# LOAD\_PATH, meaning of the content

**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/load-path-meaning-of-the-content/111031
**Category:** General Usage
**Tags:** question
**Created:** [March 1, 2024, 9:58pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/load-path-meaning-of-the-content/111031 "2024-03-01T21:58:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![jiang\_ming\_zhang](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/jiang_ming_zhang/32/204063_2.png) [@jiang\_ming\_zhang](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jiang_ming_zhang)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2024, 9:58pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/load-path-meaning-of-the-content/111031/1 "2024-03-01T21:58:00Z")

</div>

```julia
julia> LOAD_PATH
3-element Vector{String}:
 "@"
 "@v#.#"
 "@stdlib"

```

What does the three elements here mean?

I am interested in this variable because I saw the following code at the beginning of a script

```julia
push!(LOAD_PATH, joinpath(dirname(@ __FILE__ ), "src"))

```

It seems that the purpose is to add the direcoty ‘src’ besides the current file into the path.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![jar1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@jar1](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jar1)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/load-path-meaning-of-the-content/111031/2 "2024-03-01T22:00:38Z")

</div>

As we’ve said before, please remember to look at the julia help before asking here. Use `?LOAD_PATH` in the REPL. If that doesn’t fully answer your question, then please specify which parts remain unclear.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![mkitti](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mkitti/32/12459_2.png) [@mkitti](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mkitti)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2024, 12:37am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/load-path-meaning-of-the-content/111031/3 "2024-03-02T00:37:53Z")

</div>

```julia
help?> LOAD_PATH
search: LOAD_PATH

  LOAD_PATH

  An array of paths for using and import statements to
  consider as project environments or package directories
  when loading code. It is populated based on the
  JULIA_LOAD_PATH environment variable if set; otherwise it
  defaults to ["@", "@v#.#", "@stdlib"]. Entries starting
  with @ have special meanings:

    • @ refers to the "current active environment",
       the initial value of which is initially
       determined by the JULIA_PROJECT environment
       variable or the --project command-line option.

    • @stdlib expands to the absolute path of the
       current Julia installation's standard library
       directory.

    • @name refers to a named environment, which are
       stored in depots (see JULIA_DEPOT_PATH) under
       the environments subdirectory. The user's named
       environments are stored in ~/.julia/environments
       so @name would refer to the environment in
       ~/.julia/environments/name if it exists and
       contains a Project.toml file. If name contains #
       characters, then they are replaced with the
       major, minor and patch components of the Julia
       version number. For example, if you are running
       Julia 1.2 then @v#.# expands to @v1.2 and will
       look for an environment by that name, typically
       at ~/.julia/environments/v1.2.

  The fully expanded value of LOAD_PATH that is searched for
  projects and packages can be seen by calling the
  Base.load_path() function.

  See also JULIA_LOAD_PATH, JULIA_PROJECT, JULIA_DEPOT_PATH,
  and Code Loading.

```