dot import blocks names in another file!

[simon place]

bug? (to me should be since imports should be that file only.)

https://go.dev/play/p/yCxJ_GPZe-m

[Konstantin Kulikov]

Suppose this would work, which function would be called in main(), the one from another.go or the one from fmt?

[simon place]

i see the func in another.go is package wide so is the same as the dot import name in the main.go.

[Jan Mercl]

"Normal" imports (like `import "fmt"`) declare the name, used in the
package clause of package at import path "fmt", in the file scope.

Aliased imports (like `import foo "fmt"`) declare foo in the file scope.

Dot imports (your `import . "fmt"`) declare nothing in file scope, but
declare all exported names from package "fmt" in package scope, hence
the redeclared error.

[Axel Wagner]

It is not a bug, no. From the spec:

> No identifier may be declared twice in the same block, and no identifier may be declared in both the file and package block

The `func` declaration declares it in the package block and the dot-import declares it in the file block.

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[Jan Mercl]

On Mon, Apr 13, 2026 at 8:28 AM 'Axel Wagner' via golang-nuts
<golan...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

> The `func` declaration declares it in the package block and the dot-import declares it in the file block.

I thought you are wrong, but it was me: https://go.dev/play/p/PEyy4fqwf8e

I still fail to find where the specs say dot imports declare the
exported identifiers of "fmt" in file scope.

[Axel Wagner]

https://go.dev/ref/spec#Import_declarations

> If an explicit period (.) appears instead of a name, all the package's exported identifiers declared in that package's package block will be declared in the importing source file's file block

[Jan Mercl]

On Mon, Apr 13, 2026 at 8:40 AM Axel Wagner
<axel.wa...@googlemail.com> wrote:

> > If an explicit period (.) appears instead of a name, all the package's exported identifiers declared in that package's package block will be declared in the importing source file's file block

Thanks. I guess you will believe that I've read that section more than
once before posting and still managed to miss this part.

I read faster than I can read.

-j