Re: Patch: perform autoloading when docs is missing from autoload object

[Arthur Miller]

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

>> loads libraries when symbol is not loaded. I would actually prefer to just 
>> load
>> documentation not the entire library, and I think I can do that, but it is a
>> little bit more involved (have to find source and read the docs), unlike just
>> performing autoloading.
>
> Loading a docstring from the .el file can be tricky/cumbersome (at
> least if we want it to be reliable and 100% correct), but as for loading
> a docstring from a .elc file this is standard (its controlled by
> the variable `byte-compile-dynamic-docstrings`), although currently it
> seems it's not done for autoloads.

Indeed. My thoughts were to read .elc when avialable, and .el only if there is
no .elc file available. I didn't want to write too much about that, I wanted to
get something usable; I see doc loading as an optimization to proposed
patch. If/when I it will just replace autoload-do-load. It is one of those
"would-be-nice-to-have todo items".

Until than, the proposed patch is functionally equivavelnt to what helpful does
in this regard. I would like to hear opinion if I should look at some other
place to implement this, and if the strategy with opt-in/opt-out and extra
defcustom option is OK.