global compile-time variable used in a macro doesn't work/ compiled to nil?

[shaunsingh]

I have a use-package! macro that is supposed to add packages to a global list (conf/pack) which is then sent to packer. However, unless all the use-package! calls are in the same file as the unpack! macro, it doesn't work. Is this intended behavior?

https://github.com/shaunsingh/nyoom.nvim/blob/ed2dde4ecaac4c038ef9c2bff14f8ff885b2216b/fnl/conf/macros.fnl#L96 to Line 156 for the macros I used.

See: https://github.com/datwaft/nvim.conf/issues/15 for examples/test

[technomancy]

It's hard to tell what's going on here; a lot depends on how the compiler sandbox is set up. Can you provide a repro case that can run outside neovim?

[shaunsingh]

Here's a repro of the issue: https://github.com/shaunsingh/fennel413

Result

~/P/t/fennel413 λ fennel init.fnl
The module 'init' has been loaded.

It should print both that the module init and the module module has been loaded

[technomancy]

The reason you're getting unexpected results here is just that the compilation is happening in a different order from what you're expecting.

• init.fnl is compiled
  • the call to require("module") is emitted
  • "init" is added to the visited module list
  • the call to loop over the list of visited modules (just :init) is emitted
• init.fnl's compilation output is executed
• the call to require("module") runs
  • module.fnl is compiled
  • "module" is added to the visited module list
• The loop that was compiled earlier is run.

There are a couple possible fixes here. One would be that you replace require (which defers the compilation to runtime) with include which compiles it immediately. (The --require-as-include flag also has this effect.) Another would be that you change the loop so that it looks for the list of modules at runtime instead of compile time; however, the compiler sandbox will interfere with this, so you will either have to disable it or construct a separate sandbox which includes the table containing the data you want.

Or maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree entirely. If you just want to track what modules get loaded, you don't need a macro for that; a custom searcher would be a lot easier way to accomplish it.

[shaunsingh]

There are a couple possible fixes here. One would be that you replace require (which defers the compilation to runtime) with include which compiles it immediately.

Thanks, I'll look into that

Or maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree entirely. If you just want to track what modules get loaded, you don't need a macro for that; a custom searcher would be a lot easier way to accomplish it.

That was just an example, the actual use case was adding plugins across multiple files in neovim to my package manager (via adding the packages to a list using a macro, then sending that to `packer.nvim)

[technomancy]

OK cool. Going to close this as it doesn't seem like a bug, but if you have more questions feel free to comment further.