Importing variables in MODULE.bazel files

[Goku Trinidad]

Doing so was trivial with `WORKSPACE` files. You could use `load("//path/to:variables.bzl", "VARIABLE_NAME")`, similar to the approach shown here: https://bazel.build/build/share-variables#sharing_variables_across_multiple_build_files

How can this be done in `MODULE.bazel` files (which do not support `load` statements)? 

I am using Bazel version 7.4.1 if that changes anything.

Thank you.

[Alexandre Rostovtsev]

+Yun Peng +Xudong Yang 

This is not allowed by design; MODULE.bazel is intended to be a static, self-contained config file which is machine-writeable and machine-readable by external tools. Morally, it's the equivalent of a JSON config file, but using Starlark syntax.

For reasoning and background, please see the original design at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1moQfNcEIttsk6vYanNKIy3ZuK53hQUFq1b1r0rmsYVg - in particular, the "Starlark vs JSON/YAML/TOML for the module manifest" section on page 34.

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[Yun Peng]

Yes, essentially WORKSPACE is imperative but MODULE.bazel is declarative, we don't allow "load" statements in MODULE.bazel anymore.

What is your exact use case? We can probably find a solution without using "load", probably via a module extension.

[Tomasz Jurkiewicz]

I have probably the same issue. I have a collection of constants I need to access in both MODLE.bzl and in the BUILD.bazel files.

So far my workaround was to put one copy in a //constants.bzl file available for bazel rules. Another copy on top of MODULE.bazel, and guarantee the consistency with a smoke test.

I know MODULE allows a limited load statement now, but it explicitly excludes all variables.