Imports aren't identified if artifacts aren't created

[akhildevelops]

Zig Version

0.13.0

ZLS Version

0.13.0

Client / Code Editor / Extensions

VSCode

Steps to Reproduce and Observed Behavior

For below build.zig,

const std = @import("std");

pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
    const postgres_module = b.dependency("pg", .{}).module("pg");
    const target = b.standardTargetOptions(.{});
    const optimize = b.standardOptimizeOption(.{});

    const lib = b.addExecutable(.{ .name = "see_cleverly", .root_source_file = b.path("src/main.zig"), .target = target, .optimize = optimize });
    lib.root_module.addImport("pg", postgres_module);

    // b.installArtifact(lib); 
}

pg is not identified by zls

Below build.zig works

const std = @import("std");

pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
    const postgres_module = b.dependency("pg", .{}).module("pg");
    const target = b.standardTargetOptions(.{});
    const optimize = b.standardOptimizeOption(.{});

    const lib = b.addExecutable(.{ .name = "see_cleverly", .root_source_file = b.path("src/main.zig"), .target = target, .optimize = optimize });
    lib.root_module.addImport("pg", postgres_module);

    b.installArtifact(lib);
}

Why would installartifact matter for zls to identify imported module ?

Below build.zig also doesn't work if I treat zig application as just a dependency to be imported by others

const std = @import("std");

pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
    const postgres_module = b.dependency("pg", .{}).module("pg");
    const module = b.addModule("see_cleverly", .{ .root_source_file = b.path("src/main.zig") });
    module.addImport("pg", postgres_module);
}

Expected Behavior

Imports should be recognized by zls

Relevant log output

No response

[taylorh140]

I'm getting the same behavior. Is there any workarounds?

[akhildevelops]

Workaround is to add add this in your build.zig b.installArtifact(lib);

[Techatrix]

Why would installartifact matter for zls to identify imported module ?

Declaring a compile step with b.addExecutable on its own has no side-effects. Every step needs to be reachable from a top-level-step like install test check etc. Calling b.installArtifact is one possible approach because it declares the compile step as a dependency of the install step. A step that is not reachable from a top-level-step is the equivalent of an unused variable. You never actually compiling your src/main.zig so why should ZLS know about it?

This is working as intended. Even if ZLS would want to handle this, there is no way to figure out that you declared an unused step. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Declaring a module with b.addModule, on the other hand, has side-effects because it makes the module accessible to other projects via b.dependency. That should be fixed.

[i11010520]

It seems still not work now.

I use zig 0.14.0, zls 0.14.0 with nixvim(actually is neovim) on macos. [build.zig.zon]:

    .dependencies = .{
        .pg = .{
            .url = "git+https://github.com/karlseguin/pg.zig?ref=master#693388ca7c29278ad6a5d1b27bd007be32ec2bc2",
            .hash = "pg-0.0.0-Wp_7gdX4BQCDJwuyYYOfvFmJyOtXRzgUpoGBTtTYDzFV",
        },
    },

that is generated by ❯ zig fetch --save git+https://github.com/karlseguin/pg.zig#master

[build.zig]:

pub fn build(b: *std.Build) void {
    const target = b.standardTargetOptions(.{});
    const optimize = b.standardOptimizeOption(.{});

    const pg = b.dependency("pg", .{
        .target = target,
        .optimize = optimize,
    }).module("pg");

    const exe = b.addExecutable(.{
        .name = "sqlc-demo",
        .root_source_file = b.path("src/demo.zig"),
        .target = target,
        .optimize = optimize,
    });
    exe.root_module.addImport("pg", pg);
    b.installArtifact(exe);

[main.zig]:

const std = @import("std");
const pg = @import("pg");

pub fn main() !void {

zls still cannot recognize pg, take it as 'unknown'.