Erlang: How is distel for emacs "reload" command supposed to work?

Here is what I do, based on how I thought reload should work.

1. I start an erlang node.
2. I con开发者_运维百科nect to that node in distel.
3. I edit a buffer whose beam file is in the node from step 1's beam paths. That means it's loaded, right?
4. I edit an erlang buffer which represents a module loaded in a step one's node. I add a function.
5. I run reload in distel.
6. I try to run the new function, and it says it's not defined.

I guess you have to compile first. This makes sense except that I wish then that there were a compile and reload command. In the end, I found it easier to just create an Emakefile like so:

{"rest_api/src/*", [{outdir,"rest_api/ebin"},{i, "include"}]}. 

...in the same directory as the start script for my application, then run make:all([load]) as needed in the erlang shell.