README.auto-execute

On "auto-execute" and "auto-execute-list":

You can add only commands by leaving the file pattern(s) empty, and
add only patterns by leaving the command(s) empty. You can also add
several "shebang" tests. Trailing empty parameters can be left out in
a script.

Example:

  shebang "stringa"
  shebang "stringb"
  auto-execute "" "some-command"

This test for two shebangs, and if any of them match, the command is
executed.


You can build arbitrary lists:

  shebang "xyz"
  auto-execute "*.abc"
  auto-execute "*.def"
  auto-execute "" "command1"
  auto-execute "" "command2"

is equivalent to:

  shebang "xyz"
  auto-execute-list "*.abc;*.def" "command1; command2"

except that "auto-execute" doesn't treat ";" specially in a file
pattern.


If there are no commands, nothing will be executed.

This alone will work, but do nothing.

  auto-execute "*.allan"

This alone will give an error.

  auto-execute "" "message hej"


There is an internal list where all the tests and commands are stored
in the same list. Only the order in which things are entered into this
list matters. The combination of different tests is always an "or".


Matching only once:

Normally the commands are executed only if the associated tests are
the first ones to pass. This is to enable prioritization among several
sets of tests that pass for a file. Example:

  auto-execute "/some/dir/*.c" "local-set-mode gnuc"
  auto-execute "*.c" "local-set-mode stdc"

You can override this with a numeric parameter 1:

  auto-execute 1 "pattern" "commands"

This will set a flag in the associated commands so that they will
always execute if the associated tests passed. The 1 must not be
quoted.


Performance:

As an aside my 1.4 GHz Sandy Bridge matches 400000 patterns per
second. So unless you have more than 10000 patterns you don't need to
worry about performance.


The null command:

If you want to have an auto-execute statement that executes nothing, I
suggest using " " for the commands. "" will be interpreted as not
there at all and only a pattern will be entered.