@c -*-texinfo-*-
@c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.
-@c Copyright (C) 1990-1995, 1998-1999, 2001-2013 Free Software
+@c Copyright (C) 1990-1995, 1998-1999, 2001-2015 Free Software
@c Foundation, Inc.
@c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions.
@node Loading
way.) Most often, the forms are function definitions and variable
definitions.
+For on-demand loading of external libraries, @pxref{Dynamic Libraries}.
+
@menu
* How Programs Do Loading:: The @code{load} function and others.
* Load Suffixes:: Details about the suffixes that @code{load} tries.
@samp{.el} or @samp{.elc} (possibly extended with a compression
suffix), unless it contains an explicit directory name.
+If the option @code{load-prefer-newer} is non-@code{nil}, then when
+searching suffixes, @code{load} selects whichever version of a file
+(@samp{.elc}, @samp{.el}, etc.) has been modified most recently.
+
If @var{filename} is a relative file name, such as @file{foo} or
@file{baz/foo.bar}, @code{load} searches for the file using the variable
@code{load-path}. It appends @var{filename} to each of the directories
it skips the former group, and if @var{must-suffix} is non-@code{nil},
it skips the latter group.
+@defopt load-prefer-newer
+If this option is non-@code{nil}, then rather than stopping at the
+first suffix that exists, @code{load} tests them all, and uses
+whichever file is the newest.
+@end defopt
+
@node Library Search
@section Library Search
@cindex library search
in a list of directories specified by the variable @code{load-path}.
@defvar load-path
-@cindex @env{EMACSLOADPATH} environment variable
The value of this variable is a list of directories to search when
loading files with @code{load}. Each element is a string (which must be
a directory name) or @code{nil} (which stands for the current working
directory).
@end defvar
- Each time Emacs starts up, it sets up the value of @code{load-path}
-in several steps. First, it initializes @code{load-path} to the
-directories specified by the environment variable @env{EMACSLOADPATH},
-if that exists. The syntax of @env{EMACSLOADPATH} is the same as used
-for @code{PATH}; directory names are separated by @samp{:} (or
-@samp{;}, on some operating systems), and @samp{.} stands for the
-current default directory. Here is an example of how to set
-@env{EMACSLOADPATH} variable from @command{sh}:
+ When Emacs starts up, it sets up the value of @code{load-path}
+in several steps. First, it initializes @code{load-path} using
+default locations set when Emacs was compiled. Normally, this
+is a directory something like
@example
-export EMACSLOADPATH
-EMACSLOADPATH=/home/foo/.emacs.d/lisp:/opt/emacs/lisp
+"/usr/local/share/emacs/@var{version}/lisp"
@end example
-@noindent
-Here is how to set it from @code{csh}:
-
-@example
-setenv EMACSLOADPATH /home/foo/.emacs.d/lisp:/opt/emacs/lisp
-@end example
+(In this and the following examples, replace @file{/usr/local} with
+the installation prefix appropriate for your Emacs.)
+These directories contain the standard Lisp files that come with
+Emacs. If Emacs cannot find them, it will not start correctly.
+
+If you run Emacs from the directory where it was built---that is, an
+executable that has not been formally installed---Emacs instead
+initializes @code{load-path} using the @file{lisp}
+directory in the directory containing the sources from which it
+was built.
+@c Though there should be no *.el files in builddir/lisp, so it's pointless.
+If you built Emacs in a separate directory from the
+sources, it also adds the lisp directories from the build directory.
+(In all cases, elements are represented as absolute file names.)
@cindex site-lisp directories
- If @env{EMACSLOADPATH} is not set (which is usually the case), Emacs
-initializes @code{load-path} with the following two directories:
+Unless you start Emacs with the @option{--no-site-lisp} option,
+it then adds two more @file{site-lisp} directories to the front of
+@code{load-path}. These are intended for locally installed Lisp files,
+and are normally of the form:
@example
"/usr/local/share/emacs/@var{version}/site-lisp"
@end example
@noindent
-The first one is for locally installed packages for a particular Emacs
-version; the second is for locally installed packages meant for use
-with all installed Emacs versions.
-
- If you run Emacs from the directory where it was built---that is, an
-executable that has not been formally installed---Emacs puts two more
-directories in @code{load-path}. These are the @code{lisp} and
-@code{site-lisp} subdirectories of the main build directory. (Both
-are represented as absolute file names.)
