Re: [elpa] externals/org ec6d1df 2/2: lisp/ox.el (org-export-to-file): Don't load the major mode

Re: [elpa] externals/org ec6d1df 2/2: lisp/ox.el (org-export-to-file): Don't load the major mode

[Stefan Monnier]

>     Prior to this, when `org-export-to-file' was called it activated the
>     major mode for that file type based on `auto-mode-alist'.  This can be
>     mildly annoying in various ways as loading the major mode (1) makes
>     the export take longer, (2) can produce unwanted "noise" while
>     initialising, namely warnings and errors related to the mode itself,
>     (3) can produce spurious files like an .auctex-auto folder.  By
>     locally binding `auto-mode-alist' to nil, all of these undesirable
>     behaviours can be avoided.

Hmm... modes don't set themselves unless we ask for it (e.g. by using
`file-find-noselect` instead of `insert-file-contents`), so maybe
a better option is to change the code that causes the major modes to be
set so that it doesn't happen?

Binding `auto-mode-alist` to nil is not the end of the world, but it's
a kind of ugly hack and inevitably comes with undesirable side-effects
(e.g. any ELisp package that happens to be loaded during this time and
whose initialization code adds/removes entries from `auto-mode-alist`
will be affected).


        Stefan

Re: [elpa] externals/org ec6d1df 2/2: lisp/ox.el (org-export-to-file): Don't load the major mode

[Bastien]

Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:

>>     Prior to this, when `org-export-to-file' was called it activated the
>>     major mode for that file type based on `auto-mode-alist'.  This can be
>>     mildly annoying in various ways as loading the major mode (1) makes
>>     the export take longer, (2) can produce unwanted "noise" while
>>     initialising, namely warnings and errors related to the mode itself,
>>     (3) can produce spurious files like an .auctex-auto folder.  By
>>     locally binding `auto-mode-alist' to nil, all of these undesirable
>>     behaviours can be avoided.
>
> Hmm... modes don't set themselves unless we ask for it (e.g. by using
> `file-find-noselect` instead of `insert-file-contents`), so maybe
> a better option is to change the code that causes the major modes to be
> set so that it doesn't happen?

Right.  I don't see where a major is loaded in `org-export-to-file'.

Timothy, can you double-check the original error was not due to your
configuration?  What happens with emacs -Q ?

> Binding `auto-mode-alist` to nil is not the end of the world, but it's
> a kind of ugly hack and inevitably comes with undesirable side-effects
> (e.g. any ELisp package that happens to be loaded during this time and
> whose initialization code adds/removes entries from `auto-mode-alist`
> will be affected).

Let's avoid this hack then.  Thanks!

-- 
 Bastien