# Improve the output for an import statement **URL:** \ **Category:** Feedback\ **Created:** [April 24, 2019, 10:34pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/improve-the-output-for-an-import-statement/1912 "2019-04-24T22:34:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![j-f1](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/j-f1/32/368_2.png) [@j-f1](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/j-f1)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 10:34pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/improve-the-output-for-an-import-statement/1912/1 "2019-04-24T22:34:06Z")
Currently, this is the output shown above a cell containing an `import` statement: > `import @j-f1/fetch-from-wikipedia` This does provide some utility over just showing the code view, since the name links to the source notebook, but unlike the other visualizations, it doesn’t list the name/names imported from the statement. Would it be possible to display the names, perhaps using the same syntax as the import statement uses? > `import { fetchPage } from @j-f1/fetch-from-wikipedia` alternative proposal: > `import { fetchPage } from @j-f1/fetch-from-wikipedia` ---
**Author:** ![jashkenas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/jashkenas/32/1778_2.png) [@jashkenas](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/jashkenas)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 10:41pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/improve-the-output-for-an-import-statement/1912/2 "2019-04-24T22:41:59Z")
Great idea. And since cell names are linkable with `#cellName` notation — it would be even nicer if: > `import { fetchPage } from @j-f1/fetch-from-wikipedia` … linked directly to the definition of the cell that you have imported. ---
**Author:** ![j-f1](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/j-f1/32/368_2.png) [@j-f1](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/j-f1)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/improve-the-output-for-an-import-statement/1912/3 "2019-04-24T22:44:43Z")
Yes! 💖 Seeing that version, since all the “important” bits (i.e. the ones that change between different import statements) are highlighted by virtue of being a link, the bold is less necessary: > `import { fetchPage } from @j-f1/fetch-from-wikipedia` ---
**Author:** ![jrus](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/jrus/32/586_2.png) [@jrus](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/jrus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/improve-the-output-for-an-import-statement/1912/4 "2019-04-25T16:54:38Z")
Yes, I currently always leave code blocks with imports pinned open, because otherwise it is impossible to search on the page for variable names defined therein. I have several times wished the names were written in the output, but never bothered filing a ticket here. In the case of `import {chart as treemap} from "@d3/treemap"` (to take an example from [introduction to imports](https://observablehq.com/@observablehq/introduction-to-imports)), the name `treemap` should get into the rendered cell output. Whether the name `chart` does is less important. ---
**Author:** ![jashkenas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/jashkenas/32/1778_2.png) [@jashkenas](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/jashkenas)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2019, 6:01pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/improve-the-output-for-an-import-statement/1912/5 "2019-04-25T18:01:58Z")
Thanks for the nudge on this, folks. We’ve just deployed an update that implements this, and links directly to the imported cells. As a bonus, you can see if you happened to fat-finger an import, and tried to import a cell that doesn’t exist: ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/observablehq/original/2X/8/818512df7c0a939f550b266e733159b238e866b0.png) Enjoy, and let me know if you notice any room for further improvement (we have some further ideas in this direction for later…) ---
**Author:** ![jrus](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/jrus/32/586_2.png) [@jrus](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/jrus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 3:05am UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/improve-the-output-for-an-import-statement/1912/6 "2019-04-26T03:05:52Z")
Perhaps make non-existent ones red instead of gray. Or maybe that’s too distracting. ---
**Author:** ![j-f1](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/j-f1/32/368_2.png) [@j-f1](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/j-f1)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 10:55am UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/improve-the-output-for-an-import-statement/1912/7 "2019-04-26T10:55:00Z")
Shouldn’t it throw an error if the import doesn’t exist? ---
**Author:** ![jashkenas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/jashkenas/32/1778_2.png) [@jashkenas](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/jashkenas)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2019, 6:55pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/improve-the-output-for-an-import-statement/1912/8 "2019-04-26T18:55:56Z")
> [@j-f1](#): > > Shouldn’t it throw an error if the import doesn’t exist? As things stand currently, the error is thrown as soon as you try to reference the nonexistent import. ---
**Author:** ![jrus](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/jrus/32/586_2.png) [@jrus](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/jrus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/improve-the-output-for-an-import-statement/1912/9 "2019-05-08T19:47:16Z")
This feature has been very helpful, a big improvement over the previous behavior. Thanks again Jeremy! (And Jed.) ---
**Author:** ![jrus](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/jrus/32/586_2.png) [@jrus](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/jrus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2019, 7:52pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/improve-the-output-for-an-import-statement/1912/10 "2019-05-08T19:52:47Z")
Oh one possible modification: if the import is to a version-pinned notebook, it might be nice if the links go to the relevant version. ---
**Author:** ![bchoatejr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.observablehq.com/bchoatejr/32/1617_2.png) [@bchoatejr](https://talk.observablehq.com/u/bchoatejr)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 5:11pm UTC](https://talk.observablehq.com/t/improve-the-output-for-an-import-statement/1912/11 "2019-06-14T17:11:17Z")
When the import cell is unpinned, would it be possible to show the “with” options and use the same link behavior? I was searching for an import in my notebooks using the “with” option and couldn’t find them at first. I didn’t realize that when the import cell is unpinned, the with portion is not shown. Thanks again for all the cool features.