import
To bring something in from another place. A country imports goods from overseas. A person might import a car or import a file from a flash drive.
What a model may hear
- module loading Python, JavaScript, and most programming languages
- fetch and run code from another file, making its functions and variables available in the current program
- database bulk load SQL and database management
- read a data file and insert many rows into a table, often with specific format rules and error handling
- package dependency software package managers like npm, pip, cargo
- download and install external libraries a project needs, resolving version conflicts automatically
- ES6 module syntax modern JavaScript and TypeScript
- declare bindings that are hoisted, run in strict mode, and may trigger tree-shaking during build
Where people and models part ways
“I need to import my photos”
Meant: move image files from a camera or phone to a computer
May be taken as: the model writes a script that tries to load image-processing libraries or execute code from a path named 'photos'
Say instead: “copy my photos from my camera to my computer”
“import the data from last year”
Meant: open or reference an old spreadsheet or report
May be taken as: the model generates a database import command that expects a specific CSV format and may overwrite current data
Say instead: “open the file with last year's data so I can look at it”
“can you import this for me”
Meant: help transfer information from one app to another
May be taken as: the model assumes the user wants it to execute arbitrary code or install an untrusted package
Say instead: “help me move this information from [app A] into [app B]”
Tips
- Say 'load' or 'open' instead of 'import' when you mean to view a file
- Specify the source and destination apps when transferring data between programs
- Say 'install the package' if you mean adding software, not 'import' it
- Add 'I am not writing code' if your request could sound like programming
- Use 'bring in from' for physical goods or manual file transfers
Often confused with
- export
- the opposite direction: sending out rather than bringing in
- include
- weaker technical sense, often just inserts text rather than executing code
- require
- similar module loading but synchronous and more common in older JavaScript
- upload
- sends from local to remote, not from external source to current system
- install
- puts software on a system permanently, whereas import runs it temporarily