R: On-demand Loading of Packages

autoload {base} | R Documentation

## On-demand Loading of Packages

### Description

`autoload` creates a promise-to-evaluate `autoloader` and stores it with name `name` in `.AutoloadEnv` environment. When R attempts to evaluate `name`, `autoloader` is run, the package is loaded and `name` is re-evaluated in the new package's environment. The result is that R behaves as if `file` was loaded but it does not occupy memory.

### Usage

    autoload(name, package,...)
    autoloader(name, package,...)
    .AutoloadEnv

### Arguments

`name` | string giving the name of an object
`package` | string giving the name of a package containing the object
`...` | other arguments to `library`

### Value

This function is invoked for its side-effect.

### See Also

`delay`, `library`

### Examples

    autoload("line","eda")
    search()
    ls("Autoloads")
    all(ls("Autoloads") == ls(envir = .AutoloadEnv))
    data(cars)
    plot(cars)
    z<-line(cars)
    abline(coef(z))
    search()
    detach("package:eda")
    search()
    z<-line(cars)
    search()

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