use-package arguments without use-package

Question

The guide I'm following for lsp-emacs wants me to set these options:

;; Enable scala-mode and sbt-mode
(use-package scala-mode
  :mode "\\.s\\(cala\\|bt\\)$")

(use-package sbt-mode
  :commands sbt-start sbt-command
  :config
  ;; WORKAROUND: https://github.com/ensime/emacs-sbt-mode/issues/31
  ;; allows using SPACE when in the minibuffer
  (substitute-key-definition
   'minibuffer-complete-word
   'self-insert-command
   minibuffer-local-completion-map))

but MELPA (and most likely mirrors of MELPA) are blocked on my school's internet, so I've been trying to use load-file with Git Submodules:

;; Enable scala-mode and sbt-mode
(load-file "~/.emacs.d/plugins/scala-mode/scala-mode.el"
  :mode "\\.s\\(cala\\|bt\\)$")

(load-file "~/.emacs.d/plugins/sbt-mode/sbt-mode.el"
  :commands sbt-start sbt-command
  :config
  ;; WORKAROUND: https://github.com/ensime/emacs-sbt-mode/issues/31
  ;; allows using SPACE when in the minibuffer
  (substitute-key-definition
   'minibuffer-complete-word
   'self-insert-command
   minibuffer-local-completion-map))

However, the :colon commands aren't allowed as options on load-file. How can I get these options to work?

Answer 1

TL;DR: install the package use-package, like you did with sbt-mode and scala-mode and be happy. ;)

You can not simply replace use-package with load-file. This are 2 completely different constructs. use-package is a macro, which changes the syntax of elisp, hence it can work with keywords like :mode, :config and so on. load-file is a simple function and has not the ability to change elisp's syntax.

use-package, when avaluated is expanded and its block is replaced by various lisp constructs.

:mode expands to stuff like:

    (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist
             '("\\.s\\(cala\\|bt\\)$" . scala-mode)))

:config expands to stuff like:

    (eval-after-load 'sbt-mode
           (progn
           ....
         ))

:commands is replaced with stuff like:

      (autoload #'sbt-start "sbt-mode" nil t))

Your expanded use-package contructs look like this:

(progn
  (defvar use-package--warning81
    #'(lambda
    (keyword err)
    (let
        ((msg
          (format "%s/%s: %s" 'scala-mode keyword
              (error-message-string err))))
      (display-warning 'use-package msg :error))))
  (condition-case-unless-debug err
      (progn
    (unless
        (fboundp 'scala-mode)
      (autoload #'scala-mode "scala-mode" nil t))
    (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist
             '("\\.s\\(cala\\|bt\\)$" . scala-mode)))
    (error
     (funcall use-package--warning81 :catch err))))

(progn
  (defvar use-package--warning82
    #'(lambda
    (keyword err)
    (let
        ((msg
          (format "%s/%s: %s" 'sbt-mode keyword
              (error-message-string err))))
      (display-warning 'use-package msg :error))))
  (condition-case-unless-debug err
      (progn
    (unless
        (fboundp 'sbt-start)
      (autoload #'sbt-start "sbt-mode" nil t))
    (unless
        (fboundp 'sbt-command)
      (autoload #'sbt-command "sbt-mode" nil t))
    (eval-after-load 'sbt-mode
      '(condition-case-unless-debug err
           (progn
         (substitute-key-definition 'minibuffer-complete-word 'self-insert-command minibuffer-local-completion-map)
         t)
         (error
          (funcall use-package--warning82 :config err)))))
    (error
     (funcall use-package--warning82 :catch err))))

But you do not really need this, because it is used only to defer loading of a package.

You could just require the packages and set their options either with customize or setq.