1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
2 @setfilename ../../info/cl
3 @settitle Common Lisp Extensions
7 This file documents the GNU Emacs Common Lisp emulation package.
9 Copyright @copyright{} 1993, 2001--2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
12 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
13 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
14 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
15 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual'',
16 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
17 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
19 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
20 modify this GNU manual.''
24 @dircategory Emacs lisp libraries
26 * CL: (cl). Partial Common Lisp support for Emacs Lisp.
33 @center @titlefont{Common Lisp Extensions}
35 @center For GNU Emacs Lisp
37 @center as distributed with Emacs @value{EMACSVER}
39 @center Dave Gillespie
40 @center daveg@@synaptics.com
42 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
50 @top GNU Emacs Common Lisp Emulation
56 * Overview:: Basics, usage, organization, naming conventions.
57 * Program Structure:: Arglists, @code{cl-eval-when}.
58 * Predicates:: Type predicates and equality predicates.
59 * Control Structure:: Assignment, conditionals, blocks, looping.
60 * Macros:: Destructuring, compiler macros.
61 * Declarations:: @code{cl-proclaim}, @code{cl-declare}, etc.
62 * Symbols:: Property lists, creating symbols.
63 * Numbers:: Predicates, functions, random numbers.
64 * Sequences:: Mapping, functions, searching, sorting.
65 * Lists:: Functions, substitution, sets, associations.
66 * Structures:: @code{cl-defstruct}.
67 * Assertions:: Assertions and type checking.
70 * Efficiency Concerns:: Hints and techniques.
71 * Common Lisp Compatibility:: All known differences with Steele.
72 * Porting Common Lisp:: Hints for porting Common Lisp code.
73 * Obsolete Features:: Obsolete features.
74 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
77 * Function Index:: An entry for each documented function.
78 * Variable Index:: An entry for each documented variable.
85 This document describes a set of Emacs Lisp facilities borrowed from
86 Common Lisp. All the facilities are described here in detail. While
87 this document does not assume any prior knowledge of Common Lisp, it
88 does assume a basic familiarity with Emacs Lisp.
90 Common Lisp is a huge language, and Common Lisp systems tend to be
91 massive and extremely complex. Emacs Lisp, by contrast, is rather
92 minimalist in the choice of Lisp features it offers the programmer.
93 As Emacs Lisp programmers have grown in number, and the applications
94 they write have grown more ambitious, it has become clear that Emacs
95 Lisp could benefit from many of the conveniences of Common Lisp.
97 The @dfn{CL} package adds a number of Common Lisp functions and
98 control structures to Emacs Lisp. While not a 100% complete
99 implementation of Common Lisp, it adds enough functionality
100 to make Emacs Lisp programming significantly more convenient.
102 Some Common Lisp features have been omitted from this package
107 Some features are too complex or bulky relative to their benefit
108 to Emacs Lisp programmers. CLOS and Common Lisp streams are fine
109 examples of this group. (The separate package EIEIO implements
110 a subset of CLOS functionality. @xref{Top, , Introduction, eieio, EIEIO}.)
113 Other features cannot be implemented without modification to the
114 Emacs Lisp interpreter itself, such as multiple return values,
115 case-insensitive symbols, and complex numbers.
116 This package generally makes no attempt to emulate these features.
120 This package was originally written by Dave Gillespie,
121 @file{daveg@@synaptics.com}, as a total rewrite of an earlier 1986
122 @file{cl.el} package by Cesar Quiroz. Care has been taken to ensure
123 that each function is defined efficiently, concisely, and with minimal
124 impact on the rest of the Emacs environment. Stefan Monnier added the
125 file @file{cl-lib.el} and rationalized the namespace for Emacs 24.3.
128 * Usage:: How to use this package.
129 * Organization:: The package's component files.
130 * Naming Conventions:: Notes on function names.
137 This package is distributed with Emacs, so there is no need
138 to install any additional files in order to start using it. Lisp code
139 that uses features from this package should simply include at
147 You may wish to add such a statement to your init file, if you
148 make frequent use of features from this package.
151 @section Organization
154 The Common Lisp package is organized into four main files:
158 This is the main file, which contains basic functions
159 and information about the package. This file is relatively compact.
162 This file contains the larger, more complex or unusual functions.
163 It is kept separate so that packages which only want to use Common
164 Lisp fundamentals like the @code{cl-incf} function won't need to pay
165 the overhead of loading the more advanced functions.
168 This file contains most of the advanced functions for operating
169 on sequences or lists, such as @code{cl-delete-if} and @code{cl-assoc}.
172 This file contains the features that are macros instead of functions.
173 Macros expand when the caller is compiled, not when it is run, so the
174 macros generally only need to be present when the byte-compiler is
175 running (or when the macros are used in uncompiled code). Most of the
176 macros of this package are isolated in @file{cl-macs.el} so that they
177 won't take up memory unless you are compiling.
180 The file @file{cl-lib.el} includes all necessary @code{autoload}
181 commands for the functions and macros in the other three files.
182 All you have to do is @code{(require 'cl-lib)}, and @file{cl-lib.el}
183 will take care of pulling in the other files when they are
186 There is another file, @file{cl.el}, which was the main entry point to
187 this package prior to Emacs 24.3. Nowadays, it is replaced by
188 @file{cl-lib.el}. The two provide the same features (in most cases),
189 but use different function names (in fact, @file{cl.el} mainly just
190 defines aliases to the @file{cl-lib.el} definitions). Where
191 @file{cl-lib.el} defines a function called, for example,
192 @code{cl-incf}, @file{cl.el} uses the same name but without the
193 @samp{cl-} prefix, e.g., @code{incf} in this example. There are a few
194 exceptions to this. First, functions such as @code{cl-defun} where
195 the unprefixed version was already used for a standard Emacs Lisp
196 function. In such cases, the @file{cl.el} version adds a @samp{*}
197 suffix, e.g., @code{defun*}. Second, there are some obsolete features
198 that are only implemented in @file{cl.el}, not in @file{cl-lib.el},
199 because they are replaced by other standard Emacs Lisp features.
200 Finally, in a very few cases the old @file{cl.el} versions do not
201 behave in exactly the same way as the @file{cl-lib.el} versions.
202 @xref{Obsolete Features}.
203 @c There is also cl-mapc, which was called cl-mapc even before cl-lib.el.
204 @c But not autoloaded, so maybe not much used?
206 Since the old @file{cl.el} does not use a clean namespace, Emacs has a
207 policy that packages distributed with Emacs must not load @code{cl} at
208 run time. (It is ok for them to load @code{cl} at @emph{compile}
209 time, with @code{eval-when-compile}, and use the macros it provides.)
210 There is no such restriction on the use of @code{cl-lib}. New code
211 should use @code{cl-lib} rather than @code{cl}.
213 There is one more file, @file{cl-compat.el}, which defines some
214 routines from the older Quiroz @file{cl.el} package that are not otherwise
215 present in the new package. This file is obsolete and should not be
218 @node Naming Conventions
219 @section Naming Conventions
222 Except where noted, all functions defined by this package have the
223 same calling conventions as their Common Lisp counterparts, and
224 names that are those of Common Lisp plus a @samp{cl-} prefix.
226 Internal function and variable names in the package are prefixed
227 by @code{cl--}. Here is a complete list of functions prefixed by
228 @code{cl-} that were @emph{not} taken from Common Lisp:
231 cl-callf cl-callf2 cl-defsubst
235 @c This is not uninteresting I suppose, but is of zero practical relevance
236 @c to the user, and seems like a hostage to changing implementation details.
237 The following simple functions and macros are defined in @file{cl-lib.el};
238 they do not cause other components like @file{cl-extra} to be loaded.
241 cl-evenp cl-oddp cl-minusp
242 cl-plusp cl-endp cl-subst
243 cl-copy-list cl-list* cl-ldiff
244 cl-rest cl-decf [1] cl-incf [1]
245 cl-acons cl-adjoin [2] cl-pairlis
246 cl-pushnew [1,2] cl-declaim cl-proclaim
247 cl-caaar@dots{}cl-cddddr cl-first@dots{}cl-tenth
252 [1] Only when @var{place} is a plain variable name.
255 [2] Only if @code{:test} is @code{eq}, @code{equal}, or unspecified,
256 and @code{:key} is not used.
259 [3] Only for one sequence argument or two list arguments.
261 @node Program Structure
262 @chapter Program Structure
265 This section describes features of this package that have to
266 do with programs as a whole: advanced argument lists for functions,
267 and the @code{cl-eval-when} construct.
270 * Argument Lists:: @code{&key}, @code{&aux}, @code{cl-defun}, @code{cl-defmacro}.
271 * Time of Evaluation:: The @code{cl-eval-when} construct.
275 @section Argument Lists
278 Emacs Lisp's notation for argument lists of functions is a subset of
279 the Common Lisp notation. As well as the familiar @code{&optional}
280 and @code{&rest} markers, Common Lisp allows you to specify default
281 values for optional arguments, and it provides the additional markers
282 @code{&key} and @code{&aux}.
284 Since argument parsing is built-in to Emacs, there is no way for
285 this package to implement Common Lisp argument lists seamlessly.
286 Instead, this package defines alternates for several Lisp forms
287 which you must use if you need Common Lisp argument lists.
289 @defmac cl-defun name arglist body@dots{}
290 This form is identical to the regular @code{defun} form, except
291 that @var{arglist} is allowed to be a full Common Lisp argument
292 list. Also, the function body is enclosed in an implicit block
293 called @var{name}; @pxref{Blocks and Exits}.
296 @defmac cl-defsubst name arglist body@dots{}
297 This is just like @code{cl-defun}, except that the function that
298 is defined is automatically proclaimed @code{inline}, i.e.,
299 calls to it may be expanded into in-line code by the byte compiler.
300 This is analogous to the @code{defsubst} form;
301 @code{cl-defsubst} uses a different method (compiler macros) which
302 works in all versions of Emacs, and also generates somewhat more
303 @c For some examples,
304 @c see http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2012-11/msg00009.html
305 efficient inline expansions. In particular, @code{cl-defsubst}
306 arranges for the processing of keyword arguments, default values,
307 etc., to be done at compile-time whenever possible.
310 @defmac cl-defmacro name arglist body@dots{}
311 This is identical to the regular @code{defmacro} form,
312 except that @var{arglist} is allowed to be a full Common Lisp
313 argument list. The @code{&environment} keyword is supported as
314 described in Steele's book @cite{Common Lisp, the Language}.
315 The @code{&whole} keyword is supported only
316 within destructured lists (see below); top-level @code{&whole}
317 cannot be implemented with the current Emacs Lisp interpreter.
318 The macro expander body is enclosed in an implicit block called
322 @defmac cl-function symbol-or-lambda
323 This is identical to the regular @code{function} form,
324 except that if the argument is a @code{lambda} form then that
325 form may use a full Common Lisp argument list.
328 Also, all forms (such as @code{cl-flet} and @code{cl-labels}) defined
329 in this package that include @var{arglist}s in their syntax allow
330 full Common Lisp argument lists.
332 Note that it is @emph{not} necessary to use @code{cl-defun} in
333 order to have access to most CL features in your function.
334 These features are always present; @code{cl-defun}'s only
335 difference from @code{defun} is its more flexible argument
336 lists and its implicit block.
338 The full form of a Common Lisp argument list is
342 &optional (@var{var} @var{initform} @var{svar})@dots{}
344 &key ((@var{keyword} @var{var}) @var{initform} @var{svar})@dots{}
345 &aux (@var{var} @var{initform})@dots{})
348 Each of the five argument list sections is optional. The @var{svar},
349 @var{initform}, and @var{keyword} parts are optional; if they are
350 omitted, then @samp{(@var{var})} may be written simply @samp{@var{var}}.
352 The first section consists of zero or more @dfn{required} arguments.
353 These arguments must always be specified in a call to the function;
354 there is no difference between Emacs Lisp and Common Lisp as far as
355 required arguments are concerned.
357 The second section consists of @dfn{optional} arguments. These
358 arguments may be specified in the function call; if they are not,
359 @var{initform} specifies the default value used for the argument.
360 (No @var{initform} means to use @code{nil} as the default.) The
361 @var{initform} is evaluated with the bindings for the preceding
362 arguments already established; @code{(a &optional (b (1+ a)))}
363 matches one or two arguments, with the second argument defaulting
364 to one plus the first argument. If the @var{svar} is specified,
365 it is an auxiliary variable which is bound to @code{t} if the optional
366 argument was specified, or to @code{nil} if the argument was omitted.
367 If you don't use an @var{svar}, then there will be no way for your
368 function to tell whether it was called with no argument, or with
369 the default value passed explicitly as an argument.
371 The third section consists of a single @dfn{rest} argument. If
372 more arguments were passed to the function than are accounted for
373 by the required and optional arguments, those extra arguments are
374 collected into a list and bound to the ``rest'' argument variable.
375 Common Lisp's @code{&rest} is equivalent to that of Emacs Lisp.
376 Common Lisp accepts @code{&body} as a synonym for @code{&rest} in
377 macro contexts; this package accepts it all the time.
379 The fourth section consists of @dfn{keyword} arguments. These
380 are optional arguments which are specified by name rather than
381 positionally in the argument list. For example,
384 (cl-defun foo (a &optional b &key c d (e 17)))
388 defines a function which may be called with one, two, or more
389 arguments. The first two arguments are bound to @code{a} and
390 @code{b} in the usual way. The remaining arguments must be
391 pairs of the form @code{:c}, @code{:d}, or @code{:e} followed
392 by the value to be bound to the corresponding argument variable.
393 (Symbols whose names begin with a colon are called @dfn{keywords},
394 and they are self-quoting in the same way as @code{nil} and
397 For example, the call @code{(foo 1 2 :d 3 :c 4)} sets the five
398 arguments to 1, 2, 4, 3, and 17, respectively. If the same keyword
399 appears more than once in the function call, the first occurrence
400 takes precedence over the later ones. Note that it is not possible
401 to specify keyword arguments without specifying the optional
402 argument @code{b} as well, since @code{(foo 1 :c 2)} would bind
403 @code{b} to the keyword @code{:c}, then signal an error because
404 @code{2} is not a valid keyword.
