# REPL development vs script file paths

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/repl-development-vs-script-file-paths/112435>\
**Category:** New to Julia\
**Created:** [April 2, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/repl-development-vs-script-file-paths/112435 "2024-04-02T18:01:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ruairidh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/54ee81/32.png) [@ruairidh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ruairidh)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/repl-development-vs-script-file-paths/112435/1 "2024-04-02T18:01:45Z")

</div>

I’ve never worked out how to deal with the following situation where I’m developing a script which includes some other files in the REPL, but I also want the LSP to recognise any included functions.

## Problem

```julia-auto
.
├── scripts
│ └── example_script.jl
└── src
    └── utils.jl

# scripts/example_script.jl
include("src/utils.jl")

example_function() # imported from utils.jl

# src/utils.jl
example_function() = println("Hello")

```

If from the working directory `.`, I open up `scripts/example_script.jl` and the REPL, I can send code using Shift+Enter and it works fine. But the LSP does not recognise any of the definitions in `src/utils.jl`. I guess this is because when Julia runs a script all paths are treated as relative to the script’s own directory not the working directory that Julia is invoked from.

## Solutions

1. I can instead use `include("../src/utils.jl")` and change the REPL working directory to `./scripts`. Is this what everyone else does? It is a little annoying because: (a) I always need to make sure the REPL working directory is the same as whatever script I’m working on; (b) if I move around/reorganize the `scripts` directory then I need to change all the relative paths; (c) it’s just less clear to me to have potentially a few layers of `../..` on all the paths than having all paths be relative to the main project directory.
2. I can do something like the following, but it seems a little hacky?

```julia-auto
if isinteractive()
    include("src/utils.jl")
else
    include("../src/utils.jl")
end

```

1. Turn `src/utils.jl` into a package and `add` or `dev` it into the project environment. This seems overkill if the utilities are specific to this project and has the disadvantage of requiring a separate Git repo (I think?).

I’d be very grateful to hear what everyone else does! And sorry if this question has been asked before.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![stevengj](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/stevengj/32/71_2.png) [@stevengj](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/stevengj)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/repl-development-vs-script-file-paths/112435/2 "2024-04-02T18:19:29Z")

</div>

> [@ruairidh](#):
>
> Turn `src/utils.jl` into a package and `add` or `dev` it into the project environment. This seems overkill if the utilities are specific to this project and has the disadvantage of requiring a separate Git repo (I think?).

It doesn’t require a separate git repo. e.g. you can have one git repo & package `MyStuff` for the project, with `MyStuff/src/MyStuff.jl` for the re-usable parts of the project and `MyStuff/scripts/` for scripts. Then your scripts can all just do `using MyProject` for the re-usable utilities.

(Later on you can always refactor into multiple packages/repos as things develop.)

In general, as soon as you start asking “how should I organize this code” you should be creating one or more packages. Packages are lightweight (need not be registered publicly), and benefit from a lot of tooling (e.g. Revise.jl). See also [Best practise: organising code in Julia - #2 by stevengj](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/best-practise-organising-code-in-julia/74362/2)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ruairidh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/54ee81/32.png) [@ruairidh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ruairidh)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 7:13pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/repl-development-vs-script-file-paths/112435/3 "2024-04-02T19:13:00Z")

</div>

Ah ok. This is simpler than expected. I tried this and it _almost_ works: I can run the code either one line at a time in the REPL or as a script `julia --project=@. scripts/example_script.jl` and it works fine.

However it seems like the linter is not seeing any of the definitions and is showing a missing reference for the function call `example_function()` and the `using MyStuff` import.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ruairidh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/54ee81/32.png) [@ruairidh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ruairidh)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 6:07pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/repl-development-vs-script-file-paths/112435/4 "2024-04-03T18:07:07Z")

</div>

In case anyone else comes across this problem with the LSP, I found a workaround here [LSP "Missing reference" woes - #16 by ffevotte](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/lsp-missing-reference-woes/98231/16).

I think the problem is associated with this unresolved issue [Hover help doesn't show for own modules · Issue #2719 · julia-vscode/julia-vscode · GitHub](https://github.com/julia-vscode/julia-vscode/issues/2719).