---
title: "dofile"
description: "Compiles and executes a workspace file."
---

```lua
dofile(path: string): (nil?, string?)
```

---

## Aliases

None.

---

## Arguments

<ParamField body="path" type="string" required>
  A UTF-8 path relative to the Byte workspace.
</ParamField>

---

## Returns

<ResponseField name="result" type="nil?">
  No return values after successful execution; nil on compilation failure.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="error" type="string?">
  A compilation diagnostic when the chunk could not be compiled.
</ResponseField>

Successful execution discards the chunk's return values. Compilation failure returns nil, error; runtime errors propagate.

**Related types:** [Filesystem types & behavior](/reference/filesystem/types).

---

## Example

```lua
writefile("docs-example/run.lua", [[print("loaded from workspace")]])
dofile("docs-example/run.lua")
```