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From: ram-ashwin@YALE.ARPA (Ashwin Ram)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Loading files if not already loaded...
Message-ID: <8708192126.AA02669@ELI.CS.YALE.EDU>
Date: Wed, 19-Aug-87 17:26:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: ELI.8708192126.AA02669
Posted: Wed Aug 19 17:26:44 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Aug-87 04:12:36 EDT
Sender: daemon@eddie.MIT.EDU
Lines: 25


It would be nice to have a LOAD variant that loaded a file only if it was not
already loaded.  E.g., if you use a particular sub-system or package in two
different places, you don't want it reloaded.

REQUIRE is pretty close, but it checks features rather than loaded files, and
most people don't include PROVIDE forms in their packages (including many
files in the standard Emacs distribution.  E.g., you can't do this with
MAILALIAS since it is a file that is autoloaded by name rather than by a
required feature.)

Since many functions are autoloaded by filename rather than by
requiring/providing a feature, it makes sense to have a MAYBE-LOAD or
REQUIRE-FILE or something (or perhaps a RELOAD-P argument to LOAD).

Or maybe AUTOLOAD should be redesigned to be feature-oriented instead of
file-oriented (E.g., (autoload function feature &optional file) to autoload
"function", you need to require "feature" (which you get from "file")).  Or
maybe a AUTOLOAD-FEATURE.  Or something.

-- Ashwin.

ARPA:    Ram-Ashwin@cs.yale.edu
UUCP:    {decvax,linus,seismo}!yale!Ram-Ashwin
BITNET:  Ram@yalecs