### 32.1 Introduction for Runtime Environment

`maxima-init.mac` is a file which is loaded automatically when Maxima starts. You can use `maxima-init.mac` to customize your Maxima environment. `maxima-init.mac`, if it exists, is typically placed in the directory named by `maxima_userdir`, although it can be in any directory searched by the function `file_search`.

Here is an example `maxima-init.mac` file:

    setup_autoload ("specfun.mac", ultraspherical, assoc_legendre_p);
    showtime:all;

In this example, `setup_autoload` tells Maxima to load the specified file (`specfun.mac`) if any of the functions (`ultraspherical`, `assoc_legendre_p`) are called but not yet defined. Thus you needn’t remember to load the file before calling the functions.

The statement `showtime: all` tells Maxima to set the `showtime` variable. The `maxima-init.mac` file can contain any other assignments or other Maxima statements.

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Categories: Session management