Re: .emacs (load {user-init-file, custom-file} causes duplicate load of both

[Larry Evans <cppljevans@suddenlink.net>]

On 11/11/10 06:09, Larry Evans wrote:
> On 11/11/10 05:22, Larry Evans wrote:
>> On 11/11/10 01:45, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
>>>> From: Larry Evans <cppljevans@suddenlink.net>
>>>> Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2010 19:14:25 -0600
>>>>
>>>> My ~/.emacs file contains (amoung other things):
>>>>
>>>> ---{~/.emacs---
>>>> (setq user-init-file
>>>>       (expand-file-name "init.el"
>>>> 			(expand-file-name ".emacs.d" "~")))
>>>> (setq custom-file
>>>>       (expand-file-name "custom.el"
>>>> 			(expand-file-name ".xemacs" "~")))
>>>> (load-file user-init-file)
>>>> (load-file custom-file)
>>>> ---}~/.emacs---
>>>>
>>>> When started with this, the *messages* buffer contains:
>>>>
>>>> ---{*messages---
>>>> Loading /home/evansl/.emacs.d/init.el (source)...
>>>> Loading /home/evansl/.recentf...done
>>>> Cleaning up the recentf list...done (0 removed)
>>>> Loading /home/evansl/.emacs.d/init.el (source)...done
>>>> Loading /home/evansl/.xemacs/custom.el (source)...
>>>> Loading desktop...done
>>>> Loading /home/evansl/.xemacs/custom.el (source)...done
>>>> ---}*messages---
>>>>
>>>> Why are both user-init-file and custom-file both loaded twice?
>>>
>>> Because you are overriding the values of variables that Emacs uses at
>>> startup.  The startup procedure involves some non-trivial logic for
>>> loading user-init-file and custom-file, and you are interfering with
>>> that logic by setting their values in your ~/.emacs, which is read
>>> half-way through the startup process.
>>>
>>> Simply load the files by name, or use other variables.  Then Emacs
>>> should load these files only once, as you want.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Hi Eli,
>>
>> Unfortunately, after renaming the variables to:
>>
>>   my-user-init-file
>>   my-custom-file
>>
>> the *Messages* buffer still had the duplicate loads.
>>
>> My real reason for investigating this is I'm trying to avoid
>> the error message:
>>
>> "Current desktop was not loaded from a file.  Overwrite this desktop file? "
>>
>> from function desktop-save in desktop.el.gz.  A trace in that function
>> showed:
>>
>>   desktop-file-modtime
>>
>> was nil.  Further search in that file showed the only place that was
>> set was in function desktop-read.  So, in .emacs I put:
>>
>>   (desktop-read)
>>
>> However, that didn't work.
>>
>> Any help resolving this would be appreciated.
> [snip]
> OOPS.  A more careful reading of *Messages* shows that the there
> was a slight difference in the entries:
> 
>  Loading /home/evansl/.xemacs/custom.el (source)...
>  Loading desktop...done
>  Loading /home/evansl/.xemacs/custom.el (source)...done
> 
> The 1st Loading was for the start of loading.  The 2nd,
> as the trailing ...done indicates, is for the end of the
> loading.
> 
> Sorry for noise.  However, why am I getting the error message
> from function desktop-save?
> 

Placed a (debug) in .emacs just before the loads for my-*-file.
Then did some tracing, but nothing was helpful.  However, after
that, the error message from desktop-read about desktop file
already in use showed at bottom of frame.  Strange thing is
that before that message showed in some sort of widget.
So I answered to use anyway.  Then exited emacs, and now
no error message occurs when emacs restarted.

I've no idea why.
Anyone have a clue?

-regards,
Larry