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(slib.info)Library Catalogs

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Library Catalogs
================

At the start of a session no catalog is present, but is created with the
first catalog inquiry (such as `(require 'random)').  Several sources
of catalog information are combined to produce the catalog:

   * standard SLIB packages.

   * additional packages of interest to this site.

   * packages specifically for the variety of Scheme which this session
     is running.

   * packages this user wants to always have available.  This catalog
     is the file `homecat' in the user's "HOME" directory.

   * packages germane to working in this (current working) directory.
     This catalog is the file `usercat' in the directory to which it
     applies.  One would typically `cd' to this directory before
     starting the Scheme session.

Catalog files consist of one or more "association list"s.  In the
circumstance where a feature symbol appears in more than one list, the
latter list's association is retrieved.  Here are the supported formats
for elements of catalog lists:

`(FEATURE . <symbol>)'
     Redirects to the feature named <symbol>.

`(FEATURE . "<path>")'
     Loads file <path>.

`(FEATURE source "<path>")'
     `slib:load's the Scheme source file <path>.

`(FEATURE compiled "<path>" ...)'
     `slib:load-compiled's the files <path> ....

The various macro styles first `require' the named macro package, then
just load <path> or load-and-macro-expand <path> as appropriate for the
implementation.

`(FEATURE defmacro "<path>")'
     `defmacro:load's the Scheme source file <path>.

`(FEATURE macro-by-example "<path>")'
     `defmacro:load's the Scheme source file <path>.

`(FEATURE macro "<path>")'
     `macro:load's the Scheme source file <path>.

`(FEATURE macros-that-work "<path>")'
     `macro:load's the Scheme source file <path>.

`(FEATURE syntax-case "<path>")'
     `macro:load's the Scheme source file <path>.

`(FEATURE syntactic-closures "<path>")'
     `macro:load's the Scheme source file <path>.

Here is an example of a `usercat' catalog.  A Program in this directory
can invoke the `run' feature with `(require 'run)'.

     ;;; "usercat": SLIB catalog additions for SIMSYNCH.     -*-scheme-*-
     
     (
      (simsynch      . "../synch/simsynch.scm")
      (run           . "../synch/run.scm")
      (schlep        . "schlep.scm")
     )