Cannot reference programatically created label if it placed on the same line with heading

[istudyatuni]

Description

#set heading(numbering: "1.")

// doesn't work
#let lab = label("asdf")

= asdf #lab

@asdf // error: cannot reference text

// work
#let lab = label("asdf")

= asdf
#lab

@asdf

// work

= asdf <asdf>

@asdf

Reproduction URL

No response

Operating system

Linux

Typst version

• I am using the latest version of Typst

[PgBiel]

Write #[= asdf] #lab instead for now, this is a current limitation in how label attachment is parsed. The compiler can correctly associate the label-specific <asdf> syntax with the entire heading, but as far as it knows = asdf #lab could be =asdf 5 (which would be part of the heading) or =asdf test (which would also be), so it disambiguates by having lab be part of the heading body, and thus it points to asdf (inside the heading) instead of the whole heading.

[istudyatuni]

Why is it closed? Is this behavior be intended, or will it not be fixed/will be fixed soon?

[laurmaedje]

It's not a bug per se as the label is contained within the heading and there's not much the compiler can change about it at the parser stage. The only possible solution I'm aware of is to not allow variable labels to be attached via markup at all. We might do that. But even that would probably not completely eliminate the confusion.

[adrfantini]

I've had this issue as well, and found it quite confusing. You can find my experience in discussion #4043.

In my case I wrongly assumed the issue was with the dynamic label (built from a variable).

Both the documentation and the error codes were not very clear as to what was happening in this case.
What I tried seemed very intuitive to me, so I'm guessing more people will hit this issue.

If this is not fixable, maybe at least the error/help messages could be clearer?