# Why is Base.summarysize not loaded like Base.summary?

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/why-is-base-summarysize-not-loaded-like-base-summary/32674>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Created:** [December 25, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/why-is-base-summarysize-not-loaded-like-base-summary/32674 "2019-12-25T01:01:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![yuxi.liu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/839c29/32.png) [@yuxi.liu](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/yuxi.liu)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/why-is-base-summarysize-not-loaded-like-base-summary/32674/1 "2019-12-25T01:01:20Z")

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When I start up julia REPL, `Base.summary` is loaded and I can use it directly like `summary`, but `Base.summarysize` must be used like `Base.summarysize`, else:

```julia
julia> summarysize
ERROR: UndefVarError: summarysize not defined

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![klaff](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/klaff/32/7637_2.png) [@klaff](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/klaff)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 4:43am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/why-is-base-summarysize-not-loaded-like-base-summary/32674/2 "2019-12-25T04:43:32Z")

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`summarysize` isn’t exported by Base, but `summary` is.

```julia
julia> :summary ∈ names(Base)
true

julia> :summarysize ∈ names(Base)
false

julia> :summarysize ∈ names(Base, all=true)
true

```

P.S. I recognize that I didn’t really answer the question of _why_ `summary` is exported and `summarysize` isn’t. I assume that it is a compromise between convenient access for more commonly used functions and a desire to minimize naming collisions.