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Do Not Use Shorthands For Autoloaded Functions.

Date published:

Also posted on Emacs Stackexchange.

Problem.

I want to write a shorthand for a shorthanded autoloaded function in a package, like so:

;;; super-duper-long-package-name.el --- Provide a cool command -*- lexical-binding: t -*-

;; Version: 0.1.0

;;; Code:

(require 'someone-elses-super-duper-long-package-name)

;;;###autoload
(defun sdlpn-cool-command ()
  "Display a cool message."
  (interactive)
  (message (someone-elses-super-duper-long-package-name-cool-command)))

(provide 'super-duper-long-package-name)

;; Local Variables:
;; read-symbol-shorthands: (("sdlpn-" . "super-duper-long-package-name-")
;;                          ("sesdlpn-" . "someone-elses-super-duper-long-package-name-"))
;; End:
;;; super-duper-long-package-name.el ends here

But when the package is installed, and I try running the command, there are two problems:

  1. The command is still named sdlpn-cool-command.

  2. When I run the command using M-x sdlpn-cool-command RET, Emacs complains in a message:

    execute-extended-command: Autoloading file /home/super-duper-long-user-name/.emacs.d/elpa/super-duper-long-package-name-0.1.0/super-duper-long-package-name.elc failed to define function sdlpn-cool-command

How do you solve it?

Solution.

Just name it super-duper-long-package-name-cool-command.

Shorthands are meant for your own code, either when you use your own package code or when you (require 'someone-elses-extremely-long-package-name) and need to write code using names defined in it, like so:

;;; super-duper-long-package-name.el --- Provide a cool command -*- lexical-binding: t -*-

;; Version: 0.1.1

;;; Code:

(require 'someone-elses-super-duper-long-package-name)

;;;###autoload
(defun super-duper-long-package-name-cool-command ()
  "Display a cool message."
  (interactive)
  (message (someone-elses-super-duper-long-package-name-cool-command)))

(provide 'super-duper-long-package-name)

;; Local Variables:
;; read-symbol-shorthands: (("sdlpn-" . "super-duper-long-package-name-")
;;                          ("sesdlpn-" . "someone-elses-super-duper-long-package-name-"))
;; End:
;;; super-duper-long-package-name.el ends here

someone-elses-extremely-long-package-name may be defined like so, and notice the shorthanded function sesdlpn-cool-command is not defined to be autoloaded, so using a shorthand is okay:

;;; someone-elses-super-duper-long-package-name.el --- Provide a cool string generating functions -*- lexical-binding: t -*-

;; Version: 0.2.3

;;; Code:

(defun sesdlpn-cool-command ()
  "Return a cool string."

  "COOL!")

(provide 'someone-elses-super-duper-long-package-name)

;; Local Variables:
;; read-symbol-shorthands: (("sesdlpn-" . "someone-elses-super-duper-long-package-name-"))
;; End:
;;; someone-elses-super-duper-long-package-name.el ends here
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