I need packages and custom with --script

I need packages and custom with --script

[Jean Louis]

I have on server Emacs 27 running, and I notice that I cannot load
packages with `require' even if installed, if I use --script and I see
that I cannot load packages and cannot get ~/.emacs.d/init.el
automatically loaded so that I can get customized variables from
inside.

I need help on that. Do I need to load 'package like this? I have
tried, but it still does not recognize other packages, so I can't load
them with (require 'my-package)

And what do I need to load so that ~/.emacs.d/init.el is read and
custom variables read while running under --script ?

#!/home/data1/protected/bin/emacs --script
(require 'package)
(require 'custom)


Jean

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Re: I need packages and custom with --script

[Felix Dietrich]

Hi Jean,

Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> writes:

> I have on server Emacs 27 running, and I notice that I cannot load
> packages with `require' even if installed, if I use --script […]

> [How do I load packages when using the “--script” argument?]  Do I
> need to load 'package like this? I have tried, but it still does not
> recognize other packages, so I can't load them with (require
> 'my-package)
>
> #!/home/data1/protected/bin/emacs --script
> (require 'package)
> (require 'custom)

If you have manually installed some Emacs Lisp files that you would now
like to ‘require’ in your script, you need to add their directory to the
‘load-path’ using, for example, “(add-to-list 'load-path
"/path/to/directory")” before you can ‘require’ them.

For packages, if you want to use its automation of the above process
plus whatever else it does, I believe the needed incantation is
something like the following:

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
  (require 'package)
  ;; Maybe set ‘package-load-list’ here.
  (package-initialize)
#+end_src

After this you should be able to ‘require’ the packages you need.

> [How can I load “~/.emacs.d/init.el”] if I use --script […]

Within a script, you should be able to load any Emacs Lisp file, for
example the Emacs init file:

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
  (load-file "~/.emacs.d/init.el")
#+end_src

Emacs also handles a “--load” argument, but the file passed via this
argument is evaluated after “--script”:

#+NAME: /tmp/my-load-file.el
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
  (princ "Hello from --load file")
  (terpri)
#+end_src

#+NAME: /tmp/my-script-file.el
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
  (princ "Hello from --script file")
  (terpri)
#+end_src

#+begin_src sh :dir /tmp :results output
  emacs --load   my-load-file.el   --script my-script-file.el
  # Note that the order of the arguments does not matter:
  emacs --script my-script-file.el --load   my-load-file.el
#+end_src

#+RESULTS:
: Hello from script file
: Hello from load file
: Hello from script file
: Hello from load file

> And what do I need to load so that […]  custom variables [are] read
> while running under --script ?

For variables set with the Emacsʼs customisation system, you can,
presumably, just load the file in which custom.el inserts the settings.
Maybe you need to ‘require’ ‘custom’ first so that Emacs recognises the
“custom-” functions used there, like you do in your example above.  Just
try it out.

-- 
Felix Dietrich

Re: I need packages and custom with --script

[Stefan Monnier via Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor]

> #+begin_src emacs-lisp
>   (require 'package)
>   ;; Maybe set ‘package-load-list’ here.
>   (package-initialize)
> #+end_src

Nitpick: `package-initialize` sets up package.el so it's ready to do
pretty much anything, including install/uninstall etc...

So, nowadays (since Emacs-27) you should use `package-activate-all`
instead, which focuses on activating the installed packages without
paying attention to things like the list of existing packages in the
package archives etc...

IOW, it's faster (especially if you're using `package-quickstart`).


        Stefan