runtimepath (rtp) order inconsistency

[memchr]

When rtp reset is enabled, stdpath('config') is added first in the rtp, before any added plugins, so plugins may override user files. However, disabling rtp reset will cause the plugin paths to be added before stdpath('config'). The order of rtp has some implications for how vim.lsp.config merges server configurations in `lsp/*

rtp.reset	rtp order
true	stdpath('config'), plugins
false	plugins, stdpath('config')

Is this design intentional?

[dpetka2001]

To my understanding this is the normal Neovim behavior as well. Reading :h 'rtp' the user configuration directory always comes first. Even the Neovim minimal.lua appends the plugins runtime directory after the user configuration directory.

Here's a minimal repro.lua that I had used in an older Neovim issue as per their instructions

-- minimal.lua
-- Run this file as `nvim --clean -u minimal.lua`

for name, url in pairs({
	-- ADD PLUGINS _NECESSARY_ TO REPRODUCE THE ISSUE, e.g:
	-- some_plugin = 'https://github.com/author/plugin.nvim'
	grug_far = "https://github.com/MagicDuck/grug-far.nvim",
}) do
	local install_path = vim.fn.fnamemodify("nvim_issue/" .. name, ":p")
	if vim.fn.isdirectory(install_path) == 0 then
		vim.fn.system({ "git", "clone", "--depth=1", url, install_path })
	end
	vim.opt.runtimepath:append(install_path)
end

-- ADD INIT.LUA SETTINGS _NECESSARY_ FOR REPRODUCING THE ISSUE
vim.opt.statuscolumn = " " -- (just an empty space here)

require("grug-far").setup({})

If you run this with nvim -u repro.lua you will see that the plugins installation folder (grug-far in this case) will come after the user's configuration directory if you do :set rtp?.

So, I believe this is intended behavior.

[memchr]

Thanks, but that depends on whether you use append() or prepend(). And neovim does not have an rtp.reset flag. I was asking about the inconsistent behaviour of lazy.nvim when that
flag is changed.

[dpetka2001]

I believe the inconsistent behavior you mention is the same as doing append() or prepend(). I've never seen in Neovim git repo suggesting to do prepend(). Also :h 'rtp' mentions that the user configuration directory comes before that of the plugins. I've no idea where rtp.reset = false would be a proper usecase or why maintainer implemented this flag.

So, the original flag is the same as doing append(), whereas if you change it it will be as if you did prepend(). That is what I can gather from my basic understanding without having looked at how lazy.nvim actually implements this.