Re: What's the right way to define a custom info path.

[Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>]

> Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2015 16:45:07 +0100 (CET)
> From: pierre.techoueyres@free.fr
> 
> ** My problems
>    First I tried to setup the Info-path with the custom variable `Info-default-directory-list' but that doesn't work, because of package-activate-1 which call info-initialize so the customization of Info-default-directory-list is done too late. And worse it's not correctly initialized !!!
> 
> 
>    Next I try using `Info-directory-list' but to do so I must require info and call info-initialize in my init.el and I prefer to avoid that.
> 
>    Then I looked at `Info-additional-directory-list' which has the same problem as `Info-default-directory-list'.
> 
> ** What I think should be done.
>    1) `Info-default-directory-list' should be correctly initialized for the emacs w32.
>       1) To do that env.el should provide an `w32-substitute-env-vars' to allow replacement of %var% strings with the corresponding env vars.
>       2) The defcustom of Info-default-directory-list should call (substitute-env-vars configure-info-directory) instead of configure-info-directory directly.      
> 
>    2) `package-activate-1' should not require info nor use `info-initialize'. Instead it should add info paths on `Info-default-directory-list' or `Info-additional-directory-list' (maybe the later).
> 
> ** My questions
>    Have I do something wrong with my config ? Should I set an INFOPATH env var with absolutes paths ?
>    If the answer of the previous questions is : No, should I open bugs ?

The way to set this up correctly is to define the INFOPATH environment
variable (outside Emacs) which mentions the directories with Info
files in the proper order.  The Emacs is supposed to automatically
pick up the directories from INFOPATH, and you should be able to read
your manuals without any further problems.

You are instead trying to futz with Emacs variables that are not
supposed to do that well.  I suggest to save yourself a lot of trouble
and go via INFOPATH.

> ** My questions
>    Have I do something wrong with my config ? Should I set an INFOPATH env var with absolutes paths ?

Yes to INFOPATH.

>    If the answer of the previous questions is : No, should I open bugs ?

No, there's no bug here, AFAICT.  If you want to set up
Info-directory-list or Info-additional-directory-list, you must load
info.elc first.  (But again, I don't recommend going that way.)