How to install packages

How to install packages

[news]

Hi

Sorry about posting again on here - hopefully eventually I'll learn 
enough so I can help others on here!

My question at the moment is about installing packages. I managed to 
install mode-compile, by copying the .el file into a certain directory, 
making sure that directory was referenced in (add-to-list) in my 
.emacs 	and putting this in my .emacs as well:

(autoload 'mode-compile "mode-compile"
   "Command to compile current buffer file based on the major mode" t)

I am now trying to install the help+ package - which I have got as a 
file called help+.el and I've put it in the same directory as the 
mode-compile file, and then put this in my .emacs:

(autoload 'help+ "help+"
   "Command to give better help" t)

but it isn't working.

Again I'm probably doing something silly here - but I'm not sure what. I 
also can't seem to find a simple guide to installing packages on the 
internet anywhere, and not all packages seem to have instructions at the 
top of their .el file.

Cheers,

Robin

Re: How to install packages

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 04.07.2006 um 12:09 schrieb news:

> (autoload 'help+ "help+"
>   "Command to give better help" t)
>
> but it isn't working.

What is your proof? Autoload does not "compile-in" that package, it  
just allows you to use a few more functions and variables, those from  
this package. Once you use such a function or variable or access the  
package's customisation interface, it really gets "loaded." This is a  
feature of Emacs Lisp, at least.

>
> Again I'm probably doing something silly here - but I'm not sure  
> what. I also can't seem to find a simple guide to installing  
> packages on the internet anywhere, and not all packages seem to  
> have instructions at the top of their .el file.

Some packages offer a provide, then you simply require them. To  
install any Elisp code put these files into a directory mentioned in  
the variable load-path. Best is to choose something site specific.  
Putting lines like these into a file that is loaded early you can see  
in *Messages* what gets loaded:

	(defadvice load (before debug-log activate)
	  (message "(Hinted by Kai G) Loading now: %s" (ad-get-arg 0)))


--
Greetings

   Pete

War springs from unseen and generally insignificant causes.
                                        -- Anonymous

Re: How to install packages

[Tassilo Horn]

news <"r.t.wilson(news)"@rmplc.co.uk> writes:

Hi!

> I am now trying to install the help+ package - which I have got as a
> file called help+.el and I've put it in the same directory as the
> mode-compile file, and then put this in my .emacs:
>
> (autoload 'help+ "help+"
>   "Command to give better help" t)
>
> but it isn't working.

The problem is, that `help+' is no function name.

,----[ C-h f autoload RET ]
| autoload is a built-in function in `C source code'.
| (autoload FUNCTION FILE &optional DOCSTRING INTERACTIVE TYPE)
| 
| Define FUNCTION to autoload from FILE.
| FUNCTION is a symbol; FILE is a file name string to pass to `load'.
| Third arg DOCSTRING is documentation for the function.
| Fourth arg INTERACTIVE if non-nil says function can be called
| interactively.
| Fifth arg TYPE indicates the type of the object:
|    nil or omitted says FUNCTION is a function,
|    `keymap' says FUNCTION is really a keymap, and
|    `macro' or t says FUNCTION is really a macro.
| Third through fifth args give info about the real definition.
| They default to nil.
| If FUNCTION is already defined other than as an autoload,
| this does nothing and returns nil.
`----

Instead of autoload, you have to use `require' here:

  (require 'help+)

For more infos on autoload have a look at the info page:

,----[ (info "(elisp)Autoload") ]
|    The "autoload" facility allows you to make a function or macro
| known in Lisp, but put off loading the file that defines it.  The
| first call to the function automatically reads the proper file to
| install the real definition and other associated code, then runs the
| real definition as if it had been loaded all along.
`----

HTH,
Tassilo
-- 
A child of five could understand this! Fetch me a child of five!

RE: How to install packages

[Drew Adams]

    (autoload 'help+ "help+" "Command to give better help" t)

Others have told you about (require 'help+), which should be all you need.

Just to avoid other problems, let me point out that help+.el works with
Emacs 20, not 21 or 22. I haven't yet tried to port its features to 21 & 22.

Re: How to install packages

[Robin Wilson]

Drew Adams wrote:
>     (autoload 'help+ "help+" "Command to give better help" t)
> 
> Others have told you about (require 'help+), which should be all you need.
> 
> Just to avoid other problems, let me point out that help+.el works with
> Emacs 20, not 21 or 22. I haven't yet tried to port its features to 21 & 22.
> 
> 
> 
Hi

Thanks for telling me that Drew - I didn't realise (I'm sure it says 
somewhere but I just didn't look!). Just out of interest, how do I find 
out my emacs version? I think it is one of the latest ones but I'm not 
too sure...

Cheers,

Robin

Re: How to install packages

[Colin S. Miller]

Robin Wilson wrote:
> 
> Thanks for telling me that Drew - I didn't realise (I'm sure it says 
> somewhere but I just didn't look!). Just out of interest, how do I find 
> out my emacs version? I think it is one of the latest ones but I'm not 
> too sure...
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Robin

M-x emacs-version

-- 
Replace the obvious in my email address with the first three letters of the hostname to reply.

RE: How to install packages

[Drew Adams]

    > Just to avoid other problems, let me point out that help+.el
    > works with Emacs 20, not 21 or 22.

    Thanks for telling me that Drew - I didn't realise (I'm sure it says
    somewhere but I just didn't look!).

Each of my libraries has this in the file header:
 ;; Compatibility: GNU Emacs 20.x
or
 ;; Compatibility: GNU Emacs 20.x, GNU Emacs 21.x, GNU Emacs 22.x
etc.

Also, if you picked up help+.el from Emacs Wiki, then the page listing my
libraries (http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/DrewsElispLibraries) has:

 - section "Which Emacs Version", about version support
 - lists of libraries for different Emacs versions:
   . "Emacs 22 (and 21 (and 20 (and ...)))"
   . "Emacs 22 and Emacs 21 (will not work in older versions)"
   . "Emacs 20"

help+.el is listed in the last of these sections, for Emacs 20 only.

    how do I find out my emacs version?

Menu Help > Show Version or Help > About Emacs, or, as Colin mentioned, `C-h
v emacs-version'.

HTH.