406 You can also explicitly specify the keyword argument; it need not be
407 simply the variable name prefixed with a colon. For example,
410 (cl-defun bar (&key (a 1) ((baz b) 4)))
415 specifies a keyword @code{:a} that sets the variable @code{a} with
416 default value 1, as well as a keyword @code{baz} that sets the
417 variable @code{b} with default value 4. In this case, because
418 @code{baz} is not self-quoting, you must quote it explicitly in the
419 function call, like this:
425 Ordinarily, it is an error to pass an unrecognized keyword to
426 a function, e.g., @code{(foo 1 2 :c 3 :goober 4)}. You can ask
427 Lisp to ignore unrecognized keywords, either by adding the
428 marker @code{&allow-other-keys} after the keyword section
429 of the argument list, or by specifying an @code{:allow-other-keys}
430 argument in the call whose value is non-@code{nil}. If the
431 function uses both @code{&rest} and @code{&key} at the same time,
432 the ``rest'' argument is bound to the keyword list as it appears
433 in the call. For example:
436 (cl-defun find-thing (thing &rest rest &key need &allow-other-keys)
437 (or (apply 'cl-member thing thing-list :allow-other-keys t rest)
438 (if need (error "Thing not found"))))
442 This function takes a @code{:need} keyword argument, but also
443 accepts other keyword arguments which are passed on to the
444 @code{cl-member} function. @code{allow-other-keys} is used to
445 keep both @code{find-thing} and @code{cl-member} from complaining
446 about each others' keywords in the arguments.
448 The fifth section of the argument list consists of @dfn{auxiliary
449 variables}. These are not really arguments at all, but simply
450 variables which are bound to @code{nil} or to the specified
451 @var{initforms} during execution of the function. There is no
452 difference between the following two functions, except for a
453 matter of stylistic taste:
456 (cl-defun foo (a b &aux (c (+ a b)) d)
464 Argument lists support @dfn{destructuring}. In Common Lisp,
465 destructuring is only allowed with @code{defmacro}; this package
466 allows it with @code{cl-defun} and other argument lists as well.
467 In destructuring, any argument variable (@var{var} in the above
468 example) can be replaced by a list of variables, or more generally,
469 a recursive argument list. The corresponding argument value must
470 be a list whose elements match this recursive argument list.
474 (cl-defmacro dolist ((var listform &optional resultform)
479 This says that the first argument of @code{dolist} must be a list
480 of two or three items; if there are other arguments as well as this
481 list, they are stored in @code{body}. All features allowed in
482 regular argument lists are allowed in these recursive argument lists.
483 In addition, the clause @samp{&whole @var{var}} is allowed at the
484 front of a recursive argument list. It binds @var{var} to the
485 whole list being matched; thus @code{(&whole all a b)} matches
486 a list of two things, with @code{a} bound to the first thing,
487 @code{b} bound to the second thing, and @code{all} bound to the
488 list itself. (Common Lisp allows @code{&whole} in top-level
489 @code{defmacro} argument lists as well, but Emacs Lisp does not
492 One last feature of destructuring is that the argument list may be
493 dotted, so that the argument list @code{(a b . c)} is functionally
494 equivalent to @code{(a b &rest c)}.
496 If the optimization quality @code{safety} is set to 0
497 (@pxref{Declarations}), error checking for wrong number of
498 arguments and invalid keyword arguments is disabled. By default,
499 argument lists are rigorously checked.
501 @node Time of Evaluation
502 @section Time of Evaluation
505 Normally, the byte-compiler does not actually execute the forms in
506 a file it compiles. For example, if a file contains @code{(setq foo t)},
507 the act of compiling it will not actually set @code{foo} to @code{t}.
508 This is true even if the @code{setq} was a top-level form (i.e., not
509 enclosed in a @code{defun} or other form). Sometimes, though, you
510 would like to have certain top-level forms evaluated at compile-time.
511 For example, the compiler effectively evaluates @code{defmacro} forms
512 at compile-time so that later parts of the file can refer to the
513 macros that are defined.
515 @defmac cl-eval-when (situations@dots{}) forms@dots{}
516 This form controls when the body @var{forms} are evaluated.
517 The @var{situations} list may contain any set of the symbols
518 @code{compile}, @code{load}, and @code{eval} (or their long-winded
519 ANSI equivalents, @code{:compile-toplevel}, @code{:load-toplevel},
520 and @code{:execute}).
522 The @code{cl-eval-when} form is handled differently depending on
523 whether or not it is being compiled as a top-level form.
524 Specifically, it gets special treatment if it is being compiled
525 by a command such as @code{byte-compile-file} which compiles files
526 or buffers of code, and it appears either literally at the
527 top level of the file or inside a top-level @code{progn}.
529 For compiled top-level @code{cl-eval-when}s, the body @var{forms} are
530 executed at compile-time if @code{compile} is in the @var{situations}
531 list, and the @var{forms} are written out to the file (to be executed
532 at load-time) if @code{load} is in the @var{situations} list.
534 For non-compiled-top-level forms, only the @code{eval} situation is
535 relevant. (This includes forms executed by the interpreter, forms
536 compiled with @code{byte-compile} rather than @code{byte-compile-file},
537 and non-top-level forms.) The @code{cl-eval-when} acts like a
538 @code{progn} if @code{eval} is specified, and like @code{nil}
539 (ignoring the body @var{forms}) if not.
541 The rules become more subtle when @code{cl-eval-when}s are nested;
542 consult Steele (second edition) for the gruesome details (and
543 some gruesome examples).
545 Some simple examples:
548 ;; Top-level forms in foo.el:
549 (cl-eval-when (compile) (setq foo1 'bar))
550 (cl-eval-when (load) (setq foo2 'bar))
551 (cl-eval-when (compile load) (setq foo3 'bar))
552 (cl-eval-when (eval) (setq foo4 'bar))
553 (cl-eval-when (eval compile) (setq foo5 'bar))
554 (cl-eval-when (eval load) (setq foo6 'bar))
555 (cl-eval-when (eval compile load) (setq foo7 'bar))
558 When @file{foo.el} is compiled, these variables will be set during
559 the compilation itself:
562 foo1 foo3 foo5 foo7 ; `compile'
565 When @file{foo.elc} is loaded, these variables will be set:
568 foo2 foo3 foo6 foo7 ; `load'
571 And if @file{foo.el} is loaded uncompiled, these variables will
575 foo4 foo5 foo6 foo7 ; `eval'
578 If these seven @code{cl-eval-when}s had been, say, inside a @code{defun},
579 then the first three would have been equivalent to @code{nil} and the
580 last four would have been equivalent to the corresponding @code{setq}s.
582 Note that @code{(cl-eval-when (load eval) @dots{})} is equivalent
583 to @code{(progn @dots{})} in all contexts. The compiler treats
584 certain top-level forms, like @code{defmacro} (sort-of) and
585 @code{require}, as if they were wrapped in @code{(cl-eval-when
586 (compile load eval) @dots{})}.
589 Emacs includes two special forms related to @code{cl-eval-when}.
590 @xref{Eval During Compile,,,elisp,GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
591 One of these, @code{eval-when-compile}, is not quite equivalent to
592 any @code{cl-eval-when} construct and is described below.
594 The other form, @code{(eval-and-compile @dots{})}, is exactly
595 equivalent to @samp{(cl-eval-when (compile load eval) @dots{})}.
597 @defmac eval-when-compile forms@dots{}
598 The @var{forms} are evaluated at compile-time; at execution time,
599 this form acts like a quoted constant of the resulting value. Used
600 at top-level, @code{eval-when-compile} is just like @samp{eval-when
601 (compile eval)}. In other contexts, @code{eval-when-compile}
602 allows code to be evaluated once at compile-time for efficiency
605 This form is similar to the @samp{#.} syntax of true Common Lisp.
608 @defmac cl-load-time-value form
609 The @var{form} is evaluated at load-time; at execution time,
610 this form acts like a quoted constant of the resulting value.
612 Early Common Lisp had a @samp{#,} syntax that was similar to
613 this, but ANSI Common Lisp replaced it with @code{load-time-value}
614 and gave it more well-defined semantics.
616 In a compiled file, @code{cl-load-time-value} arranges for @var{form}
617 to be evaluated when the @file{.elc} file is loaded and then used
618 as if it were a quoted constant. In code compiled by
619 @code{byte-compile} rather than @code{byte-compile-file}, the
620 effect is identical to @code{eval-when-compile}. In uncompiled
621 code, both @code{eval-when-compile} and @code{cl-load-time-value}
622 act exactly like @code{progn}.
626 (insert "This function was executed on: "
627 (current-time-string)
629 (eval-when-compile (current-time-string))
630 ;; or '#.(current-time-string) in real Common Lisp
632 (cl-load-time-value (current-time-string))))
636 Byte-compiled, the above defun will result in the following code
637 (or its compiled equivalent, of course) in the @file{.elc} file:
640 (setq --temp-- (current-time-string))
642 (insert "This function was executed on: "
643 (current-time-string)
645 '"Wed Oct 31 16:32:28 2012"
655 This section describes functions for testing whether various
656 facts are true or false.
659 * Type Predicates:: @code{cl-typep}, @code{cl-deftype}, and @code{cl-coerce}.
660 * Equality Predicates:: @code{cl-equalp}.
663 @node Type Predicates
664 @section Type Predicates
666 @defun cl-typep object type
667 Check if @var{object} is of type @var{type}, where @var{type} is a
668 (quoted) type name of the sort used by Common Lisp. For example,
669 @code{(cl-typep foo 'integer)} is equivalent to @code{(integerp foo)}.
672 The @var{type} argument to the above function is either a symbol
673 or a list beginning with a symbol.
677 If the type name is a symbol, Emacs appends @samp{-p} to the
678 symbol name to form the name of a predicate function for testing
679 the type. (Built-in predicates whose names end in @samp{p} rather
680 than @samp{-p} are used when appropriate.)
683 The type symbol @code{t} stands for the union of all types.
684 @code{(cl-typep @var{object} t)} is always true. Likewise, the
685 type symbol @code{nil} stands for nothing at all, and
686 @code{(cl-typep @var{object} nil)} is always false.
689 The type symbol @code{null} represents the symbol @code{nil}.
690 Thus @code{(cl-typep @var{object} 'null)} is equivalent to
691 @code{(null @var{object})}.
694 The type symbol @code{atom} represents all objects that are not cons
695 cells. Thus @code{(cl-typep @var{object} 'atom)} is equivalent to
696 @code{(atom @var{object})}.
699 The type symbol @code{real} is a synonym for @code{number}, and
700 @code{fixnum} is a synonym for @code{integer}.
703 The type symbols @code{character} and @code{string-char} match
704 integers in the range from 0 to 255.
707 The type list @code{(integer @var{low} @var{high})} represents all
708 integers between @var{low} and @var{high}, inclusive. Either bound
709 may be a list of a single integer to specify an exclusive limit,
710 or a @code{*} to specify no limit. The type @code{(integer * *)}
711 is thus equivalent to @code{integer}.
714 Likewise, lists beginning with @code{float}, @code{real}, or
715 @code{number} represent numbers of that type falling in a particular
719 Lists beginning with @code{and}, @code{or}, and @code{not} form
720 combinations of types. For example, @code{(or integer (float 0 *))}
721 represents all objects that are integers or non-negative floats.
724 Lists beginning with @code{member} or @code{cl-member} represent
725 objects @code{eql} to any of the following values. For example,
726 @code{(member 1 2 3 4)} is equivalent to @code{(integer 1 4)},
727 and @code{(member nil)} is equivalent to @code{null}.
730 Lists of the form @code{(satisfies @var{predicate})} represent
731 all objects for which @var{predicate} returns true when called
732 with that object as an argument.
735 The following function and macro (not technically predicates) are
736 related to @code{cl-typep}.
738 @defun cl-coerce object type
739 This function attempts to convert @var{object} to the specified
740 @var{type}. If @var{object} is already of that type as determined by
741 @code{cl-typep}, it is simply returned. Otherwise, certain types of
742 conversions will be made: If @var{type} is any sequence type
743 (@code{string}, @code{list}, etc.)@: then @var{object} will be
744 converted to that type if possible. If @var{type} is
745 @code{character}, then strings of length one and symbols with
746 one-character names can be coerced. If @var{type} is @code{float},
747 then integers can be coerced in versions of Emacs that support
748 floats. In all other circumstances, @code{cl-coerce} signals an
752 @defmac cl-deftype name arglist forms@dots{}
753 This macro defines a new type called @var{name}. It is similar
754 to @code{defmacro} in many ways; when @var{name} is encountered
755 as a type name, the body @var{forms} are evaluated and should
756 return a type specifier that is equivalent to the type. The
757 @var{arglist} is a Common Lisp argument list of the sort accepted
758 by @code{cl-defmacro}. The type specifier @samp{(@var{name} @var{args}@dots{})}
759 is expanded by calling the expander with those arguments; the type
760 symbol @samp{@var{name}} is expanded by calling the expander with
761 no arguments. The @var{arglist} is processed the same as for
762 @code{cl-defmacro} except that optional arguments without explicit
763 defaults use @code{*} instead of @code{nil} as the ``default''
764 default. Some examples:
767 (cl-deftype null () '(satisfies null)) ; predefined
768 (cl-deftype list () '(or null cons)) ; predefined
769 (cl-deftype unsigned-byte (&optional bits)
770 (list 'integer 0 (if (eq bits '*) bits (1- (lsh 1 bits)))))
771 (unsigned-byte 8) @equiv{} (integer 0 255)
772 (unsigned-byte) @equiv{} (integer 0 *)
773 unsigned-byte @equiv{} (integer 0 *)
777 The last example shows how the Common Lisp @code{unsigned-byte}
778 type specifier could be implemented if desired; this package does
779 not implement @code{unsigned-byte} by default.
782 The @code{cl-typecase} (@pxref{Conditionals}) and @code{cl-check-type}
783 (@pxref{Assertions}) macros also use type names. The @code{cl-map},
784 @code{cl-concatenate}, and @code{cl-merge} functions take type-name
785 arguments to specify the type of sequence to return. @xref{Sequences}.
787 @node Equality Predicates
788 @section Equality Predicates
791 This package defines the Common Lisp predicate @code{cl-equalp}.
794 This function is a more flexible version of @code{equal}. In
795 particular, it compares strings case-insensitively, and it compares
796 numbers without regard to type (so that @code{(cl-equalp 3 3.0)} is
797 true). Vectors and conses are compared recursively. All other
798 objects are compared as if by @code{equal}.
800 This function differs from Common Lisp @code{equalp} in several
801 respects. First, Common Lisp's @code{equalp} also compares
802 @emph{characters} case-insensitively, which would be impractical
803 in this package since Emacs does not distinguish between integers
804 and characters. In keeping with the idea that strings are less
805 vector-like in Emacs Lisp, this package's @code{cl-equalp} also will
806 not compare strings against vectors of integers.
