needsPackage bug

[mahrud]

The workshop testbot seems to have broken:

2025-05-26T13:19:54.6482302Z  -- Found 1 test file(s) matching '/__w/Workshop-2024-Leipzig/Workshop-2024-Leipzig/tests/*.m2'.
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7222293Z  -- capturing check(0, "User")/usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/packages.m2:195:68:(1):[20]: error: key not found in hash table:
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7224192Z         "/usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/startup.m2" (of class String)
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7224958Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/packages.m2:195:14:(1):[19]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7225754Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/methods.m2:154:98:(1):[18]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7226558Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/examples.m2:96:73:(1):[16]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7232804Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/methods.m2:154:98:(1):[15]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7233350Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/option.m2:17:14:(1):[14]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7233784Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/testing.m2:66:32:(1):[13]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7234204Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/testing.m2:121:48:(1):[12]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7234515Z  -- .0718583s elapsed
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7234815Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/testing.m2:107:101:(1):[12]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7235265Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/methods.m2:154:98:(1):[11]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7235675Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/option.m2:17:14:(1):[10]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7236131Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/testing.m2:101:37:(1):[9]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7236534Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/methods.m2:154:98:(1):[8]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7236941Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/option.m2:17:14:(1):[7]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7237303Z tests/testbot.m2:36:5:(3):[6]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7237647Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/startup.m2:65:23:(0):[6]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7238047Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/Core.m2:131:28:(1):[5]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7238448Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/Core.m2:127:13:(1):[3]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7238825Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/Core.m2:138:29:(1):[2]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7239212Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/startup.m2:533:66:(0):[1]: --back trace--
2025-05-26T13:19:54.7239608Z /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/startup.m2:623:30:(0): --back trace--

Here is the surroundings of packages.m2:195:

M2/M2/Macaulay2/m2/packages.m2

Lines 188 to 198 in 00b89ec

	needsPackage String := opts -> pkgname -> (
	if PackageDictionary#?pkgname
	and instance(pkg := value PackageDictionary#pkgname, Package)
	and (opts.FileName === null or
	realpath opts.FileName == realpath pkg#"source file")
	and pkg.PackageIsLoaded
	then (
	if any(packageFiles pkg, file -> fileTime file > filesLoaded#file)
	then loadPackage(pkgname, opts ++ {Reload => true})
	else use pkg)
	else loadPackage(pkgname, opts))

Based on this, I'm guessing the bug was introduced in #3741, and if possible would be great to resolve it before the patch release.

cc: @d-torrance

[mahrud]

Ah, I'm guessing this is the cause:

ii17 : packageFiles User

oo17 = {/usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/startup.m2}

Which is because of this:

ii20 : User#"source file"

oo20 = /usr/share/Macaulay2/Core/startup.m2