency = require(game.ReplicatedStorage.Library.Items.Currency)
local Egg = require(game.ReplicatedStorage.Library.Items.Egg)

-- New way
from game.ReplicatedStorage.Library.Items require Pet, Egg, Currency

-- Usage
Pet("Dog")
Inventory:Add(Currency("Diamonds"):SetAmount(500))

Import with Aliases

from game.ReplicatedStorage.Library.Items require Pet as PetItem, Toy as ToyItem
PetItem("Dog")
ToyItem("Ball")

Import with Wildcard

from game.ReplicatedStorage.Library.Items require *
Pet("Dog")
Toy("Ball")

Semantics

• from <ModulePath> require <name> is equivalent to local <name> = require(<ModulePath>.<name>).
• from <ModulePath> require <name> as <alias> binds the imported name to <alias>.
• Multiple names can be imported in one statement.
• The module is loaded only once, maintaining Luau’s existing require caching behavior.

Drawbacks

• Introduces new syntax that deviates from Luau’s current module system.
• Adds complexity to the compiler/parser.
• May encourage excessive use of imports in a single script, potentially affecting readability.

Alternatives

Create massive modules with dozens of requires built in, so called 'index' modules. This works, but floods the name space and stresses the type checking engine.