809 Also note that the Common Lisp functions @code{member} and @code{assoc}
810 use @code{eql} to compare elements, whereas Emacs Lisp follows the
811 MacLisp tradition and uses @code{equal} for these two functions.
812 The functions @code{cl-member} and @code{cl-assoc} use @code{eql},
813 as in Common Lisp. The standard Emacs Lisp functions @code{memq} and
814 @code{assq} use @code{eq}, and the standard @code{memql} uses @code{eql}.
816 @node Control Structure
817 @chapter Control Structure
820 The features described in the following sections implement
821 various advanced control structures, including extensions to the
822 standard @code{setf} facility, and a number of looping and conditional
826 * Assignment:: The @code{cl-psetq} form.
827 * Generalized Variables:: Extensions to generalized variables.
828 * Variable Bindings:: @code{cl-progv}, @code{cl-flet}, @code{cl-macrolet}.
829 * Conditionals:: @code{cl-case}, @code{cl-typecase}.
830 * Blocks and Exits:: @code{cl-block}, @code{cl-return}, @code{cl-return-from}.
831 * Iteration:: @code{cl-do}, @code{cl-dotimes}, @code{cl-dolist}, @code{cl-do-symbols}.
832 * Loop Facility:: The Common Lisp @code{loop} macro.
833 * Multiple Values:: @code{cl-values}, @code{cl-multiple-value-bind}, etc.
840 The @code{cl-psetq} form is just like @code{setq}, except that multiple
841 assignments are done in parallel rather than sequentially.
843 @defmac cl-psetq [symbol form]@dots{}
844 This special form (actually a macro) is used to assign to several
845 variables simultaneously. Given only one @var{symbol} and @var{form},
846 it has the same effect as @code{setq}. Given several @var{symbol}
847 and @var{form} pairs, it evaluates all the @var{form}s in advance
848 and then stores the corresponding variables afterwards.
852 (setq x (+ x y) y (* x y))
855 y ; @r{@code{y} was computed after @code{x} was set.}
858 (cl-psetq x (+ x y) y (* x y))
861 y ; @r{@code{y} was computed before @code{x} was set.}
865 The simplest use of @code{cl-psetq} is @code{(cl-psetq x y y x)}, which
866 exchanges the values of two variables. (The @code{cl-rotatef} form
867 provides an even more convenient way to swap two variables;
868 @pxref{Modify Macros}.)
870 @code{cl-psetq} always returns @code{nil}.
873 @node Generalized Variables
874 @section Generalized Variables
876 A @dfn{generalized variable} or @dfn{place form} is one of the many
877 places in Lisp memory where values can be stored. The simplest place
878 form is a regular Lisp variable. But the @sc{car}s and @sc{cdr}s of lists,
879 elements of arrays, properties of symbols, and many other locations
880 are also places where Lisp values are stored. For basic information,
881 @pxref{Generalized Variables,,,elisp,GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
882 This package provides several additional features related to
883 generalized variables.
886 * Setf Extensions:: Additional @code{setf} places.
887 * Modify Macros:: @code{cl-incf}, @code{cl-rotatef}, @code{cl-letf}, @code{cl-callf}, etc.
890 @node Setf Extensions
891 @subsection Setf Extensions
893 Several standard (e.g., @code{car}) and Emacs-specific
894 (e.g., @code{window-point}) Lisp functions are @code{setf}-able by default.
895 This package defines @code{setf} handlers for several additional functions:
899 Functions from this package:
901 cl-rest cl-subseq cl-get cl-getf
902 cl-caaar@dots{}cl-cddddr cl-first@dots{}cl-tenth
906 Note that for @code{cl-getf} (as for @code{nthcdr}), the list argument
907 of the function must itself be a valid @var{place} form.
910 General Emacs Lisp functions:
912 buffer-file-name getenv
913 buffer-modified-p global-key-binding
914 buffer-name local-key-binding
916 buffer-substring mark-marker
917 current-buffer marker-position
918 current-case-table mouse-position
920 current-global-map point-marker
921 current-input-mode point-max
922 current-local-map point-min
923 current-window-configuration read-mouse-position
924 default-file-modes screen-height
925 documentation-property screen-width
926 face-background selected-window
927 face-background-pixmap selected-screen
928 face-font selected-frame
929 face-foreground standard-case-table
930 face-underline-p syntax-table
931 file-modes visited-file-modtime
932 frame-height window-height
933 frame-parameters window-width
934 frame-visible-p x-get-secondary-selection
935 frame-width x-get-selection
939 Most of these have directly corresponding ``set'' functions, like
940 @code{use-local-map} for @code{current-local-map}, or @code{goto-char}
941 for @code{point}. A few, like @code{point-min}, expand to longer
942 sequences of code when they are used with @code{setf}
943 (@code{(narrow-to-region x (point-max))} in this case).
946 A call of the form @code{(substring @var{subplace} @var{n} [@var{m}])},
947 where @var{subplace} is itself a valid generalized variable whose
948 current value is a string, and where the value stored is also a
949 string. The new string is spliced into the specified part of the
950 destination string. For example:
953 (setq a (list "hello" "world"))
954 @result{} ("hello" "world")
957 (substring (cadr a) 2 4)
959 (setf (substring (cadr a) 2 4) "o")
964 @result{} ("hello" "wood")
967 The generalized variable @code{buffer-substring}, listed above,
968 also works in this way by replacing a portion of the current buffer.
970 @c FIXME? Also `eq'? (see cl-lib.el)
972 @c Currently commented out in cl.el.
975 A call of the form @code{(apply '@var{func} @dots{})} or
976 @code{(apply (function @var{func}) @dots{})}, where @var{func}
977 is a @code{setf}-able function whose store function is ``suitable''
978 in the sense described in Steele's book; since none of the standard
979 Emacs place functions are suitable in this sense, this feature is
980 only interesting when used with places you define yourself with
981 @code{define-setf-method} or the long form of @code{defsetf}.
982 @xref{Obsolete Setf Customization}.
985 @c FIXME? Is this still true?
987 A macro call, in which case the macro is expanded and @code{setf}
988 is applied to the resulting form.
991 @c FIXME should this be in lispref? It seems self-evident.
992 @c Contrast with the cl-incf example later on.
993 @c Here it really only serves as a contrast to wrong-order.
994 The @code{setf} macro takes care to evaluate all subforms in
995 the proper left-to-right order; for example,
998 (setf (aref vec (cl-incf i)) i)
1002 looks like it will evaluate @code{(cl-incf i)} exactly once, before the
1003 following access to @code{i}; the @code{setf} expander will insert
1004 temporary variables as necessary to ensure that it does in fact work
1005 this way no matter what setf-method is defined for @code{aref}.
1006 (In this case, @code{aset} would be used and no such steps would
1007 be necessary since @code{aset} takes its arguments in a convenient
1010 However, if the @var{place} form is a macro which explicitly
1011 evaluates its arguments in an unusual order, this unusual order
1012 will be preserved. Adapting an example from Steele, given
1015 (defmacro wrong-order (x y) (list 'aref y x))
1019 the form @code{(setf (wrong-order @var{a} @var{b}) 17)} will
1020 evaluate @var{b} first, then @var{a}, just as in an actual call
1021 to @code{wrong-order}.
1024 @subsection Modify Macros
1027 This package defines a number of macros that operate on generalized
1028 variables. Many are interesting and useful even when the @var{place}
1029 is just a variable name.
1031 @defmac cl-psetf [place form]@dots{}
1032 This macro is to @code{setf} what @code{cl-psetq} is to @code{setq}:
1033 When several @var{place}s and @var{form}s are involved, the
1034 assignments take place in parallel rather than sequentially.
1035 Specifically, all subforms are evaluated from left to right, then
1036 all the assignments are done (in an undefined order).
1039 @defmac cl-incf place &optional x
1040 This macro increments the number stored in @var{place} by one, or
1041 by @var{x} if specified. The incremented value is returned. For
1042 example, @code{(cl-incf i)} is equivalent to @code{(setq i (1+ i))}, and
1043 @code{(cl-incf (car x) 2)} is equivalent to @code{(setcar x (+ (car x) 2))}.
1045 As with @code{setf}, care is taken to preserve the ``apparent'' order
1046 of evaluation. For example,
1049 (cl-incf (aref vec (cl-incf i)))
1053 appears to increment @code{i} once, then increment the element of
1054 @code{vec} addressed by @code{i}; this is indeed exactly what it
1055 does, which means the above form is @emph{not} equivalent to the
1056 ``obvious'' expansion,
1059 (setf (aref vec (cl-incf i))
1060 (1+ (aref vec (cl-incf i)))) ; wrong!
1064 but rather to something more like
1067 (let ((temp (cl-incf i)))
1068 (setf (aref vec temp) (1+ (aref vec temp))))
1072 Again, all of this is taken care of automatically by @code{cl-incf} and
1073 the other generalized-variable macros.
1075 As a more Emacs-specific example of @code{cl-incf}, the expression
1076 @code{(cl-incf (point) @var{n})} is essentially equivalent to
1077 @code{(forward-char @var{n})}.
1080 @defmac cl-decf place &optional x
1081 This macro decrements the number stored in @var{place} by one, or
1082 by @var{x} if specified.
1085 @defmac cl-pushnew x place @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
1086 This macro inserts @var{x} at the front of the list stored in
1087 @var{place}, but only if @var{x} was not @code{eql} to any
1088 existing element of the list. The optional keyword arguments
1089 are interpreted in the same way as for @code{cl-adjoin}.
1090 @xref{Lists as Sets}.
1093 @defmac cl-shiftf place@dots{} newvalue
1094 This macro shifts the @var{place}s left by one, shifting in the
1095 value of @var{newvalue} (which may be any Lisp expression, not just
1096 a generalized variable), and returning the value shifted out of
1097 the first @var{place}. Thus, @code{(cl-shiftf @var{a} @var{b} @var{c}
1098 @var{d})} is equivalent to
1103 (cl-psetf @var{a} @var{b}
1109 except that the subforms of @var{a}, @var{b}, and @var{c} are actually
1110 evaluated only once each and in the apparent order.
1113 @defmac cl-rotatef place@dots{}
1114 This macro rotates the @var{place}s left by one in circular fashion.
1115 Thus, @code{(cl-rotatef @var{a} @var{b} @var{c} @var{d})} is equivalent to
1118 (cl-psetf @var{a} @var{b}
1125 except for the evaluation of subforms. @code{cl-rotatef} always
1126 returns @code{nil}. Note that @code{(cl-rotatef @var{a} @var{b})}
1127 conveniently exchanges @var{a} and @var{b}.
1130 The following macros were invented for this package; they have no
1131 analogues in Common Lisp.
1133 @defmac cl-letf (bindings@dots{}) forms@dots{}
1134 This macro is analogous to @code{let}, but for generalized variables
1135 rather than just symbols. Each @var{binding} should be of the form
1136 @code{(@var{place} @var{value})}; the original contents of the
1137 @var{place}s are saved, the @var{value}s are stored in them, and
1138 then the body @var{form}s are executed. Afterwards, the @var{places}
1139 are set back to their original saved contents. This cleanup happens
1140 even if the @var{form}s exit irregularly due to a @code{throw} or an
1146 (cl-letf (((point) (point-min))
1152 moves point in the current buffer to the beginning of the buffer,
1153 and also binds @code{a} to 17 (as if by a normal @code{let}, since
1154 @code{a} is just a regular variable). After the body exits, @code{a}
1155 is set back to its original value and point is moved back to its
1158 Note that @code{cl-letf} on @code{(point)} is not quite like a
1159 @code{save-excursion}, as the latter effectively saves a marker
1160 which tracks insertions and deletions in the buffer. Actually,
1161 a @code{cl-letf} of @code{(point-marker)} is much closer to this
1162 behavior. (@code{point} and @code{point-marker} are equivalent
1163 as @code{setf} places; each will accept either an integer or a
1164 marker as the stored value.)
1166 Since generalized variables look like lists, @code{let}'s shorthand
1167 of using @samp{foo} for @samp{(foo nil)} as a @var{binding} would
1168 be ambiguous in @code{cl-letf} and is not allowed.
1170 However, a @var{binding} specifier may be a one-element list
1171 @samp{(@var{place})}, which is similar to @samp{(@var{place}
1172 @var{place})}. In other words, the @var{place} is not disturbed
1173 on entry to the body, and the only effect of the @code{cl-letf} is
1174 to restore the original value of @var{place} afterwards.
1175 @c I suspect this may no longer be true; either way it's
1176 @c implementation detail and so not essential to document.
1178 (The redundant access-and-store suggested by the @code{(@var{place}
1179 @var{place})} example does not actually occur.)
1182 Note that in this case, and in fact almost every case, @var{place}
1183 must have a well-defined value outside the @code{cl-letf} body.
1184 There is essentially only one exception to this, which is @var{place}
1185 a plain variable with a specified @var{value} (such as @code{(a 17)}
1186 in the above example).
1187 @c See http://debbugs.gnu.org/12758
1188 @c Some or all of this was true for cl.el, but not for cl-lib.el.
1190 The only exceptions are plain variables and calls to
1191 @code{symbol-value} and @code{symbol-function}. If the symbol is not
1192 bound on entry, it is simply made unbound by @code{makunbound} or
1193 @code{fmakunbound} on exit.
1197 @defmac cl-letf* (bindings@dots{}) forms@dots{}
1198 This macro is to @code{cl-letf} what @code{let*} is to @code{let}:
1199 It does the bindings in sequential rather than parallel order.
1202 @defmac cl-callf @var{function} @var{place} @var{args}@dots{}
1203 This is the ``generic'' modify macro. It calls @var{function},
1204 which should be an unquoted function name, macro name, or lambda.
1205 It passes @var{place} and @var{args} as arguments, and assigns the
1206 result back to @var{place}. For example, @code{(cl-incf @var{place}
1207 @var{n})} is the same as @code{(cl-callf + @var{place} @var{n})}.
1211 (cl-callf abs my-number)
1212 (cl-callf concat (buffer-name) "<" (number-to-string n) ">")
1213 (cl-callf cl-union happy-people (list joe bob) :test 'same-person)
1216 Note again that @code{cl-callf} is an extension to standard Common Lisp.
1219 @defmac cl-callf2 @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{place} @var{args}@dots{}
1220 This macro is like @code{cl-callf}, except that @var{place} is
1221 the @emph{second} argument of @var{function} rather than the
1222 first. For example, @code{(push @var{x} @var{place})} is
1223 equivalent to @code{(cl-callf2 cons @var{x} @var{place})}.
1226 The @code{cl-callf} and @code{cl-callf2} macros serve as building
1227 blocks for other macros like @code{cl-incf}, and @code{cl-pushnew}.
