python / python/mypy

no error when importing something that is conditionally defined

Open
#16,938 3 comments 1 reaction 0 assignees View on GitHub

Nobody has claimed this yet.

bug topic-possibly-undefined
Dominant language
Python
Stars
20.6k
Forks
3.3k
PR merge metrics
PR metrics pending

Description

# foo.py
if bool():
    a = 1
# bar.py
from foo import a # no error, crashes at runtime

i would expect an error like Name "a" may be undefined, which is what happens when you try to use it in the same file:


# foo.py
if bool():
    a = 1
print(a) # error: Name "a" may be undefined

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Reproduce the report with foo.py and bar.py, then trace mypy’s handling of from foo import a when a is only conditionally defined. Done means mypy reports that a may be undefined at the import site, consistently with the same-file example.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
devtools
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
42/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.