bug#10326: Need to document %load-path, %load-compiled-path, and add %search-load-compiled-path and load-compiled-from-path to API

[Ian Price <ianprice90@googlemail.com>]

Ian Hulin <ian@hulin.org.uk> writes:

> Section 6.17.6 of the manual could do with a sections for %load-path
> and %load-compiled-path.
>
> e.g.
> — Variable: %load-path
>
>     The list of directories which will currently be searched by
> load-from-path, primitive-load-path and %search-load-path to locate a
> scheme file.
>
> - Variable: %load-compiled-path
>
>     The list of directories which will currently be searched by
> load-compiled-from-path and %search-load-compiled-path to locate a
> compiled scheme file.

%load-path is already documented in 2.0, in section 6.22.1, 6.17.6 may
be a better place for it though, as that is where
e.g. %search-load-path, %load-hook etc. are.

%load-compiled-path seems to be only indirectly referred to in the
%documentation for GUILE_LOAD_COMPILED_PATH and compiled-file-name.

> Also, Guile really needs to provide a %search-load-compiled-path and a
> load-compiled-from-path, it would have been useful in LilyPond code, and
> Manual Section 4.7 (discussing site locations says)

I don't see a %search-load-compiled-path or load-compiled-from-path in
guile 2.0's stable branch. Where these removed? Or have I missed them?

> "As with Scheme files, Guile searches a path to find compiled .go
> files, the %load-compiled-path. By default, this path has two entries:
> a path for Guile's files, and a path for site packages. You should
> install your .go files into the latter. Currently there is no
> procedure to get at this path, which is probably a bug."
>
>
> — Scheme Procedure: %search-load-compiled-path filename
> — C Function: scm_sys_search_load_compiled_path (filename)
>
>     Search %load-compiled-path for the file named filename, which must
> be readable by the current user. If filename is found in the list of
> paths to search or is an absolute pathname, return its full pathname.
> Otherwise, return #f.

Unless you meant %search-load-compiled-path, this sounds similar to the
documented procedure 'compiled-file-name'
>
> — Scheme Procedure: load-compiled-from-path filename
>
>     Similar to load-compiled, but searches for filename in the
> compiled load paths.
If the above is correct, this is just
(compose load-compiled compiled-file-name), yes?
Might be useful for symmetry with 'load-from-path'

-- 
Ian Price

"Programming is like pinball. The reward for doing it well is
the opportunity to do it again" - from "The Wizardy Compiled"