# Include many files and call the same function from each file in a loop but got wrong result

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** question\
**Created:** [June 14, 2023, 4:14am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309 "2023-06-14T04:14:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 12\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![YiboXia](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/yiboxia/32/50734_2.png) [@YiboXia](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/YiboXia)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 4:14am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309/1 "2023-06-14T04:14:47Z")

</div>

Hi guys!

I have three `.jl` files, which contains a `test()` function like this:

`1.jl:`

```julia
function test()
Dict([("A", 1), ("B", 2)])
end

```

`2.jl:`

```julia
function test()
    Dict([("A", 1), ("B", 2), ("C", 3)])
end

```

`3.jl:`

```julia
function test()
Dict([("A", 1), ("B", 2)，("C", 3)，("D", 4)])
end

```

and I write a loop to read and call the `test()` function:

```julia
filelist = readdir(filepath)  
for idx in eachindex(filelist)  
@show include(joinpath(filepath,filelist[idx]))
 @show dic = test()
end

```

and the result is:

```julia
include(joinpath("readtest", filelist[idx])) = test
dic = test() = Dict("B" => 2, "A" => 1, "C" => 3, "D" => 4)
include(joinpath("readtest", filelist[idx])) = test
dic = test() = Dict("B" => 2, "A" => 1, "C" => 3, "D" => 4)
include(joinpath("readtest", filelist[idx])) = test
dic = test() = Dict("B" => 2, "A" => 1, "C" => 3, "D" => 4)

```

how can I solve this?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jling](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/jling/32/212909_2.png) [@jling](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jling)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 4:32am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309/2 "2023-06-14T04:32:11Z")

</div>

`invokelast()`

but why on the earth would you need this to begin with

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![YiboXia](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/yiboxia/32/50734_2.png) [@YiboXia](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/YiboXia)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 4:44am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309/3 "2023-06-14T04:44:51Z")

</div>

to create a pipeline for running codes…… all files in the same format but varied size of dictions.

Problem solved! Thanks!

```julia
filelist = readdir(filepath)  
    include_func = () -> include(joinpath("readtest", filelist[idx]))
    test_func = () -> test()
    @show Base.invokelatest(include_func)
    @show Base.invokelatest(test_func)
end

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![YiboXia](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/yiboxia/32/50734_2.png) [@YiboXia](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/YiboXia)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 4:49am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309/4 "2023-06-14T04:49:01Z")

</div>

Is there a better way to pipeline test code？ I am really new to this… using Jenkins is too much to me

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![JohnnyChen94](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/johnnychen94/32/29979_2.png) [@JohnnyChen94](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/JohnnyChen94)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 5:44am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309/5 "2023-06-14T05:44:40Z")

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Plain scripts should be okay for the work, no?

```julia
# 1.jl
d = Dict([("A", 1), ("B", 2)])

# 2.jl
d = Dict([("A", 1), ("B", 2), ("C", 3)])

# 3.jl
d = Dict([("A", 1), ("B", 2)，("C", 3)，("D", 4)])

```

and if you want to do something with them:

```julia
# main.jl
for datafile in files
    include(datafile)
    # do something with d
end

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![YiboXia](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/yiboxia/32/50734_2.png) [@YiboXia](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/YiboXia)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 6:13am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309/6 "2023-06-14T06:13:51Z")

</div>

The key point is calling the same function `test()` in each `.jl` file. The dict is just one simple case.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HanD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/hand/32/213908_2.png) [@HanD](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/HanD)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 7:05am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309/7 "2023-06-14T07:05:27Z")

</div>

You should put your files inside separate modules, to sandbox them properly. That way, there is no contamiation between them, and the test function is not overwritten. You can either put the module declaration explicitly in your test files, or in the load code, e.g.:

```julia
sources = filter(endswith(".jl"), readdir("tests"; join = true))
for file in sources
    module_name = gensym("mod_$file")
    @eval module $module_name
        function test end # prevent defining test something else as a function
        include($file)
    end
    println(getfield(@ __MODULE__ , module_name).test())
end

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![YiboXia](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/yiboxia/32/50734_2.png) [@YiboXia](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/YiboXia)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 7:18am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309/8 "2023-06-14T07:18:46Z")

</div>

You are right! The best choice is to sandbox them. But I didn’t know how to ☹

Still have a question, will this significantly increase memory usage?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![YiboXia](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/yiboxia/32/50734_2.png) [@YiboXia](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/YiboXia)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 7:25am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309/9 "2023-06-14T07:25:01Z")

</div>

Thanks again for your help. I think it’s time to ask a new question: How can I pipeline my test code without contamination between different code files?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HanD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/hand/32/213908_2.png) [@HanD](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/HanD)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 7:30am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309/10 "2023-06-14T07:30:35Z")

</div>

I doubt there is significant difference in memory usage. Modules are really lightweight structures. Here’s a measurement, though, using `memusage`:

1. Without modules:

```plaintext
Memory usage summary: heap total: 45728473, heap peak: 19364334, stack peak: 50144
         total calls total memory failed calls
 malloc| 73180 41433864 0
realloc| 2612 739666 0 (nomove:1326, dec:1, free:0)
 calloc| 1106 3554943 0
   free| 81653 26646704

```

1. With modules:

```plaintext
Memory usage summary: heap total: 48196844, heap peak: 19427256, stack peak: 41488
         total calls total memory failed calls
 malloc| 76011 43900414 0
realloc| 2489 713492 0 (nomove:1286, dec:1, free:0)
 calloc| 1171 3582938 0
   free| 86405 29067198

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HanD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/hand/32/213908_2.png) [@HanD](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/HanD)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 7:37am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309/11 "2023-06-14T07:37:55Z")

</div>

> [@YiboXia](#):
>
> Thanks again for your help. I think it’s time to ask a new question: How can I pipeline my test code without contamination between different code files?

I’m not sure that I understand the question. The code I wrote above puts each file in its own module, effectively preventing contamination. What exactly do you mean by pipelining your test code?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![YiboXia](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/yiboxia/32/50734_2.png) [@YiboXia](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/YiboXia)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 7:51am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/include-many-files-and-call-the-same-function-from-each-file-in-a-loop-but-got-wrong-result/100309/12 "2023-06-14T07:51:06Z")

</div>

> [@HanD](#):
>
> I’m not sure that I understand the question. The code I wrote above puts each file in its own module, effectively preventing contamination. What exactly do you mean by pipelining your test code?

I should have explained the details. The questions I’m asking here are simplified. My actual code is much more complex and involves multiple module and function calls, some of which are even multi-threaded. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with sandbox and not sure which should be written inside the separate module.

I think I should raise a new question about it. or ask if there are any documents that can help me.

your code is really helpful but I need to understand and modify it further.