NAME

shtk_import —

Loads an shtk module

LIBRARY

Built-in function; automatically loaded.

SYNOPSIS

shtk_import module

DESCRIPTION

The shtk_import function imports the shtk module specified by module into the currently-running script. Requests to import a module are idempotent, so it is acceptable to import the same module multiple times.

Modules are first searched for in the collection of directories provided by the user in the colon-separated environment variable SHTK_MODULESPATH. If this variable is not defined, or if the module is not found in any of the specified directories, then the built-in directory /usr/local/share/shtk is used.

Because shell scripts have no namespaces, an import of a module makes the module available script-wide regardless of where the import happens. Therefore, it is possible for an import of a module to import other modules, and for those indirectly-imported modules to be visible in your script. Good programming practice dictates that you should not rely on these implicit imports and always explicitly declare all the modules you use.

ERRORS

The requested module must exist so shtk_import aborts execution if the module is not present.

ENVIRONMENT

SHTK_MODULESDIR: Overrides the built-in location of the modules. Defaults to /usr/local/share/shtk.
SHTK_MODULESPATH: Colon-separated list of directories in which to look for modules. SHTK_MODULESDIR is always implied at the end of the path. The user can define this variable to point to other directories. This is especially handy in packages that install custom modules and want to use such modules before installing them.

FILES

/usr/local/share/shtk/: Location of the built-in shtk_import modules.

HISTORY

shtk_import first appeared in shtk 1.0.