-
- Next, Emacs ``expands'' the initial list of directories in
-@code{load-path} by adding the subdirectories of those directories.
-Both immediate subdirectories and subdirectories multiple levels down
-are added. But it excludes subdirectories whose names do not start
-with a letter or digit, and subdirectories named @file{RCS} or
-@file{CVS}, and subdirectories containing a file named
-@file{.nosearch}.
-
- Next, Emacs adds any extra load directory that you specify using the
-@samp{-L} command-line option (@pxref{Action Arguments,,,emacs, The
+The first one is for locally installed files for a specific Emacs
+version; the second is for locally installed files meant for use
+with all installed Emacs versions. (If Emacs is running uninstalled,
+it also adds @file{site-lisp} directories from the source and build
+directories, if they exist. Normally these directories do not contain
+@file{site-lisp} directories.)
+
+@cindex @env{EMACSLOADPATH} environment variable
+If the environment variable @env{EMACSLOADPATH} is set, it modifies
+the above initialization procedure. Emacs initializes
+@code{load-path} based on the value of the environment variable.
+
+The syntax of @env{EMACSLOADPATH} is the same as used for @code{PATH};
+directory names are separated by @samp{:} (or @samp{;}, on some
+operating systems).
+@ignore
+@c AFAICS, does not (yet) work right to specify non-absolute elements.
+and @samp{.} stands for the current default directory.
+@end ignore
+Here is an example of how to set @env{EMACSLOADPATH} variable (from a
+@command{sh}-style shell):
+
+@example
+export EMACSLOADPATH=/home/foo/.emacs.d/lisp:
+@end example
+
+An empty element in the value of the environment variable, whether
+trailing (as in the above example), leading, or embedded, is replaced
+by the default value of @code{load-path} as determined by the standard
+initialization procedure. If there are no such empty elements, then
+@env{EMACSLOADPATH} specifies the entire @code{load-path}. You must
+include either an empty element, or the explicit path to the directory
+containing the standard Lisp files, else Emacs will not function.
+(Another way to modify @code{load-path} is to use the @option{-L}
+command-line option when starting Emacs; see below.)
+
+ For each directory in @code{load-path}, Emacs then checks to see if
+it contains a file @file{subdirs.el}, and if so, loads it. The
+@file{subdirs.el} file is created when Emacs is built/installed,
+and contains code that causes Emacs to add any subdirectories of those
+directories to @code{load-path}. Both immediate subdirectories and
+subdirectories multiple levels down are added. But it excludes
+subdirectories whose names do not start with a letter or digit, and
+subdirectories named @file{RCS} or @file{CVS}, and subdirectories
+containing a file named @file{.nosearch}.
+
+ Next, Emacs adds any extra load directories that you specify using the
+@option{-L} command-line option (@pxref{Action Arguments,,,emacs, The
GNU Emacs Manual}). It also adds the directories where optional
packages are installed, if any (@pxref{Packaging Basics}).
(push "~/.emacs.d/lisp" load-path)
@end example
- Dumping Emacs uses a special value of @code{load-path}. If the
-value of @code{load-path} at the end of dumping is unchanged (that is,
-still the same special value), the dumped Emacs switches to the
-ordinary @code{load-path} value when it starts up, as described above.
-But if @code{load-path} has any other value at the end of dumping,
-that value is used for execution of the dumped Emacs also.
+ Dumping Emacs uses a special value of @code{load-path}. If you use
+a @file{site-load.el} or @file{site-init.el} file to customize the
+dumped Emacs (@pxref{Building Emacs}), any changes to @code{load-path}
+that these files make will be lost after dumping.
@deffn Command locate-library library &optional nosuffix path interactive-call
This command finds the precise file name for library @var{library}. It
@node Loading Non-ASCII
@section Loading Non-@acronym{ASCII} Characters
+@cindex loading, and non-ASCII characters
+@cindex non-ASCII characters in loaded files
When Emacs Lisp programs contain string constants with non-@acronym{ASCII}
characters, these can be represented within Emacs either as unibyte
@node Where Defined
@section Which File Defined a Certain Symbol
+@cindex symbol, where defined
+@cindex where was a symbol defined
@defun symbol-file symbol &optional type
This function returns the name of the file that defined @var{symbol}.