this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2026
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What is your preferred import style (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 1 day ago by programmerlexi@sh.itjust.works to c/programming@programming.dev
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There are a few I'm aware of:

  1. Rust-style use (multiple imports per statement, renaming items using as)
  2. Java-style import (single import per statement, no renaming (afaik))
  3. Zig-style let xlib = @import("xlib") (imports as assignments)
  4. C-style #include (no importing, just pastes the code of the named file)
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[–] nebeker@programming.dev 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (5 children)

I think C# handles this pretty well. You include namespaces with whatever granularity you need, down to a single class (or interface or whatever) and can alias them.

using MyProject.Domian.Entities; //the whole module
using Routes = MyProject.Api.Contract.Routes.Http;  //an aliased single class

I bet Java had this too, C# us still mostly Java: Microsoft Edition.

[–] dan@upvote.au 3 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

You also don't have to use imports at all in C# code - you can just reference everything absolutely using the full namespace and class name.

That's a big difference compared to the other languages. C# automatically loads the correct assembly (.NET library) on the first call to something contained within it, whereas languages like Python require an import statement because that's what loads the library. I don't think autoloading is very common - C#, PHP, Ruby and Perl use it, but I can't think of other languages that do.

[–] programmerlexi@sh.itjust.works 2 points 14 hours ago

Rust & Java also do this

[–] terabyterex@lemmy.world 2 points 19 hours ago

c# is delphi with some realized mfc lofty goals.

first, microsoft liked delphi and hired the guy who created delphi to create c#

second if you read an mfc book from the 90s that talks about history and goals, 6ou can see they wanted the .net framework

[–] Traister101@lemmy.today 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Java doesnt have aliases. You can do glob imports of a particular package (IE all the classes) and you can statically glob import all the static functions in a class but uh yeah that's it

[–] nebeker@programming.dev 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Wow, now I have something to hold over all my Java dev friends. Thanks!

[–] terabyterex@lemmy.world 3 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (3 children)

you can also tell them java cant handle.pointers. i have worked with a lot of backend c code using c#.

not sure about the following but:

can you control how a struct is handled in memory in java? (had tto do this with a c# front end calling a credit card verifyling service/library written in c++)

do they have value types?

[–] Traister101@lemmy.today 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Java doesnt have value types or structs. You have primatives (booleans, integer types and float/double) and then everything else (even the uppercase primative types like Boolean) are reference types, IE on the heap. For stuff that plays with pointers you generally just call into native code, get back a long (the pointer to whatever you just allocated) and you call into native code to do stuff with the pointer. Native code can make a proper java object but it's involved and has all the same cons as allocating one in Java land.

Supposedly records (a pseudo struct) might get stronger optimization options (IE put on the stack) but fundementaly reference types are just pointers and if you get an object via constructor or parameter the language must support you putting it in global state

[–] programmerlexi@sh.itjust.works 2 points 13 hours ago

You cqn't really control the layout as that would prevent the JVM from reshaping your classes (which is a fundamental requirement for things like Dalvik (android jvm))

[–] nebeker@programming.dev 1 points 13 hours ago

Conversely, I’ve written C++ code to into DLLs interop with .NET. It makes a lot of sense given what .NET was developed for.

[–] Kwdg@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's actually pretty similar to rust, only that rust can import multiple modules (namespaces) in one line, which is just syntax sugar, and the syntax is slightly different.

Your example would be

use my_projext::domain::entities;
use my_project::api::contracts::routes::http as routes;
[–] nebeker@programming.dev 2 points 23 hours ago

Rust adds the curly brace syntax so you can import a specific subset from a module, but I can’t decide if I like that. In C# you just keep adding extra lines which take up more vertical space, but if you sort your using a alphabetically (which your IDE can do), I think you get a very readable list. In sum, Rust adds a feature that I don’t really actually like.

[–] mesamunefire@piefed.social 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah C# is my favorite, followed by how python does it. Both are very good.

[–] nebeker@programming.dev 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I have so little Python experience I didn’t even mention it, but I remember enjoying that too.

[–] mesamunefire@piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago

Its s nothing burger so its very good.

What I don't like is doing it 100 times to pull in a main.py but there's ways of getting around it. Its not the languages fault but its kinda what everyone does.