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At Fri, 21 Jun 2024 21:55:54 -0000 (UTC) Rich <rich@example.invalid> wrote:

> 
> et99 <et99@rocketship1.me> wrote:
> > On 6/21/2024 1:17 PM, aotto1968 wrote:
> > snip
> >> 
> >> the core problem is *not* the "autopath" is wrong because at the 
> >> time I use it I does not know it was wrong.  The core problem is 
> >> that is was *very* difficult to figure out what was the "right" 
> >> name.  special the tcl_traceExec… does not help and more important 
> >> the package.n docu (package require…) does *not* spend a single word 
> >> on *how* to find a package.
> > 
> > I'm not sure if this would have helped in your case, but I've used 
> > this with some success.  It outputs every package command issued and 
> > by using a search pattern to limit the output to the ifneeded 
> > commands, sometimes gets me what I need to know.
> 
> aotto1968's complaint is that the "package" man page does not mention 
> that the auto_path variable stores the search path list for finding 
> packages.  And, I looked, it does not make any mention of the 
> "specialness" of that variable.
> 
> On my Slack15 install, all of the Tcl special variables are documented 
> in a man page named "tcl_library" (although the page contents believes 
> it is named "tclvars").  So auto_path's specialness /is/ documented, 
> but unless one has discovered that it is documented in a different 
> manpage from 'package', one could very well spend a lot of time and not 
> find the proper docs.
> 
> So the least disruptive change to cover aotto1968's complaint would be 
> for aotto1968 to file a patch against the package man page adding a 
> "see tcl_library manpage for Tcl special variables related to package 
> handling".

I suspect that the tcl_library manpage is replicated from the tclvars man 
page.  A number of Tcl's (and Tk's) man pages are dups.  Which happen at build 
or install time (links?) or possibly using an old UNIX trick where man pages 
can implement a re-direct -- this is done because some man pages cover 
multiple closely related topics (or groups commands that have common 
documentation.

> 
> That, or aotto1968 should file a patch against the package namespace to 
> add a brief paragraph to the package manpage detailing that the special 
> global auto_path contains a list of directories within which to search 
> for packages when doing a package require.
> 
> Either of the above would be a proactive step to eliminate the problem.
> 
> Grumbling on Usenet about the issue is not taking any direct steps to 
> proactively eliminate the issue.
> 
>            
> 

-- 
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