(m4.info)Frozen files

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15 Fast loading of frozen state
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Some bigger `m4' applications may be built over a common base
containing hundreds of definitions and other costly initializations.
Usually, the common base is kept in one or more declarative files,
which files are listed on each `m4' invocation prior to the user's
input file, or else each input file uses `include'.

   Reading the common base of a big application, over and over again,
may be time consuming.  GNU `m4' offers some machinery to speed up the
start of an application using lengthy common bases.

Using frozen files

Using frozen files

Frozen file format

Frozen file format