I wanted to find the system file that would be loaded by a (find-system "foo") without loading the file first.
I suppose I could reinstate some function to do that - but again, not just pathnames could be returned, but system objects, too.
It doesn't always make sense, for instance with runtime-computed of "fallback" systems that are not backed by a .asd file.
Is there more than one such system, i.e. is this just a single-use hack for loading ASDF as a system?
I admit that currently, I know only ASDF and cl-launch that use that functionality (that I know of), as fallbacks when source is not available.
I wound up changing my approach entirely. My goal was to answer the question "What systems are defined by foo.asd?" Instead of determining the filename in advance, I got it after the fact and used map-systems to find related systems defined in the same file.
It's probably a safer bet.
In other words, I'm eager to improve ASDF to make it more suitable to your purposes, but I require more precise feedback as to what to do.
It would be nice the behavior of exported functions didn't change in subtle ways between minor releases.
Well, I (obviously falsely) believed that this exported function was never really used, except by one client, as a bad way to achieve the functionality of system-source-file, from times before system-source-file was available. Also, same function didn't make much sense. Apologies.
The whole "execute code at system-definition time, which is in the same image that will be built" model makes ASDF a mess of a system.
[ François-René ÐVB Rideau | Reflection&Cybernethics | http://fare.tunes.org ] There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. — Thoreau