1228 The @code{cl-letf} and @code{cl-letf*} macros are used in the processing
1229 of symbol macros; @pxref{Macro Bindings}.
1232 @node Variable Bindings
1233 @section Variable Bindings
1236 These Lisp forms make bindings to variables and function names,
1237 analogous to Lisp's built-in @code{let} form.
1239 @xref{Modify Macros}, for the @code{cl-letf} and @code{cl-letf*} forms which
1240 are also related to variable bindings.
1243 * Dynamic Bindings:: The @code{cl-progv} form.
1244 * Function Bindings:: @code{cl-flet} and @code{cl-labels}.
1245 * Macro Bindings:: @code{cl-macrolet} and @code{cl-symbol-macrolet}.
1248 @node Dynamic Bindings
1249 @subsection Dynamic Bindings
1252 The standard @code{let} form binds variables whose names are known
1253 at compile-time. The @code{cl-progv} form provides an easy way to
1254 bind variables whose names are computed at run-time.
1256 @defmac cl-progv symbols values forms@dots{}
1257 This form establishes @code{let}-style variable bindings on a
1258 set of variables computed at run-time. The expressions
1259 @var{symbols} and @var{values} are evaluated, and must return lists
1260 of symbols and values, respectively. The symbols are bound to the
1261 corresponding values for the duration of the body @var{form}s.
1262 If @var{values} is shorter than @var{symbols}, the last few symbols
1263 are bound to @code{nil}.
1264 If @var{symbols} is shorter than @var{values}, the excess values
1268 @node Function Bindings
1269 @subsection Function Bindings
1272 These forms make @code{let}-like bindings to functions instead
1275 @defmac cl-flet (bindings@dots{}) forms@dots{}
1276 This form establishes @code{let}-style bindings on the function
1277 cells of symbols rather than on the value cells. Each @var{binding}
1278 must be a list of the form @samp{(@var{name} @var{arglist}
1279 @var{forms}@dots{})}, which defines a function exactly as if
1280 it were a @code{cl-defun} form. The function @var{name} is defined
1281 accordingly for the duration of the body of the @code{cl-flet}; then
1282 the old function definition, or lack thereof, is restored.
1284 You can use @code{cl-flet} to disable or modify the behavior of
1285 functions (including Emacs primitives) in a temporary, localized fashion.
1286 (Compare this with the idea of advising functions.
1287 @xref{Advising Functions,,,elisp,GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.)
1289 The bindings are lexical in scope. This means that all references to
1290 the named functions must appear physically within the body of the
1291 @code{cl-flet} form.
1293 Functions defined by @code{cl-flet} may use the full Common Lisp
1294 argument notation supported by @code{cl-defun}; also, the function
1295 body is enclosed in an implicit block as if by @code{cl-defun}.
1296 @xref{Program Structure}.
1298 Note that the @file{cl.el} version of this macro behaves slightly
1299 differently. In particular, its binding is dynamic rather than
1300 lexical. @xref{Obsolete Macros}.
1303 @defmac cl-labels (bindings@dots{}) forms@dots{}
1304 The @code{cl-labels} form is like @code{cl-flet}, except that
1305 the function bindings can be recursive. The scoping is lexical,
1306 but you can only capture functions in closures if
1307 @code{lexical-binding} is @code{t}.
1308 @xref{Closures,,,elisp,GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}, and
1309 @ref{Using Lexical Binding,,,elisp,GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
1311 Lexical scoping means that all references to the named
1312 functions must appear physically within the body of the
1313 @code{cl-labels} form. References may appear both in the body
1314 @var{forms} of @code{cl-labels} itself, and in the bodies of
1315 the functions themselves. Thus, @code{cl-labels} can define
1316 local recursive functions, or mutually-recursive sets of functions.
1318 A ``reference'' to a function name is either a call to that
1319 function, or a use of its name quoted by @code{quote} or
1320 @code{function} to be passed on to, say, @code{mapcar}.
1322 Note that the @file{cl.el} version of this macro behaves slightly
1323 differently. @xref{Obsolete Macros}.
1326 @node Macro Bindings
1327 @subsection Macro Bindings
1330 These forms create local macros and ``symbol macros''.
1332 @defmac cl-macrolet (bindings@dots{}) forms@dots{}
1333 This form is analogous to @code{cl-flet}, but for macros instead of
1334 functions. Each @var{binding} is a list of the same form as the
1335 arguments to @code{cl-defmacro} (i.e., a macro name, argument list,
1336 and macro-expander forms). The macro is defined accordingly for
1337 use within the body of the @code{cl-macrolet}.
1339 Because of the nature of macros, @code{cl-macrolet} is always lexically
1340 scoped. The @code{cl-macrolet} binding will
1341 affect only calls that appear physically within the body
1342 @var{forms}, possibly after expansion of other macros in the
1346 @defmac cl-symbol-macrolet (bindings@dots{}) forms@dots{}
1347 This form creates @dfn{symbol macros}, which are macros that look
1348 like variable references rather than function calls. Each
1349 @var{binding} is a list @samp{(@var{var} @var{expansion})};
1350 any reference to @var{var} within the body @var{forms} is
1351 replaced by @var{expansion}.
1355 (cl-symbol-macrolet ((foo (car bar)))
1361 A @code{setq} of a symbol macro is treated the same as a @code{setf}.
1362 I.e., @code{(setq foo 4)} in the above would be equivalent to
1363 @code{(setf foo 4)}, which in turn expands to @code{(setf (car bar) 4)}.
1365 Likewise, a @code{let} or @code{let*} binding a symbol macro is
1366 treated like a @code{cl-letf} or @code{cl-letf*}. This differs from true
1367 Common Lisp, where the rules of lexical scoping cause a @code{let}
1368 binding to shadow a @code{symbol-macrolet} binding. In this package,
1369 such shadowing does not occur, even when @code{lexical-binding} is
1370 @c See http://debbugs.gnu.org/12119
1371 @code{t}. (This behavior predates the addition of lexical binding to
1372 Emacs Lisp, and may change in future to respect @code{lexical-binding}.)
1373 At present in this package, only @code{lexical-let} and
1374 @code{lexical-let*} will shadow a symbol macro. @xref{Obsolete
1377 There is no analogue of @code{defmacro} for symbol macros; all symbol
1378 macros are local. A typical use of @code{cl-symbol-macrolet} is in the
1379 expansion of another macro:
1382 (cl-defmacro my-dolist ((x list) &rest body)
1383 (let ((var (cl-gensym)))
1384 (list 'cl-loop 'for var 'on list 'do
1385 (cl-list* 'cl-symbol-macrolet
1386 (list (list x (list 'car var)))
1389 (setq mylist '(1 2 3 4))
1390 (my-dolist (x mylist) (cl-incf x))
1396 In this example, the @code{my-dolist} macro is similar to @code{dolist}
1397 (@pxref{Iteration}) except that the variable @code{x} becomes a true
1398 reference onto the elements of the list. The @code{my-dolist} call
1399 shown here expands to
1402 (cl-loop for G1234 on mylist do
1403 (cl-symbol-macrolet ((x (car G1234)))
1408 which in turn expands to
1411 (cl-loop for G1234 on mylist do (cl-incf (car G1234)))
1414 @xref{Loop Facility}, for a description of the @code{cl-loop} macro.
1415 This package defines a nonstandard @code{in-ref} loop clause that
1416 works much like @code{my-dolist}.
1420 @section Conditionals
1423 These conditional forms augment Emacs Lisp's simple @code{if},
1424 @code{and}, @code{or}, and @code{cond} forms.
1426 @defmac cl-case keyform clause@dots{}
1427 This macro evaluates @var{keyform}, then compares it with the key
1428 values listed in the various @var{clause}s. Whichever clause matches
1429 the key is executed; comparison is done by @code{eql}. If no clause
1430 matches, the @code{cl-case} form returns @code{nil}. The clauses are
1434 (@var{keylist} @var{body-forms}@dots{})
1438 where @var{keylist} is a list of key values. If there is exactly
1439 one value, and it is not a cons cell or the symbol @code{nil} or
1440 @code{t}, then it can be used by itself as a @var{keylist} without
1441 being enclosed in a list. All key values in the @code{cl-case} form
1442 must be distinct. The final clauses may use @code{t} in place of
1443 a @var{keylist} to indicate a default clause that should be taken
1444 if none of the other clauses match. (The symbol @code{otherwise}
1445 is also recognized in place of @code{t}. To make a clause that
1446 matches the actual symbol @code{t}, @code{nil}, or @code{otherwise},
1447 enclose the symbol in a list.)
1449 For example, this expression reads a keystroke, then does one of
1450 four things depending on whether it is an @samp{a}, a @samp{b},
1451 a @key{RET} or @kbd{C-j}, or anything else.
1454 (cl-case (read-char)
1457 ((?\r ?\n) (do-ret-thing))
1458 (t (do-other-thing)))
1462 @defmac cl-ecase keyform clause@dots{}
1463 This macro is just like @code{cl-case}, except that if the key does
1464 not match any of the clauses, an error is signaled rather than
1465 simply returning @code{nil}.
1468 @defmac cl-typecase keyform clause@dots{}
1469 This macro is a version of @code{cl-case} that checks for types
1470 rather than values. Each @var{clause} is of the form
1471 @samp{(@var{type} @var{body}@dots{})}. @xref{Type Predicates},
1472 for a description of type specifiers. For example,
1476 (integer (munch-integer x))
1477 (float (munch-float x))
1478 (string (munch-integer (string-to-int x)))
1479 (t (munch-anything x)))
1482 The type specifier @code{t} matches any type of object; the word
1483 @code{otherwise} is also allowed. To make one clause match any of
1484 several types, use an @code{(or @dots{})} type specifier.
1487 @defmac cl-etypecase keyform clause@dots{}
1488 This macro is just like @code{cl-typecase}, except that if the key does
1489 not match any of the clauses, an error is signaled rather than
1490 simply returning @code{nil}.
1493 @node Blocks and Exits
1494 @section Blocks and Exits
1497 Common Lisp @dfn{blocks} provide a non-local exit mechanism very
1498 similar to @code{catch} and @code{throw}, with lexical scoping.
1499 This package actually implements @code{cl-block}
1500 in terms of @code{catch}; however, the lexical scoping allows the
1501 byte-compiler to omit the costly @code{catch} step if the
1502 body of the block does not actually @code{cl-return-from} the block.
1504 @defmac cl-block name forms@dots{}
1505 The @var{forms} are evaluated as if by a @code{progn}. However,
1506 if any of the @var{forms} execute @code{(cl-return-from @var{name})},
1507 they will jump out and return directly from the @code{cl-block} form.
1508 The @code{cl-block} returns the result of the last @var{form} unless
1509 a @code{cl-return-from} occurs.
1511 The @code{cl-block}/@code{cl-return-from} mechanism is quite similar to
1512 the @code{catch}/@code{throw} mechanism. The main differences are
1513 that block @var{name}s are unevaluated symbols, rather than forms
1514 (such as quoted symbols) that evaluate to a tag at run-time; and
1515 also that blocks are always lexically scoped.
1516 In a dynamically scoped @code{catch}, functions called from the
1517 @code{catch} body can also @code{throw} to the @code{catch}. This
1518 is not an option for @code{cl-block}, where
1519 the @code{cl-return-from} referring to a block name must appear
1520 physically within the @var{forms} that make up the body of the block.
1521 They may not appear within other called functions, although they may
1522 appear within macro expansions or @code{lambda}s in the body. Block
1523 names and @code{catch} names form independent name-spaces.
1525 In true Common Lisp, @code{defun} and @code{defmacro} surround
1526 the function or expander bodies with implicit blocks with the
1527 same name as the function or macro. This does not occur in Emacs
1528 Lisp, but this package provides @code{cl-defun} and @code{cl-defmacro}
1529 forms, which do create the implicit block.
1531 The Common Lisp looping constructs defined by this package,
1532 such as @code{cl-loop} and @code{cl-dolist}, also create implicit blocks
1533 just as in Common Lisp.
1535 Because they are implemented in terms of Emacs Lisp's @code{catch}
1536 and @code{throw}, blocks have the same overhead as actual
1537 @code{catch} constructs (roughly two function calls). However,
1538 the byte compiler will optimize away the @code{catch}
1540 not in fact contain any @code{cl-return} or @code{cl-return-from} calls
1541 that jump to it. This means that @code{cl-do} loops and @code{cl-defun}
1542 functions that don't use @code{cl-return} don't pay the overhead to
1546 @defmac cl-return-from name [result]
1547 This macro returns from the block named @var{name}, which must be
1548 an (unevaluated) symbol. If a @var{result} form is specified, it
1549 is evaluated to produce the result returned from the @code{block}.
1550 Otherwise, @code{nil} is returned.
1553 @defmac cl-return [result]
1554 This macro is exactly like @code{(cl-return-from nil @var{result})}.
1555 Common Lisp loops like @code{cl-do} and @code{cl-dolist} implicitly enclose
1556 themselves in @code{nil} blocks.
1563 The macros described here provide more sophisticated, high-level
1564 looping constructs to complement Emacs Lisp's basic loop forms
1565 (@pxref{Iteration,,,elisp,GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}).
1567 @defmac cl-loop forms@dots{}
1568 This package supports both the simple, old-style meaning of
1569 @code{loop} and the extremely powerful and flexible feature known as
1570 the @dfn{Loop Facility} or @dfn{Loop Macro}. This more advanced
1571 facility is discussed in the following section; @pxref{Loop Facility}.
1572 The simple form of @code{loop} is described here.
1574 If @code{cl-loop} is followed by zero or more Lisp expressions,
1575 then @code{(cl-loop @var{exprs}@dots{})} simply creates an infinite
1576 loop executing the expressions over and over. The loop is
1577 enclosed in an implicit @code{nil} block. Thus,
1580 (cl-loop (foo) (if (no-more) (return 72)) (bar))
1584 is exactly equivalent to
1587 (cl-block nil (while t (foo) (if (no-more) (return 72)) (bar)))
1590 If any of the expressions are plain symbols, the loop is instead
1591 interpreted as a Loop Macro specification as described later.
1592 (This is not a restriction in practice, since a plain symbol
1593 in the above notation would simply access and throw away the
1594 value of a variable.)
1597 @defmac cl-do (spec@dots{}) (end-test [result@dots{}]) forms@dots{}
1598 This macro creates a general iterative loop. Each @var{spec} is
1602 (@var{var} [@var{init} [@var{step}]])
1605 The loop works as follows: First, each @var{var} is bound to the
1606 associated @var{init} value as if by a @code{let} form. Then, in
1607 each iteration of the loop, the @var{end-test} is evaluated; if
1608 true, the loop is finished. Otherwise, the body @var{forms} are
1609 evaluated, then each @var{var} is set to the associated @var{step}
1610 expression (as if by a @code{cl-psetq} form) and the next iteration
1611 begins. Once the @var{end-test} becomes true, the @var{result}
1612 forms are evaluated (with the @var{var}s still bound to their
1613 values) to produce the result returned by @code{cl-do}.
