bug#11106: 24.0.94; enhancement request: have autoload treat faces like it does options

[Stefan Monnier]

> For #1: Make an autoload cookie before a defface do something
> analogous to what it does before a defcustom.  I'm no expert on the
> latter, so yes, this is vague.  IIUC, an autoload cookie handles an
> option definition by setting the option value at autoload time, but it
> does not simply copy the defcustom to the autoloads file.

;;;###autoload on a defcustom pretty much copies the defcustom, tho it
addmittedly tries to strip away things that won't be needed until the
file is actually loaded.

But I don't know what that would mean for defface.  IOW what is the
concrete problem you see with ;;;###autoload on a defface that you'd
like to see fixed?

> Assume you want to provide autoloading for the faces,

I can't assume it, since you're trying to explain to me why that would
be useful.

> to let users get to their doc.

That's it?  So you only want it for describe-face's purpose?

Then autoloading is not the right answer.  We're back at the issue of
finding documentation for vars, functions, and now faces in not-yet
loaded code.  We don't need to autoload the whole world for that.

[ Sorry, didn't read the rest, assuming that it is not relevant since
  I rejected the main assumption. ]


        Stefan