Re: Add code from other files

[uzibalqa]

On Thursday, July 4th, 2024 at 12:10 PM, uzibalqa <uzibalqa@proton.me> wrote:

> On Thursday, July 4th, 2024 at 11:19 AM, uzibalqa uzibalqa@proton.me wrote:
> 
> > On Thursday, July 4th, 2024 at 11:11 AM, Basile Starynkevitch 
> > basile@starynkevitch.net wrote:
> > 
> > > On 7/4/24 13:03, uzibalqa wrote:
> > > 
> > > > On Thursday, July 4th, 2024 at 3:49 AM, Basile Starynkevitch 
> > > > basile@starynkevitch.net wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > > On 7/4/24 01:44, uzibalqa wrote:
> > > > > 
> > > > > > I have a file and want to add the code from other files to it. What 
> > > > > > does one do ?
> > > > > 
> > > > > You should explain more. Are you thinking of Elisp code? GNU emacs can
> > > > > be used to edit non-code files (eg LaTeX documents)
> > > > > 
> > > > > --
> > > > > Basile STARYNKEVITCH basile@starynkevitch.net
> > > > > I have an elisp file and want to include the functionality present in 
> > > > > another .el file.
> > > 
> > > Can't you use the load primitive function of Elisp
> > > 
> > > > load is a primitive-function in ‘C source code’.
> > > > 
> > > > (load FILE &optional NOERROR NOMESSAGE NOSUFFIX MUST-SUFFIX)
> > > > 
> > > > Execute a file of Lisp code named FILE.
> > > > First try FILE with ‘.elc’ appended, then try with ‘.el’, then try
> > > > with a system-dependent suffix of dynamic modules (see ‘load-suffixes’),
> > > > then try FILE unmodified (the exact suffixes in the exact order are
> > > > determined by ‘load-suffixes’). Environment variable references in
> > > > FILE are replaced with their values by calling 
> > > > ‘substitute-in-file-name’.
> > > > This function searches the directories in ‘load-path’.
> > > > 
> > > > If optional second arg NOERROR is non-nil,
> > > > report no error if FILE doesn’t exist.
> > > > Print messages at start and end of loading unless
> > > > optional third arg NOMESSAGE is non-nil (but ‘force-load-messages’
> > > > overrides that).
> > > > If optional fourth arg NOSUFFIX is non-nil, don’t try adding
> > > > suffixes to the specified name FILE.
> > > > If optional fifth arg MUST-SUFFIX is non-nil, insist on
> > > > the suffix ‘.elc’ or ‘.el’ or the module suffix; don’t accept just
> > > > FILE unless it ends in one of those suffixes or includes a directory 
> > > > name.
> > > > 
> > > > If NOSUFFIX is nil, then if a file could not be found, try looking for
> > > > a different representation of the file by adding non-empty suffixes to
> > > > its name, before trying another file. Emacs uses this feature to find
> > > > compressed versions of files when Auto Compression mode is enabled.
> > > > If NOSUFFIX is non-nil, disable this feature.
> > > > 
> > > > The suffixes that this function tries out, when NOSUFFIX is nil, are
> > > > given by the return value of ‘get-load-suffixes’ and the values listed
> > > > in ‘load-file-rep-suffixes’. If MUST-SUFFIX is non-nil, only the
> > > > return value of ‘get-load-suffixes’ is used, i.e. the file name is
> > > > required to have a non-empty suffix.
> > > > 
> > > > When searching suffixes, this function normally stops at the first
> > > > one that exists. If the option ‘load-prefer-newer’ is non-nil,
> > > > however, it tries all suffixes, and uses whichever file is the newest.
> > > > 
> > > > Loading a file records its definitions, and its ‘provide’ and
> > > > ‘require’ calls, in an element of ‘load-history’ whose
> > > > car is the file name loaded. See ‘load-history’.
> > > > 
> > > > While the file is in the process of being loaded, the variable
> > > > ‘load-in-progress’ is non-nil and the variable ‘load-file-name’
> > > > is bound to the file’s name.
> > > > 
> > > > Return t if the file exists and loads successfully.
> > > > 
> > > > Probably introduced at or before Emacs version 1.1.
> 
> 
> 
> What are the 'provide' and 'require' calls and should I use them ?
> When is it appropriate to use 'load'. A useful feature of load is
> that prints messages at start and end of loading.

I have a main file and three auxiliary files.  I can use `load` for the 
auxiliary 
files and use `provide` for the main file.  Would this be the correct approach ?