1615 The entire @code{cl-do} loop is enclosed in an implicit @code{nil}
1616 block, so that you can use @code{(cl-return)} to break out of the
1619 If there are no @var{result} forms, the loop returns @code{nil}.
1620 If a given @var{var} has no @var{step} form, it is bound to its
1621 @var{init} value but not otherwise modified during the @code{cl-do}
1622 loop (unless the code explicitly modifies it); this case is just
1623 a shorthand for putting a @code{(let ((@var{var} @var{init})) @dots{})}
1624 around the loop. If @var{init} is also omitted it defaults to
1625 @code{nil}, and in this case a plain @samp{@var{var}} can be used
1626 in place of @samp{(@var{var})}, again following the analogy with
1629 This example (from Steele) illustrates a loop that applies the
1630 function @code{f} to successive pairs of values from the lists
1631 @code{foo} and @code{bar}; it is equivalent to the call
1632 @code{(cl-mapcar 'f foo bar)}. Note that this loop has no body
1633 @var{forms} at all, performing all its work as side effects of
1634 the rest of the loop.
1637 (cl-do ((x foo (cdr x))
1639 (z nil (cons (f (car x) (car y)) z)))
1640 ((or (null x) (null y))
1645 @defmac cl-do* (spec@dots{}) (end-test [result@dots{}]) forms@dots{}
1646 This is to @code{cl-do} what @code{let*} is to @code{let}. In
1647 particular, the initial values are bound as if by @code{let*}
1648 rather than @code{let}, and the steps are assigned as if by
1649 @code{setq} rather than @code{cl-psetq}.
1651 Here is another way to write the above loop:
1654 (cl-do* ((xp foo (cdr xp))
1656 (x (car xp) (car xp))
1657 (y (car yp) (car yp))
1659 ((or (null xp) (null yp))
1665 @defmac cl-dolist (var list [result]) forms@dots{}
1666 This is exactly like the standard Emacs Lisp macro @code{dolist},
1667 but surrounds the loop with an implicit @code{nil} block.
1670 @defmac cl-dotimes (var count [result]) forms@dots{}
1671 This is exactly like the standard Emacs Lisp macro @code{dotimes},
1672 but surrounds the loop with an implicit @code{nil} block.
1673 The body is executed with @var{var} bound to the integers
1674 from zero (inclusive) to @var{count} (exclusive), in turn. Then
1675 @c FIXME lispref does not state this part explicitly, could move this there.
1676 the @code{result} form is evaluated with @var{var} bound to the total
1677 number of iterations that were done (i.e., @code{(max 0 @var{count})})
1678 to get the return value for the loop form.
1681 @defmac cl-do-symbols (var [obarray [result]]) forms@dots{}
1682 This loop iterates over all interned symbols. If @var{obarray}
1683 is specified and is not @code{nil}, it loops over all symbols in
1684 that obarray. For each symbol, the body @var{forms} are evaluated
1685 with @var{var} bound to that symbol. The symbols are visited in
1686 an unspecified order. Afterward the @var{result} form, if any,
1687 is evaluated (with @var{var} bound to @code{nil}) to get the return
1688 value. The loop is surrounded by an implicit @code{nil} block.
1691 @defmac cl-do-all-symbols (var [result]) forms@dots{}
1692 This is identical to @code{cl-do-symbols} except that the @var{obarray}
1693 argument is omitted; it always iterates over the default obarray.
1696 @xref{Mapping over Sequences}, for some more functions for
1697 iterating over vectors or lists.
1700 @section Loop Facility
1703 A common complaint with Lisp's traditional looping constructs was
1704 that they were either too simple and limited, such as @code{dotimes}
1705 or @code{while}, or too unreadable and obscure, like Common Lisp's
1708 To remedy this, Common Lisp added a construct called the ``Loop
1709 Facility'' or ``@code{loop} macro'', with an easy-to-use but very
1710 powerful and expressive syntax.
1713 * Loop Basics:: The @code{cl-loop} macro, basic clause structure.
1714 * Loop Examples:: Working examples of the @code{cl-loop} macro.
1715 * For Clauses:: Clauses introduced by @code{for} or @code{as}.
1716 * Iteration Clauses:: @code{repeat}, @code{while}, @code{thereis}, etc.
1717 * Accumulation Clauses:: @code{collect}, @code{sum}, @code{maximize}, etc.
1718 * Other Clauses:: @code{with}, @code{if}, @code{initially}, @code{finally}.
1722 @subsection Loop Basics
1725 The @code{cl-loop} macro essentially creates a mini-language within
1726 Lisp that is specially tailored for describing loops. While this
1727 language is a little strange-looking by the standards of regular Lisp,
1728 it turns out to be very easy to learn and well-suited to its purpose.
1730 Since @code{cl-loop} is a macro, all parsing of the loop language
1731 takes place at byte-compile time; compiled @code{cl-loop}s are just
1732 as efficient as the equivalent @code{while} loops written longhand.
1734 @defmac cl-loop clauses@dots{}
1735 A loop construct consists of a series of @var{clause}s, each
1736 introduced by a symbol like @code{for} or @code{do}. Clauses
1737 are simply strung together in the argument list of @code{cl-loop},
1738 with minimal extra parentheses. The various types of clauses
1739 specify initializations, such as the binding of temporary
1740 variables, actions to be taken in the loop, stepping actions,
1743 Common Lisp specifies a certain general order of clauses in a
1747 (loop @var{name-clause}
1748 @var{var-clauses}@dots{}
1749 @var{action-clauses}@dots{})
1752 The @var{name-clause} optionally gives a name to the implicit
1753 block that surrounds the loop. By default, the implicit block
1754 is named @code{nil}. The @var{var-clauses} specify what
1755 variables should be bound during the loop, and how they should
1756 be modified or iterated throughout the course of the loop. The
1757 @var{action-clauses} are things to be done during the loop, such
1758 as computing, collecting, and returning values.
1760 The Emacs version of the @code{cl-loop} macro is less restrictive about
1761 the order of clauses, but things will behave most predictably if
1762 you put the variable-binding clauses @code{with}, @code{for}, and
1763 @code{repeat} before the action clauses. As in Common Lisp,
1764 @code{initially} and @code{finally} clauses can go anywhere.
1766 Loops generally return @code{nil} by default, but you can cause
1767 them to return a value by using an accumulation clause like
1768 @code{collect}, an end-test clause like @code{always}, or an
1769 explicit @code{return} clause to jump out of the implicit block.
1770 (Because the loop body is enclosed in an implicit block, you can
1771 also use regular Lisp @code{cl-return} or @code{cl-return-from} to
1772 break out of the loop.)
1775 The following sections give some examples of the loop macro in
1776 action, and describe the particular loop clauses in great detail.
1777 Consult the second edition of Steele for additional discussion
1781 @subsection Loop Examples
1784 Before listing the full set of clauses that are allowed, let's
1785 look at a few example loops just to get a feel for the @code{cl-loop}
1789 (cl-loop for buf in (buffer-list)
1790 collect (buffer-file-name buf))
1794 This loop iterates over all Emacs buffers, using the list
1795 returned by @code{buffer-list}. For each buffer @var{buf},
1796 it calls @code{buffer-file-name} and collects the results into
1797 a list, which is then returned from the @code{cl-loop} construct.
1798 The result is a list of the file names of all the buffers in
1799 Emacs's memory. The words @code{for}, @code{in}, and @code{collect}
1800 are reserved words in the @code{cl-loop} language.
1803 (cl-loop repeat 20 do (insert "Yowsa\n"))
1807 This loop inserts the phrase ``Yowsa'' twenty times in the
1811 (cl-loop until (eobp) do (munch-line) (forward-line 1))
1815 This loop calls @code{munch-line} on every line until the end
1816 of the buffer. If point is already at the end of the buffer,
1817 the loop exits immediately.
1820 (cl-loop do (munch-line) until (eobp) do (forward-line 1))
1824 This loop is similar to the above one, except that @code{munch-line}
1825 is always called at least once.
1828 (cl-loop for x from 1 to 100
1831 finally return (list x (= y 729)))
1835 This more complicated loop searches for a number @code{x} whose
1836 square is 729. For safety's sake it only examines @code{x}
1837 values up to 100; dropping the phrase @samp{to 100} would
1838 cause the loop to count upwards with no limit. The second
1839 @code{for} clause defines @code{y} to be the square of @code{x}
1840 within the loop; the expression after the @code{=} sign is
1841 reevaluated each time through the loop. The @code{until}
1842 clause gives a condition for terminating the loop, and the
1843 @code{finally} clause says what to do when the loop finishes.
1844 (This particular example was written less concisely than it
1845 could have been, just for the sake of illustration.)
1847 Note that even though this loop contains three clauses (two
1848 @code{for}s and an @code{until}) that would have been enough to
1849 define loops all by themselves, it still creates a single loop
1850 rather than some sort of triple-nested loop. You must explicitly
1851 nest your @code{cl-loop} constructs if you want nested loops.
1854 @subsection For Clauses
1857 Most loops are governed by one or more @code{for} clauses.
1858 A @code{for} clause simultaneously describes variables to be
1859 bound, how those variables are to be stepped during the loop,
1860 and usually an end condition based on those variables.
1862 The word @code{as} is a synonym for the word @code{for}. This
1863 word is followed by a variable name, then a word like @code{from}
1864 or @code{across} that describes the kind of iteration desired.
1865 In Common Lisp, the phrase @code{being the} sometimes precedes
1866 the type of iteration; in this package both @code{being} and
1867 @code{the} are optional. The word @code{each} is a synonym
1868 for @code{the}, and the word that follows it may be singular
1869 or plural: @samp{for x being the elements of y} or
1870 @samp{for x being each element of y}. Which form you use
1871 is purely a matter of style.
1873 The variable is bound around the loop as if by @code{let}:
1877 (cl-loop for i from 1 to 10 do (do-something-with i))
1883 @item for @var{var} from @var{expr1} to @var{expr2} by @var{expr3}
1884 This type of @code{for} clause creates a counting loop. Each of
1885 the three sub-terms is optional, though there must be at least one
1886 term so that the clause is marked as a counting clause.
1888 The three expressions are the starting value, the ending value, and
1889 the step value, respectively, of the variable. The loop counts
1890 upwards by default (@var{expr3} must be positive), from @var{expr1}
1891 to @var{expr2} inclusively. If you omit the @code{from} term, the
1892 loop counts from zero; if you omit the @code{to} term, the loop
1893 counts forever without stopping (unless stopped by some other
1894 loop clause, of course); if you omit the @code{by} term, the loop
1895 counts in steps of one.
1897 You can replace the word @code{from} with @code{upfrom} or
1898 @code{downfrom} to indicate the direction of the loop. Likewise,
1899 you can replace @code{to} with @code{upto} or @code{downto}.
1900 For example, @samp{for x from 5 downto 1} executes five times
1901 with @code{x} taking on the integers from 5 down to 1 in turn.
1902 Also, you can replace @code{to} with @code{below} or @code{above},
1903 which are like @code{upto} and @code{downto} respectively except
1904 that they are exclusive rather than inclusive limits:
1907 (cl-loop for x to 10 collect x)
1908 @result{} (0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10)
1909 (cl-loop for x below 10 collect x)
1910 @result{} (0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9)
1913 The @code{by} value is always positive, even for downward-counting
1914 loops. Some sort of @code{from} value is required for downward
1915 loops; @samp{for x downto 5} is not a valid loop clause all by
1918 @item for @var{var} in @var{list} by @var{function}
1919 This clause iterates @var{var} over all the elements of @var{list},
1920 in turn. If you specify the @code{by} term, then @var{function}
1921 is used to traverse the list instead of @code{cdr}; it must be a
1922 function taking one argument. For example:
1925 (cl-loop for x in '(1 2 3 4 5 6) collect (* x x))
1926 @result{} (1 4 9 16 25 36)
1927 (cl-loop for x in '(1 2 3 4 5 6) by 'cddr collect (* x x))
1931 @item for @var{var} on @var{list} by @var{function}
1932 This clause iterates @var{var} over all the cons cells of @var{list}.
1935 (cl-loop for x on '(1 2 3 4) collect x)
1936 @result{} ((1 2 3 4) (2 3 4) (3 4) (4))
1939 With @code{by}, there is no real reason that the @code{on} expression
1940 must be a list. For example:
1943 (cl-loop for x on first-animal by 'next-animal collect x)
1947 where @code{(next-animal x)} takes an ``animal'' @var{x} and returns
1948 the next in the (assumed) sequence of animals, or @code{nil} if
1949 @var{x} was the last animal in the sequence.
1951 @item for @var{var} in-ref @var{list} by @var{function}
1952 This is like a regular @code{in} clause, but @var{var} becomes
1953 a @code{setf}-able ``reference'' onto the elements of the list
1954 rather than just a temporary variable. For example,
1957 (cl-loop for x in-ref my-list do (cl-incf x))
1961 increments every element of @code{my-list} in place. This clause
1962 is an extension to standard Common Lisp.
1964 @item for @var{var} across @var{array}
1965 This clause iterates @var{var} over all the elements of @var{array},
1966 which may be a vector or a string.
1969 (cl-loop for x across "aeiou"
1970 do (use-vowel (char-to-string x)))
1973 @item for @var{var} across-ref @var{array}
1974 This clause iterates over an array, with @var{var} a @code{setf}-able
1975 reference onto the elements; see @code{in-ref} above.
1977 @item for @var{var} being the elements of @var{sequence}
1978 This clause iterates over the elements of @var{sequence}, which may
1979 be a list, vector, or string. Since the type must be determined
1980 at run-time, this is somewhat less efficient than @code{in} or
1981 @code{across}. The clause may be followed by the additional term
1982 @samp{using (index @var{var2})} to cause @var{var2} to be bound to
1983 the successive indices (starting at 0) of the elements.
1985 This clause type is taken from older versions of the @code{loop} macro,
1986 and is not present in modern Common Lisp. The @samp{using (sequence @dots{})}
1987 term of the older macros is not supported.
1989 @item for @var{var} being the elements of-ref @var{sequence}
1990 This clause iterates over a sequence, with @var{var} a @code{setf}-able
1991 reference onto the elements; see @code{in-ref} above.
