Allow for non-static module typechecking

[Starnamics]

Currently, you’re unable to require a module with a non-static value, which is a pain when it comes to developing modules which would benefit from type-checking on modules.

Take this function for example:

-- Custom Service Module
function module:GetService(Service: string)
    return require(script.Services[Service])
end

When running this, you will not get any type-checking when attempting to reference the service required from this function.

However if you were to do this instead you would get type-checking when referencing the required module:

function module:GetPlayerService()
    return require(script.Services.PlayerService)
end

Allowing dynamic type-checking would improve the developer experience for almost all programmers on Roblox as it would make the work for them much easier and would allow for many more open-source modules to be made which would utilize type-checking (for example; game frameworks).

Thank you,
Starnamics

[MagmaBurnsV]

This may be related:

@zeuxcg

This is more of a feature request and less of a bug report. I doubt we will move in this direction though - if anything we’re looking into the opposite directions (by looking into ways to make require less dynamic). In particular, tracking module references across modules results in odd dependencies in the graph discovery itself - now to resolve references inside a given module, we would need to completely resolve references in dependent modules! That creates more opportunity for difficult-to-break cycles and makes the discovery process more fragile / less performant.

I’ve actually been working on a framework that tries to be more type-checker friendly in this area. My design idea is to be more reliant on the hierarchy for getting providers rather than using a wrapper, which ends up being easier for the checker to decipher but comes at the cost of restricting how much each provider can interact with each other along with how I structure client-server communication.

In all, this is pretty much a necessary evil.

[Starnamics]

@MagmaBurnsV

This may be related:

I don’t entirely believe so as that feature requests seems to be asking for a different feature.

@MagmaBurnsV

In all, this is pretty much a necessary evil.

I 100% agree, if Visual Studio Code can provide type-checking for such things, why can’t Roblox Studio? It’d make developing & using modules so much easier.

[metatablecatmaid (metatablecat)]

See Strings should be literally inferred where possible · Issue #613 · Roblox/luau · GitHub as I believe whats happening here is Luau being luau with strings