Lesson 9 - 14:14:26: why is it wrong to add 'require("@chainlink/contracts")' to hardhat.config.js?

[nebelmeerwanderer1]

This is a general question about installing and using modules.

I am curious why Patrick doesn't add 'require("@chainlink/contracts")' to hardhat.config.js when he is importing VRFConsumerBaseV2.sol to Raffle.sol. Does it have to do with it being used in a solidity file?

Actually it turns out that if you - in addition to the actions in the video - add 'require("@chainlink/contracts")' to hardhat.config.js, then the compile at 14:14:26 fails. why?

[mattaereal]

I think you're getting a little bit confused with the imports and the usage of each file.

He is not requiring (in reference to the literal word, not the keyword) anything from @chainlink/contracts inside hardhat.config.js, so there's no need to import any module from that repository.

Inside Raffle.sol, you can see he is importing the contracts that the Raffle needs in order to work, but he is importing them manually from the path they are on. It's not a javascript module that needs to be imported in a javascript file for configurations nor testing in this case, it is a repository that has a lot of smart contract samples, that can be added locally to your project by running yarn add @chainlink/contracts --dev.

[nebelmeerwanderer1]

Hi Matias

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I guess what confused me is that they all are imported in the same way and end up in the 'node_modules' folder. Yet there are different ways of activating them. Thanks for clarifying it.

sincerely
Keld

[mattaereal]

No problem!

Would you mind marking this as answered if so?

Thanks!

[nebelmeerwanderer1]

Hi @mattaereal . Given that this is in the 'General' category, I don't think it is possible to mark as answered.

[nikhil-b-more]

after installing chainlink/contracts now its part of hardhat there is no need to import it from some where. files in node_module kind of servers hardhat so it will automatically used by the hardhat.