1993 @item for @var{var} being the symbols [of @var{obarray}]
1994 This clause iterates over symbols, either over all interned symbols
1995 or over all symbols in @var{obarray}. The loop is executed with
1996 @var{var} bound to each symbol in turn. The symbols are visited in
1997 an unspecified order.
2002 (cl-loop for sym being the symbols
2004 when (string-match "^map" (symbol-name sym))
2009 returns a list of all the functions whose names begin with @samp{map}.
2011 The Common Lisp words @code{external-symbols} and @code{present-symbols}
2012 are also recognized but are equivalent to @code{symbols} in Emacs Lisp.
2014 Due to a minor implementation restriction, it will not work to have
2015 more than one @code{for} clause iterating over symbols, hash tables,
2016 keymaps, overlays, or intervals in a given @code{cl-loop}. Fortunately,
2017 it would rarely if ever be useful to do so. It @emph{is} valid to mix
2018 one of these types of clauses with other clauses like @code{for @dots{} to}
2021 @item for @var{var} being the hash-keys of @var{hash-table}
2022 @itemx for @var{var} being the hash-values of @var{hash-table}
2023 This clause iterates over the entries in @var{hash-table} with
2024 @var{var} bound to each key, or value. A @samp{using} clause can bind
2025 a second variable to the opposite part.
2028 (cl-loop for k being the hash-keys of h
2029 using (hash-values v)
2031 (message "key %S -> value %S" k v))
2034 @item for @var{var} being the key-codes of @var{keymap}
2035 @itemx for @var{var} being the key-bindings of @var{keymap}
2036 This clause iterates over the entries in @var{keymap}.
2037 The iteration does not enter nested keymaps but does enter inherited
2039 A @code{using} clause can access both the codes and the bindings
2043 (cl-loop for c being the key-codes of (current-local-map)
2044 using (key-bindings b)
2046 (message "key %S -> binding %S" c b))
2050 @item for @var{var} being the key-seqs of @var{keymap}
2051 This clause iterates over all key sequences defined by @var{keymap}
2052 and its nested keymaps, where @var{var} takes on values which are
2053 vectors. The strings or vectors
2054 are reused for each iteration, so you must copy them if you wish to keep
2055 them permanently. You can add a @samp{using (key-bindings @dots{})}
2056 clause to get the command bindings as well.
2058 @item for @var{var} being the overlays [of @var{buffer}] @dots{}
2059 This clause iterates over the ``overlays'' of a buffer
2060 (the clause @code{extents} is synonymous
2061 with @code{overlays}). If the @code{of} term is omitted, the current
2063 This clause also accepts optional @samp{from @var{pos}} and
2064 @samp{to @var{pos}} terms, limiting the clause to overlays which
2065 overlap the specified region.
2067 @item for @var{var} being the intervals [of @var{buffer}] @dots{}
2068 This clause iterates over all intervals of a buffer with constant
2069 text properties. The variable @var{var} will be bound to conses
2070 of start and end positions, where one start position is always equal
2071 to the previous end position. The clause allows @code{of},
2072 @code{from}, @code{to}, and @code{property} terms, where the latter
2073 term restricts the search to just the specified property. The
2074 @code{of} term may specify either a buffer or a string.
2076 @item for @var{var} being the frames
2077 This clause iterates over all Emacs frames. The clause @code{screens} is
2078 a synonym for @code{frames}. The frames are visited in
2079 @code{next-frame} order starting from @code{selected-frame}.
2081 @item for @var{var} being the windows [of @var{frame}]
2082 This clause iterates over the windows (in the Emacs sense) of
2083 the current frame, or of the specified @var{frame}. It visits windows
2084 in @code{next-window} order starting from @code{selected-window}
2085 (or @code{frame-selected-window} if you specify @var{frame}).
2086 This clause treats the minibuffer window in the same way as
2087 @code{next-window} does. For greater flexibility, consider using
2088 @code{walk-windows} instead.
2090 @item for @var{var} being the buffers
2091 This clause iterates over all buffers in Emacs. It is equivalent
2092 to @samp{for @var{var} in (buffer-list)}.
2094 @item for @var{var} = @var{expr1} then @var{expr2}
2095 This clause does a general iteration. The first time through
2096 the loop, @var{var} will be bound to @var{expr1}. On the second
2097 and successive iterations it will be set by evaluating @var{expr2}
2098 (which may refer to the old value of @var{var}). For example,
2099 these two loops are effectively the same:
2102 (cl-loop for x on my-list by 'cddr do @dots{})
2103 (cl-loop for x = my-list then (cddr x) while x do @dots{})
2106 Note that this type of @code{for} clause does not imply any sort
2107 of terminating condition; the above example combines it with a
2108 @code{while} clause to tell when to end the loop.
2110 If you omit the @code{then} term, @var{expr1} is used both for
2111 the initial setting and for successive settings:
2114 (cl-loop for x = (random) when (> x 0) return x)
2118 This loop keeps taking random numbers from the @code{(random)}
2119 function until it gets a positive one, which it then returns.
2122 If you include several @code{for} clauses in a row, they are
2123 treated sequentially (as if by @code{let*} and @code{setq}).
2124 You can instead use the word @code{and} to link the clauses,
2125 in which case they are processed in parallel (as if by @code{let}
2126 and @code{cl-psetq}).
2129 (cl-loop for x below 5 for y = nil then x collect (list x y))
2130 @result{} ((0 nil) (1 1) (2 2) (3 3) (4 4))
2131 (cl-loop for x below 5 and y = nil then x collect (list x y))
2132 @result{} ((0 nil) (1 0) (2 1) (3 2) (4 3))
2136 In the first loop, @code{y} is set based on the value of @code{x}
2137 that was just set by the previous clause; in the second loop,
2138 @code{x} and @code{y} are set simultaneously so @code{y} is set
2139 based on the value of @code{x} left over from the previous time
2142 Another feature of the @code{cl-loop} macro is @emph{destructuring},
2143 similar in concept to the destructuring provided by @code{defmacro}
2144 (@pxref{Argument Lists}).
2145 The @var{var} part of any @code{for} clause can be given as a list
2146 of variables instead of a single variable. The values produced
2147 during loop execution must be lists; the values in the lists are
2148 stored in the corresponding variables.
2151 (cl-loop for (x y) in '((2 3) (4 5) (6 7)) collect (+ x y))
2155 In loop destructuring, if there are more values than variables
2156 the trailing values are ignored, and if there are more variables
2157 than values the trailing variables get the value @code{nil}.
2158 If @code{nil} is used as a variable name, the corresponding
2159 values are ignored. Destructuring may be nested, and dotted
2160 lists of variables like @code{(x . y)} are allowed, so for example
2164 (cl-loop for (key . value) in '((a . 1) (b . 2))
2169 @node Iteration Clauses
2170 @subsection Iteration Clauses
2173 Aside from @code{for} clauses, there are several other loop clauses
2174 that control the way the loop operates. They might be used by
2175 themselves, or in conjunction with one or more @code{for} clauses.
2178 @item repeat @var{integer}
2179 This clause simply counts up to the specified number using an
2180 internal temporary variable. The loops
2183 (cl-loop repeat (1+ n) do @dots{})
2184 (cl-loop for temp to n do @dots{})
2188 are identical except that the second one forces you to choose
2189 a name for a variable you aren't actually going to use.
2191 @item while @var{condition}
2192 This clause stops the loop when the specified condition (any Lisp
2193 expression) becomes @code{nil}. For example, the following two
2194 loops are equivalent, except for the implicit @code{nil} block
2195 that surrounds the second one:
2198 (while @var{cond} @var{forms}@dots{})
2199 (cl-loop while @var{cond} do @var{forms}@dots{})
2202 @item until @var{condition}
2203 This clause stops the loop when the specified condition is true,
2204 i.e., non-@code{nil}.
2206 @item always @var{condition}
2207 This clause stops the loop when the specified condition is @code{nil}.
2208 Unlike @code{while}, it stops the loop using @code{return nil} so that
2209 the @code{finally} clauses are not executed. If all the conditions
2210 were non-@code{nil}, the loop returns @code{t}:
2213 (if (cl-loop for size in size-list always (> size 10))
2218 @item never @var{condition}
2219 This clause is like @code{always}, except that the loop returns
2220 @code{t} if any conditions were false, or @code{nil} otherwise.
2222 @item thereis @var{condition}
2223 This clause stops the loop when the specified form is non-@code{nil};
2224 in this case, it returns that non-@code{nil} value. If all the
2225 values were @code{nil}, the loop returns @code{nil}.
2228 @node Accumulation Clauses
2229 @subsection Accumulation Clauses
2232 These clauses cause the loop to accumulate information about the
2233 specified Lisp @var{form}. The accumulated result is returned
2234 from the loop unless overridden, say, by a @code{return} clause.
2237 @item collect @var{form}
2238 This clause collects the values of @var{form} into a list. Several
2239 examples of @code{collect} appear elsewhere in this manual.
2241 The word @code{collecting} is a synonym for @code{collect}, and
2242 likewise for the other accumulation clauses.
2244 @item append @var{form}
2245 This clause collects lists of values into a result list using
2248 @item nconc @var{form}
2249 This clause collects lists of values into a result list by
2250 destructively modifying the lists rather than copying them.
2252 @item concat @var{form}
2253 This clause concatenates the values of the specified @var{form}
2254 into a string. (It and the following clause are extensions to
2255 standard Common Lisp.)
2257 @item vconcat @var{form}
2258 This clause concatenates the values of the specified @var{form}
2261 @item count @var{form}
2262 This clause counts the number of times the specified @var{form}
2263 evaluates to a non-@code{nil} value.
2265 @item sum @var{form}
2266 This clause accumulates the sum of the values of the specified
2267 @var{form}, which must evaluate to a number.
2269 @item maximize @var{form}
2270 This clause accumulates the maximum value of the specified @var{form},
2271 which must evaluate to a number. The return value is undefined if
2272 @code{maximize} is executed zero times.
2274 @item minimize @var{form}
2275 This clause accumulates the minimum value of the specified @var{form}.
2278 Accumulation clauses can be followed by @samp{into @var{var}} to
2279 cause the data to be collected into variable @var{var} (which is
2280 automatically @code{let}-bound during the loop) rather than an
2281 unnamed temporary variable. Also, @code{into} accumulations do
2282 not automatically imply a return value. The loop must use some
2283 explicit mechanism, such as @code{finally return}, to return
2284 the accumulated result.
2286 It is valid for several accumulation clauses of the same type to
2287 accumulate into the same place. From Steele:
2290 (cl-loop for name in '(fred sue alice joe june)
2291 for kids in '((bob ken) () () (kris sunshine) ())
2294 @result{} (fred bob ken sue alice joe kris sunshine june)
2298 @subsection Other Clauses
2301 This section describes the remaining loop clauses.
2304 @item with @var{var} = @var{value}
2305 This clause binds a variable to a value around the loop, but
2306 otherwise leaves the variable alone during the loop. The following
2307 loops are basically equivalent:
2310 (cl-loop with x = 17 do @dots{})
2311 (let ((x 17)) (cl-loop do @dots{}))
2312 (cl-loop for x = 17 then x do @dots{})
2315 Naturally, the variable @var{var} might be used for some purpose
2316 in the rest of the loop. For example:
2319 (cl-loop for x in my-list with res = nil do (push x res)
2323 This loop inserts the elements of @code{my-list} at the front of
2324 a new list being accumulated in @code{res}, then returns the
2325 list @code{res} at the end of the loop. The effect is similar
2326 to that of a @code{collect} clause, but the list gets reversed
2327 by virtue of the fact that elements are being pushed onto the
2328 front of @code{res} rather than the end.
2330 If you omit the @code{=} term, the variable is initialized to
2331 @code{nil}. (Thus the @samp{= nil} in the above example is
2334 Bindings made by @code{with} are sequential by default, as if
2335 by @code{let*}. Just like @code{for} clauses, @code{with} clauses
2336 can be linked with @code{and} to cause the bindings to be made by
2339 @item if @var{condition} @var{clause}
2340 This clause executes the following loop clause only if the specified
2341 condition is true. The following @var{clause} should be an accumulation,
2342 @code{do}, @code{return}, @code{if}, or @code{unless} clause.
2343 Several clauses may be linked by separating them with @code{and}.
2344 These clauses may be followed by @code{else} and a clause or clauses
2345 to execute if the condition was false. The whole construct may
2346 optionally be followed by the word @code{end} (which may be used to
2347 disambiguate an @code{else} or @code{and} in a nested @code{if}).
2349 The actual non-@code{nil} value of the condition form is available
2350 by the name @code{it} in the ``then'' part. For example:
2353 (setq funny-numbers '(6 13 -1))
2355 (cl-loop for x below 10
2358 and if (memq x funny-numbers) return (cdr it) end
2360 collect x into evens
2361 finally return (vector odds evens))
2362 @result{} [(1 3 5 7 9) (0 2 4 6 8)]
2363 (setq funny-numbers '(6 7 13 -1))
2364 @result{} (6 7 13 -1)
2365 (cl-loop <@r{same thing again}>)
2369 Note the use of @code{and} to put two clauses into the ``then''
2370 part, one of which is itself an @code{if} clause. Note also that
2371 @code{end}, while normally optional, was necessary here to make
2372 it clear that the @code{else} refers to the outermost @code{if}
2373 clause. In the first case, the loop returns a vector of lists
2374 of the odd and even values of @var{x}. In the second case, the
2375 odd number 7 is one of the @code{funny-numbers} so the loop
2376 returns early; the actual returned value is based on the result
2377 of the @code{memq} call.
2379 @item when @var{condition} @var{clause}
2380 This clause is just a synonym for @code{if}.
2382 @item unless @var{condition} @var{clause}
2383 The @code{unless} clause is just like @code{if} except that the
2384 sense of the condition is reversed.
2386 @item named @var{name}
2387 This clause gives a name other than @code{nil} to the implicit
2388 block surrounding the loop. The @var{name} is the symbol to be
2389 used as the block name.
2391 @item initially [do] @var{forms}@dots{}
2392 This keyword introduces one or more Lisp forms which will be
2393 executed before the loop itself begins (but after any variables
2394 requested by @code{for} or @code{with} have been bound to their
2395 initial values). @code{initially} clauses can appear anywhere;
2396 if there are several, they are executed in the order they appear
2397 in the loop. The keyword @code{do} is optional.
2399 @item finally [do] @var{forms}@dots{}
2400 This introduces Lisp forms which will be executed after the loop
2401 finishes (say, on request of a @code{for} or @code{while}).
2402 @code{initially} and @code{finally} clauses may appear anywhere
2403 in the loop construct, but they are executed (in the specified
2404 order) at the beginning or end, respectively, of the loop.
