autoload [ {+|-}RTUXdkmrtWz ] [ -w ] [ name ... ]
       See  the  section `Autoloading Functions' in zshmisc(1) for full
       details.  The fpath parameter will be searched to find the func-
       tion definition when the function is first referenced.

       If name consists of an absolute path, the function is defined to
       load from the file given (searching as usual for dump  files  in
       the  given  location).  The name of the function is the basename
       (non-directory part) of the file.  It is normally  an  error  if
       the function is not found in the given location; however, if the
       option  -d  is  given,  searching  for  the function defaults to
       $fpath.  If a function is loaded by absolute path, any functions
       loaded from it that are marked for autoload without an  absolute
       path  have  the  load  path  of  the parent function temporarily
       prepended to $fpath.

       If the option -r or -R is given, the function  is  searched  for
       immediately and the location is recorded internally for use when
       the  function is executed; a relative path is expanded using the
       value of $PWD.  This protects against a change to  $fpath  after
       the call to autoload.  With -r, if the function is not found, it
       is  silently  left unresolved until execution; with -R, an error
       message is printed and command  processing  aborted  immediately
       the  search  fails,  i.e. at the autoload command rather than at
       function execution..

       The flag -X may be used only inside a shell function.  It causes
       the calling function to be marked for autoloading and then imme-
       diately loaded and executed, with the  current  array  of  posi-
       tional parameters as arguments.  This replaces the previous def-
       inition of the function.  If no function definition is found, an
       error  is  printed and the function remains undefined and marked
       for autoloading.  If an argument is given, it is used as  a  di-
       rectory  (i.e.  it does not include the name of the function) in
       which the function is to be found; this may be combined with the
       -d option to allow the function search to default to  $fpath  if
       it is not in the given location.

       The  flag  +X  attempts to load each name as an autoloaded func-
       tion, but does not execute it.  The exit status  is  zero  (suc-
       cess)  if  the function was not previously defined and a defini-
       tion for it was found.  This does not replace any existing defi-
       nition of the function.  The exit status is nonzero (failure) if
       the function was already  defined  or  when  no  definition  was
       found.   In  the  latter case the function remains undefined and
       marked for autoloading.  If ksh-style  autoloading  is  enabled,
       the  function created will contain the contents of the file plus
       a call to the function itself appended to it, thus giving normal
       ksh autoloading behaviour on the first call to the function.  If
       the -m flag is also given each name is treated as a pattern  and
       all functions already marked for autoload that match the pattern
       are loaded.

       With  the  -t  flag, turn on execution tracing; with -T, turn on
       execution tracing only for the current function, turning it  off
       on  entry  to any called functions that do not also have tracing
       enabled.

       With the -U flag, alias expansion is suppressed when  the  func-
       tion is loaded.

       With the -w flag, the names are taken as names of files compiled
       with the zcompile builtin, and all functions defined in them are
       marked for autoloading.

       The flags -z and -k mark the function to be autoloaded using the
       zsh  or  ksh  style, as if the option KSH_AUTOLOAD were unset or
       were set, respectively.  The flags override the setting  of  the
       option at the time the function is loaded.

       Note  that  the  autoload command makes no attempt to ensure the
       shell options set during the loading or execution  of  the  file
       have any particular value.  For this, the emulate command can be
       used:

              emulate zsh -c 'autoload -Uz func'

       arranges that when func is loaded the shell is in native zsh em-
       ulation, and this emulation is also applied when func is run.

       Some of the functions of autoload are also provided by functions
       -u  or functions -U, but autoload is a more comprehensive inter-
       face.