Feature #7611: Focal method for all loads/requires

• Status: Assigned
• Assignee: matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto)
• Target version: -

[trans (Thomas Sawyer)]

=begin
Presently Ruby has seven methods for importing code. These are:

• (({Kernel#load}))
• (({Kernel#require}))
• (({Kernel#relative_require}))
• (({Kernel.load}))
• (({Kernel.require}))
• (({Kernel.relative_require}))
• (({Kernel#autoload}))

Even though the Kernel module methods do the same thing as the instance methods, all of these act independently. If you need to tap into or override code loading in general it means doing so for each and every one.

Would it not be much more elegant if they all called upon one focal method? Lacking another name for this example, lets call it (({#open_eval()})). The method would take a path argument and options for (({feature})), (({relative})) and (({wrap})), where if (({feature})) is true then it is a "require", otherwise it is a "load".

def open_eval(path, feature: false, relative: false, wrap: nil)
...
end

All the other seven methods listed above would route to this one method. So it would then be possible to monitor or override this behavior, e.g. like RubyGems does, via a single interface.

Note, even if this feature request is not accepted, I would like to get some opinion on it, b/c I am currently working on a project where I have to do this (specifically I am in need of require/load callbacks). For the purpose I have created another reusable gem for it and I want to get an idea of what would be considered appropriate API for it.
=end

[zzak (zzak _)]

IRB adds even more requires, but I digress.

[ko1 (Koichi Sasada)]

• Assignee set to matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto)

[naruse (Yui NARUSE)]

• Target version deleted (2.6)

[hsbt (Hiroshi SHIBATA)]

• Status changed from Open to Assigned