2406 @item finally return @var{form}
2407 This says that @var{form} should be executed after the loop
2408 is done to obtain a return value. (Without this, or some other
2409 clause like @code{collect} or @code{return}, the loop will simply
2410 return @code{nil}.) Variables bound by @code{for}, @code{with},
2411 or @code{into} will still contain their final values when @var{form}
2414 @item do @var{forms}@dots{}
2415 The word @code{do} may be followed by any number of Lisp expressions
2416 which are executed as an implicit @code{progn} in the body of the
2417 loop. Many of the examples in this section illustrate the use of
2420 @item return @var{form}
2421 This clause causes the loop to return immediately. The following
2422 Lisp form is evaluated to give the return value of the loop
2423 form. The @code{finally} clauses, if any, are not executed.
2424 Of course, @code{return} is generally used inside an @code{if} or
2425 @code{unless}, as its use in a top-level loop clause would mean
2426 the loop would never get to ``loop'' more than once.
2428 The clause @samp{return @var{form}} is equivalent to
2429 @samp{do (cl-return @var{form})} (or @code{cl-return-from} if the loop
2430 was named). The @code{return} clause is implemented a bit more
2431 efficiently, though.
2434 While there is no high-level way to add user extensions to @code{cl-loop},
2435 this package does offer two properties called @code{cl-loop-handler}
2436 and @code{cl-loop-for-handler} which are functions to be called when a
2437 given symbol is encountered as a top-level loop clause or @code{for}
2438 clause, respectively. Consult the source code in file
2439 @file{cl-macs.el} for details.
2441 This package's @code{cl-loop} macro is compatible with that of Common
2442 Lisp, except that a few features are not implemented: @code{loop-finish}
2443 and data-type specifiers. Naturally, the @code{for} clauses that
2444 iterate over keymaps, overlays, intervals, frames, windows, and
2445 buffers are Emacs-specific extensions.
2447 @node Multiple Values
2448 @section Multiple Values
2451 Common Lisp functions can return zero or more results. Emacs Lisp
2452 functions, by contrast, always return exactly one result. This
2453 package makes no attempt to emulate Common Lisp multiple return
2454 values; Emacs versions of Common Lisp functions that return more
2455 than one value either return just the first value (as in
2456 @code{cl-compiler-macroexpand}) or return a list of values.
2457 This package @emph{does} define placeholders
2458 for the Common Lisp functions that work with multiple values, but
2459 in Emacs Lisp these functions simply operate on lists instead.
2460 The @code{cl-values} form, for example, is a synonym for @code{list}
2463 @defmac cl-multiple-value-bind (var@dots{}) values-form forms@dots{}
2464 This form evaluates @var{values-form}, which must return a list of
2465 values. It then binds the @var{var}s to these respective values,
2466 as if by @code{let}, and then executes the body @var{forms}.
2467 If there are more @var{var}s than values, the extra @var{var}s
2468 are bound to @code{nil}. If there are fewer @var{var}s than
2469 values, the excess values are ignored.
2472 @defmac cl-multiple-value-setq (var@dots{}) form
2473 This form evaluates @var{form}, which must return a list of values.
2474 It then sets the @var{var}s to these respective values, as if by
2475 @code{setq}. Extra @var{var}s or values are treated the same as
2476 in @code{cl-multiple-value-bind}.
2479 Since a perfect emulation is not feasible in Emacs Lisp, this
2480 package opts to keep it as simple and predictable as possible.
2486 This package implements the various Common Lisp features of
2487 @code{defmacro}, such as destructuring, @code{&environment},
2488 and @code{&body}. Top-level @code{&whole} is not implemented
2489 for @code{defmacro} due to technical difficulties.
2490 @xref{Argument Lists}.
2492 Destructuring is made available to the user by way of the
2495 @defmac cl-destructuring-bind arglist expr forms@dots{}
2496 This macro expands to code that executes @var{forms}, with
2497 the variables in @var{arglist} bound to the list of values
2498 returned by @var{expr}. The @var{arglist} can include all
2499 the features allowed for @code{cl-defmacro} argument lists,
2500 including destructuring. (The @code{&environment} keyword
2501 is not allowed.) The macro expansion will signal an error
2502 if @var{expr} returns a list of the wrong number of arguments
2503 or with incorrect keyword arguments.
2506 This package also includes the Common Lisp @code{define-compiler-macro}
2507 facility, which allows you to define compile-time expansions and
2508 optimizations for your functions.
2510 @defmac cl-define-compiler-macro name arglist forms@dots{}
2511 This form is similar to @code{defmacro}, except that it only expands
2512 calls to @var{name} at compile-time; calls processed by the Lisp
2513 interpreter are not expanded, nor are they expanded by the
2514 @code{macroexpand} function.
2516 The argument list may begin with a @code{&whole} keyword and a
2517 variable. This variable is bound to the macro-call form itself,
2518 i.e., to a list of the form @samp{(@var{name} @var{args}@dots{})}.
2519 If the macro expander returns this form unchanged, then the
2520 compiler treats it as a normal function call. This allows
2521 compiler macros to work as optimizers for special cases of a
2522 function, leaving complicated cases alone.
2524 For example, here is a simplified version of a definition that
2525 appears as a standard part of this package:
2528 (cl-define-compiler-macro cl-member (&whole form a list &rest keys)
2529 (if (and (null keys)
2530 (eq (car-safe a) 'quote)
2531 (not (floatp (cadr a))))
2537 This definition causes @code{(cl-member @var{a} @var{list})} to change
2538 to a call to the faster @code{memq} in the common case where @var{a}
2539 is a non-floating-point constant; if @var{a} is anything else, or
2540 if there are any keyword arguments in the call, then the original
2541 @code{cl-member} call is left intact. (The actual compiler macro
2542 for @code{cl-member} optimizes a number of other cases, including
2543 common @code{:test} predicates.)
2546 @defun cl-compiler-macroexpand form
2547 This function is analogous to @code{macroexpand}, except that it
2548 expands compiler macros rather than regular macros. It returns
2549 @var{form} unchanged if it is not a call to a function for which
2550 a compiler macro has been defined, or if that compiler macro
2551 decided to punt by returning its @code{&whole} argument. Like
2552 @code{macroexpand}, it expands repeatedly until it reaches a form
2553 for which no further expansion is possible.
2556 @xref{Macro Bindings}, for descriptions of the @code{cl-macrolet}
2557 and @code{cl-symbol-macrolet} forms for making ``local'' macro
2561 @chapter Declarations
2564 Common Lisp includes a complex and powerful ``declaration''
2565 mechanism that allows you to give the compiler special hints
2566 about the types of data that will be stored in particular variables,
2567 and about the ways those variables and functions will be used. This
2568 package defines versions of all the Common Lisp declaration forms:
2569 @code{declare}, @code{locally}, @code{proclaim}, @code{declaim},
2572 Most of the Common Lisp declarations are not currently useful in Emacs
2573 Lisp. For example, the byte-code system provides little
2574 opportunity to benefit from type information.
2576 and @code{special} declarations are redundant in a fully
2577 dynamically-scoped Lisp.
2579 A few declarations are meaningful when byte compiler optimizations
2580 are enabled, as they are by the default. Otherwise these
2581 declarations will effectively be ignored.
2583 @defun cl-proclaim decl-spec
2584 This function records a ``global'' declaration specified by
2585 @var{decl-spec}. Since @code{cl-proclaim} is a function, @var{decl-spec}
2586 is evaluated and thus should normally be quoted.
2589 @defmac cl-declaim decl-specs@dots{}
2590 This macro is like @code{cl-proclaim}, except that it takes any number
2591 of @var{decl-spec} arguments, and the arguments are unevaluated and
2592 unquoted. The @code{cl-declaim} macro also puts @code{(cl-eval-when
2593 (compile load eval) @dots{})} around the declarations so that they will
2594 be registered at compile-time as well as at run-time. (This is vital,
2595 since normally the declarations are meant to influence the way the
2596 compiler treats the rest of the file that contains the @code{cl-declaim}
2600 @defmac cl-declare decl-specs@dots{}
2601 This macro is used to make declarations within functions and other
2602 code. Common Lisp allows declarations in various locations, generally
2603 at the beginning of any of the many ``implicit @code{progn}s''
2604 throughout Lisp syntax, such as function bodies, @code{let} bodies,
2605 etc. Currently the only declaration understood by @code{cl-declare}
2609 @defmac cl-locally declarations@dots{} forms@dots{}
2610 In this package, @code{cl-locally} is no different from @code{progn}.
2613 @defmac cl-the type form
2614 Type information provided by @code{cl-the} is ignored in this package;
2615 in other words, @code{(cl-the @var{type} @var{form})} is equivalent to
2616 @var{form}. Future byte-compiler optimizations may make use of this
2619 For example, @code{mapcar} can map over both lists and arrays. It is
2620 hard for the compiler to expand @code{mapcar} into an in-line loop
2621 unless it knows whether the sequence will be a list or an array ahead
2622 of time. With @code{(mapcar 'car (cl-the vector foo))}, a future
2623 compiler would have enough information to expand the loop in-line.
2624 For now, Emacs Lisp will treat the above code as exactly equivalent
2625 to @code{(mapcar 'car foo)}.
2628 Each @var{decl-spec} in a @code{cl-proclaim}, @code{cl-declaim}, or
2629 @code{cl-declare} should be a list beginning with a symbol that says
2630 what kind of declaration it is. This package currently understands
2631 @code{special}, @code{inline}, @code{notinline}, @code{optimize},
2632 and @code{warn} declarations. (The @code{warn} declaration is an
2633 extension of standard Common Lisp.) Other Common Lisp declarations,
2634 such as @code{type} and @code{ftype}, are silently ignored.
2639 Since all variables in Emacs Lisp are ``special'' (in the Common
2640 Lisp sense), @code{special} declarations are only advisory. They
2641 simply tell the byte compiler that the specified
2642 variables are intentionally being referred to without being
2643 bound in the body of the function. The compiler normally emits
2644 warnings for such references, since they could be typographical
2645 errors for references to local variables.
2647 The declaration @code{(cl-declare (special @var{var1} @var{var2}))} is
2648 equivalent to @code{(defvar @var{var1}) (defvar @var{var2})}.
2650 In top-level contexts, it is generally better to write
2651 @code{(defvar @var{var})} than @code{(cl-declaim (special @var{var}))},
2652 since @code{defvar} makes your intentions clearer.
2655 The @code{inline} @var{decl-spec} lists one or more functions
2656 whose bodies should be expanded ``in-line'' into calling functions
2657 whenever the compiler is able to arrange for it. For example,
2658 the function @code{cl-acons} is declared @code{inline}
2659 by this package so that the form @code{(cl-acons @var{key} @var{value}
2661 expand directly into @code{(cons (cons @var{key} @var{value}) @var{alist})}
2662 when it is called in user functions, so as to save function calls.
2664 The following declarations are all equivalent. Note that the
2665 @code{defsubst} form is a convenient way to define a function
2666 and declare it inline all at once.
2669 (cl-declaim (inline foo bar))
2670 (cl-eval-when (compile load eval)
2671 (cl-proclaim '(inline foo bar)))
2672 (defsubst foo (@dots{}) @dots{}) ; instead of defun
2675 @strong{Please note:} this declaration remains in effect after the
2676 containing source file is done. It is correct to use it to
2677 request that a function you have defined should be inlined,
2678 but it is impolite to use it to request inlining of an external
2681 In Common Lisp, it is possible to use @code{(declare (inline @dots{}))}
2682 before a particular call to a function to cause just that call to
2683 be inlined; the current byte compilers provide no way to implement
2684 this, so @code{(cl-declare (inline @dots{}))} is currently ignored by
2688 The @code{notinline} declaration lists functions which should
2689 not be inlined after all; it cancels a previous @code{inline}
2693 This declaration controls how much optimization is performed by
2696 The word @code{optimize} is followed by any number of lists like
2697 @code{(speed 3)} or @code{(safety 2)}. Common Lisp defines several
2698 optimization ``qualities''; this package ignores all but @code{speed}
2699 and @code{safety}. The value of a quality should be an integer from
2700 0 to 3, with 0 meaning ``unimportant'' and 3 meaning ``very important''.
2701 The default level for both qualities is 1.
2703 In this package, the @code{speed} quality is tied to the @code{byte-optimize}
2704 flag, which is set to @code{nil} for @code{(speed 0)} and to
2705 @code{t} for higher settings; and the @code{safety} quality is
2706 tied to the @code{byte-compile-delete-errors} flag, which is
2707 set to @code{nil} for @code{(safety 3)} and to @code{t} for all
2708 lower settings. (The latter flag controls whether the compiler
2709 is allowed to optimize out code whose only side-effect could
2710 be to signal an error, e.g., rewriting @code{(progn foo bar)} to
2711 @code{bar} when it is not known whether @code{foo} will be bound
2714 Note that even compiling with @code{(safety 0)}, the Emacs
2715 byte-code system provides sufficient checking to prevent real
2716 harm from being done. For example, barring serious bugs in
2717 Emacs itself, Emacs will not crash with a segmentation fault
2718 just because of an error in a fully-optimized Lisp program.
2720 The @code{optimize} declaration is normally used in a top-level
2721 @code{cl-proclaim} or @code{cl-declaim} in a file; Common Lisp allows
2722 it to be used with @code{declare} to set the level of optimization
2723 locally for a given form, but this will not work correctly with the
2724 current byte-compiler. (The @code{cl-declare}
2725 will set the new optimization level, but that level will not
2726 automatically be unset after the enclosing form is done.)
2729 This declaration controls what sorts of warnings are generated
2730 by the byte compiler. The word @code{warn} is followed by any
2731 number of ``warning qualities'', similar in form to optimization
2732 qualities. The currently supported warning types are
2733 @code{redefine}, @code{callargs}, @code{unresolved}, and
2734 @code{free-vars}; in the current system, a value of 0 will
2735 disable these warnings and any higher value will enable them.
2736 See the documentation of the variable @code{byte-compile-warnings}
2744 This package defines several symbol-related features that were
2745 missing from Emacs Lisp.
2748 * Property Lists:: @code{cl-get}, @code{cl-remprop}, @code{cl-getf}, @code{cl-remf}.
2749 * Creating Symbols:: @code{cl-gensym}, @code{cl-gentemp}.
2752 @node Property Lists
2753 @section Property Lists
2756 These functions augment the standard Emacs Lisp functions @code{get}
2757 and @code{put} for operating on properties attached to symbols.
2758 There are also functions for working with property lists as
2759 first-class data structures not attached to particular symbols.
