Re: Patch: perform autoloading when docs is missing from autoload object

[Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org>]

Arthur Miller <arthur.miller@live.com> writes:

>> In which cases will this make a difference when displaying the *Help*
>> buffer for the symbol?
>
> In case where the symbol is not loaded, and there is no doc entry in autoload
> object.

Oh, right --- I was thinking about ;;;###autoload, where the doc string
is available always, not

(autoload 'foo "foo")

Yes, in those cases it would indeed be helpful if the help machinery
just went ahead and loaded the library.  However, there are some
instances where loading a library has unexpected side effects, like
enabling new modes and keymaps.  Doing so is frowned upon (loading a
library shouldn't do those things), but it happens.

If this is a concern, then we could perhaps add a button to *Help* to do
the loading instead of loading automatically?

But perhaps just loading the file automatically would be fine anyway --
it's a bug for libraries to side-effect to an annoying degree upon load.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no