*read-init-files*

This variable is used when Lisp is starting up to determine whether the initialization files ~/.clinit.cl, ~/clinit.cl, [current-directory]/.clinit.cl, [current-directory]/clinit.cl, and sys:siteinit.cl should be read. The command-line arguments -q and -qq can suppress reading of these files when this variable is true as described in Command line arguments in startup.htm.

The following table shows the possible values of this variable and their effects:

Because command-line arguments are processed before initialization files are read, and -e arguments are processed before -q or -qq, this variable can be reset with a -e argument (see the discussion of command-line arguments in Command line arguments in startup.htm).

See Initialization and the sys:siteinit.cl and [.]clinit.cl files in startup.htm for more information on reading initialization files. That section defines the current directory, from where one of the init files might be read. Also defined is the home directory on Windows. See also *init-file-names* whose value is a list of strings naming the files to be looked for in the home and current directories.

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Created 2019.8.20.