2761 @defun cl-get symbol property &optional default
2762 This function is like @code{get}, except that if the property is
2763 not found, the @var{default} argument provides the return value.
2764 (The Emacs Lisp @code{get} function always uses @code{nil} as
2765 the default; this package's @code{cl-get} is equivalent to Common
2768 The @code{cl-get} function is @code{setf}-able; when used in this
2769 fashion, the @var{default} argument is allowed but ignored.
2772 @defun cl-remprop symbol property
2773 This function removes the entry for @var{property} from the property
2774 list of @var{symbol}. It returns a true value if the property was
2775 indeed found and removed, or @code{nil} if there was no such property.
2776 (This function was probably omitted from Emacs originally because,
2777 since @code{get} did not allow a @var{default}, it was very difficult
2778 to distinguish between a missing property and a property whose value
2779 was @code{nil}; thus, setting a property to @code{nil} was close
2780 enough to @code{cl-remprop} for most purposes.)
2783 @defun cl-getf place property &optional default
2784 This function scans the list @var{place} as if it were a property
2785 list, i.e., a list of alternating property names and values. If
2786 an even-numbered element of @var{place} is found which is @code{eq}
2787 to @var{property}, the following odd-numbered element is returned.
2788 Otherwise, @var{default} is returned (or @code{nil} if no default
2794 (get sym prop) @equiv{} (cl-getf (symbol-plist sym) prop)
2797 It is valid to use @code{cl-getf} as a @code{setf} place, in which case
2798 its @var{place} argument must itself be a valid @code{setf} place.
2799 The @var{default} argument, if any, is ignored in this context.
2800 The effect is to change (via @code{setcar}) the value cell in the
2801 list that corresponds to @var{property}, or to cons a new property-value
2802 pair onto the list if the property is not yet present.
2805 (put sym prop val) @equiv{} (setf (cl-getf (symbol-plist sym) prop) val)
2808 The @code{get} and @code{cl-get} functions are also @code{setf}-able.
2809 The fact that @code{default} is ignored can sometimes be useful:
2812 (cl-incf (cl-get 'foo 'usage-count 0))
2815 Here, symbol @code{foo}'s @code{usage-count} property is incremented
2816 if it exists, or set to 1 (an incremented 0) otherwise.
2818 When not used as a @code{setf} form, @code{cl-getf} is just a regular
2819 function and its @var{place} argument can actually be any Lisp
2823 @defmac cl-remf place property
2824 This macro removes the property-value pair for @var{property} from
2825 the property list stored at @var{place}, which is any @code{setf}-able
2826 place expression. It returns true if the property was found. Note
2827 that if @var{property} happens to be first on the list, this will
2828 effectively do a @code{(setf @var{place} (cddr @var{place}))},
2829 whereas if it occurs later, this simply uses @code{setcdr} to splice
2830 out the property and value cells.
2833 @node Creating Symbols
2834 @section Creating Symbols
2837 These functions create unique symbols, typically for use as
2838 temporary variables.
2840 @defun cl-gensym &optional x
2841 This function creates a new, uninterned symbol (using @code{make-symbol})
2842 with a unique name. (The name of an uninterned symbol is relevant
2843 only if the symbol is printed.) By default, the name is generated
2844 from an increasing sequence of numbers, @samp{G1000}, @samp{G1001},
2845 @samp{G1002}, etc. If the optional argument @var{x} is a string, that
2846 string is used as a prefix instead of @samp{G}. Uninterned symbols
2847 are used in macro expansions for temporary variables, to ensure that
2848 their names will not conflict with ``real'' variables in the user's
2851 (Internally, the variable @code{cl--gensym-counter} holds the counter
2852 used to generate names. It is incremented after each use. In Common
2853 Lisp this is initialized with 0, but this package initializes it with
2854 a random time-dependent value to avoid trouble when two files that
2855 each used @code{cl-gensym} in their compilation are loaded together.
2856 Uninterned symbols become interned when the compiler writes them out
2857 to a file and the Emacs loader loads them, so their names have to be
2858 treated a bit more carefully than in Common Lisp where uninterned
2859 symbols remain uninterned after loading.)
2862 @defun cl-gentemp &optional x
2863 This function is like @code{cl-gensym}, except that it produces a new
2864 @emph{interned} symbol. If the symbol that is generated already
2865 exists, the function keeps incrementing the counter and trying
2866 again until a new symbol is generated.
2869 This package automatically creates all keywords that are called for by
2870 @code{&key} argument specifiers, and discourages the use of keywords
2871 as data unrelated to keyword arguments, so the related function
2872 @code{defkeyword} (to create self-quoting keyword symbols) is not
2879 This section defines a few simple Common Lisp operations on numbers
2880 that were left out of Emacs Lisp.
2883 * Predicates on Numbers:: @code{cl-plusp}, @code{cl-oddp}, etc.
2884 * Numerical Functions:: @code{cl-floor}, @code{cl-ceiling}, etc.
2885 * Random Numbers:: @code{cl-random}, @code{cl-make-random-state}.
2886 * Implementation Parameters:: @code{cl-most-positive-float}, etc.
2889 @node Predicates on Numbers
2890 @section Predicates on Numbers
2893 These functions return @code{t} if the specified condition is
2894 true of the numerical argument, or @code{nil} otherwise.
2896 @defun cl-plusp number
2897 This predicate tests whether @var{number} is positive. It is an
2898 error if the argument is not a number.
2901 @defun cl-minusp number
2902 This predicate tests whether @var{number} is negative. It is an
2903 error if the argument is not a number.
2906 @defun cl-oddp integer
2907 This predicate tests whether @var{integer} is odd. It is an
2908 error if the argument is not an integer.
2911 @defun cl-evenp integer
2912 This predicate tests whether @var{integer} is even. It is an
2913 error if the argument is not an integer.
2916 @node Numerical Functions
2917 @section Numerical Functions
2920 These functions perform various arithmetic operations on numbers.
2922 @defun cl-gcd &rest integers
2923 This function returns the Greatest Common Divisor of the arguments.
2924 For one argument, it returns the absolute value of that argument.
2925 For zero arguments, it returns zero.
2928 @defun cl-lcm &rest integers
2929 This function returns the Least Common Multiple of the arguments.
2930 For one argument, it returns the absolute value of that argument.
2931 For zero arguments, it returns one.
2934 @defun cl-isqrt integer
2935 This function computes the ``integer square root'' of its integer
2936 argument, i.e., the greatest integer less than or equal to the true
2937 square root of the argument.
2940 @defun cl-floor number &optional divisor
2941 With one argument, @code{cl-floor} returns a list of two numbers:
2942 The argument rounded down (toward minus infinity) to an integer,
2943 and the ``remainder'' which would have to be added back to the
2944 first return value to yield the argument again. If the argument
2945 is an integer @var{x}, the result is always the list @code{(@var{x} 0)}.
2946 If the argument is a floating-point number, the first
2947 result is a Lisp integer and the second is a Lisp float between
2948 0 (inclusive) and 1 (exclusive).
2950 With two arguments, @code{cl-floor} divides @var{number} by
2951 @var{divisor}, and returns the floor of the quotient and the
2952 corresponding remainder as a list of two numbers. If
2953 @code{(cl-floor @var{x} @var{y})} returns @code{(@var{q} @var{r})},
2954 then @code{@var{q}*@var{y} + @var{r} = @var{x}}, with @var{r}
2955 between 0 (inclusive) and @var{r} (exclusive). Also, note
2956 that @code{(cl-floor @var{x})} is exactly equivalent to
2957 @code{(cl-floor @var{x} 1)}.
2959 This function is entirely compatible with Common Lisp's @code{floor}
2960 function, except that it returns the two results in a list since
2961 Emacs Lisp does not support multiple-valued functions.
2964 @defun cl-ceiling number &optional divisor
2965 This function implements the Common Lisp @code{ceiling} function,
2966 which is analogous to @code{floor} except that it rounds the
2967 argument or quotient of the arguments up toward plus infinity.
2968 The remainder will be between 0 and minus @var{r}.
2971 @defun cl-truncate number &optional divisor
2972 This function implements the Common Lisp @code{truncate} function,
2973 which is analogous to @code{floor} except that it rounds the
2974 argument or quotient of the arguments toward zero. Thus it is
2975 equivalent to @code{cl-floor} if the argument or quotient is
2976 positive, or to @code{cl-ceiling} otherwise. The remainder has
2977 the same sign as @var{number}.
2980 @defun cl-round number &optional divisor
2981 This function implements the Common Lisp @code{round} function,
2982 which is analogous to @code{floor} except that it rounds the
2983 argument or quotient of the arguments to the nearest integer.
2984 In the case of a tie (the argument or quotient is exactly
2985 halfway between two integers), it rounds to the even integer.
2988 @defun cl-mod number divisor
2989 This function returns the same value as the second return value
2993 @defun cl-rem number divisor
2994 This function returns the same value as the second return value
2995 of @code{cl-truncate}.
2998 @node Random Numbers
2999 @section Random Numbers
3002 This package also provides an implementation of the Common Lisp
3003 random number generator. It uses its own additive-congruential
3004 algorithm, which is much more likely to give statistically clean
3005 @c FIXME? Still true?
3006 random numbers than the simple generators supplied by many
3009 @defun cl-random number &optional state
3010 This function returns a random nonnegative number less than
3011 @var{number}, and of the same type (either integer or floating-point).
3012 The @var{state} argument should be a @code{random-state} object
3013 that holds the state of the random number generator. The
3014 function modifies this state object as a side effect. If
3015 @var{state} is omitted, it defaults to the internal variable
3016 @code{cl--random-state}, which contains a pre-initialized
3017 default @code{random-state} object. (Since any number of programs in
3018 the Emacs process may be accessing @code{cl--random-state} in
3019 interleaved fashion, the sequence generated from this will be
3020 irreproducible for all intents and purposes.)
3023 @defun cl-make-random-state &optional state
3024 This function creates or copies a @code{random-state} object.
3025 If @var{state} is omitted or @code{nil}, it returns a new copy of
3026 @code{cl--random-state}. This is a copy in the sense that future
3027 sequences of calls to @code{(cl-random @var{n})} and
3028 @code{(cl-random @var{n} @var{s})} (where @var{s} is the new
3029 random-state object) will return identical sequences of random
3032 If @var{state} is a @code{random-state} object, this function
3033 returns a copy of that object. If @var{state} is @code{t}, this
3034 function returns a new @code{random-state} object seeded from the
3035 date and time. As an extension to Common Lisp, @var{state} may also
3036 be an integer in which case the new object is seeded from that
3037 integer; each different integer seed will result in a completely
3038 different sequence of random numbers.
3040 It is valid to print a @code{random-state} object to a buffer or
3041 file and later read it back with @code{read}. If a program wishes
3042 to use a sequence of pseudo-random numbers which can be reproduced
3043 later for debugging, it can call @code{(cl-make-random-state t)} to
3044 get a new sequence, then print this sequence to a file. When the
3045 program is later rerun, it can read the original run's random-state
3049 @defun cl-random-state-p object
3050 This predicate returns @code{t} if @var{object} is a
3051 @code{random-state} object, or @code{nil} otherwise.
3054 @node Implementation Parameters
3055 @section Implementation Parameters
3058 This package defines several useful constants having to do with
3059 floating-point numbers.
3061 It determines their values by exercising the computer's
3062 floating-point arithmetic in various ways. Because this operation
3063 might be slow, the code for initializing them is kept in a separate
3064 function that must be called before the parameters can be used.
3066 @defun cl-float-limits
3067 This function makes sure that the Common Lisp floating-point parameters
3068 like @code{cl-most-positive-float} have been initialized. Until it is
3069 called, these parameters will be @code{nil}.
3070 @c If this version of Emacs does not support floats, the parameters will
3071 @c remain @code{nil}.
3072 If the parameters have already been initialized, the function returns
3075 The algorithm makes assumptions that will be valid for almost all
3076 machines, but will fail if the machine's arithmetic is extremely
3077 unusual, e.g., decimal.
3080 Since true Common Lisp supports up to four different floating-point
3081 precisions, it has families of constants like
3082 @code{most-positive-single-float}, @code{most-positive-double-float},
3083 @code{most-positive-long-float}, and so on. Emacs has only one
3084 floating-point precision, so this package omits the precision word
3085 from the constants' names.
3087 @defvar cl-most-positive-float
3088 This constant equals the largest value a Lisp float can hold.
3089 For those systems whose arithmetic supports infinities, this is
3090 the largest @emph{finite} value. For IEEE machines, the value
3091 is approximately @code{1.79e+308}.
3094 @defvar cl-most-negative-float
3095 This constant equals the most negative value a Lisp float can hold.
3096 (It is assumed to be equal to @code{(- cl-most-positive-float)}.)
3099 @defvar cl-least-positive-float
3100 This constant equals the smallest Lisp float value greater than zero.
3101 For IEEE machines, it is about @code{4.94e-324} if denormals are
3102 supported or @code{2.22e-308} if not.
3105 @defvar cl-least-positive-normalized-float
3106 This constant equals the smallest @emph{normalized} Lisp float greater
3107 than zero, i.e., the smallest value for which IEEE denormalization
3108 will not result in a loss of precision. For IEEE machines, this
3109 value is about @code{2.22e-308}. For machines that do not support
3110 the concept of denormalization and gradual underflow, this constant
3111 will always equal @code{cl-least-positive-float}.
3114 @defvar cl-least-negative-float
3115 This constant is the negative counterpart of @code{cl-least-positive-float}.
3118 @defvar cl-least-negative-normalized-float
3119 This constant is the negative counterpart of
3120 @code{cl-least-positive-normalized-float}.
3123 @defvar cl-float-epsilon
3124 This constant is the smallest positive Lisp float that can be added
3125 to 1.0 to produce a distinct value. Adding a smaller number to 1.0
3126 will yield 1.0 again due to roundoff. For IEEE machines, epsilon
3127 is about @code{2.22e-16}.
3130 @defvar cl-float-negative-epsilon
3131 This is the smallest positive value that can be subtracted from
3132 1.0 to produce a distinct value. For IEEE machines, it is about
3140 Common Lisp defines a number of functions that operate on
3141 @dfn{sequences}, which are either lists, strings, or vectors.
3142 Emacs Lisp includes a few of these, notably @code{elt} and
3143 @code{length}; this package defines most of the rest.
3146 * Sequence Basics:: Arguments shared by all sequence functions.
3147 * Mapping over Sequences:: @code{cl-mapcar}, @code{cl-map}, @code{cl-maplist}, etc.
3148 * Sequence Functions:: @code{cl-subseq}, @code{cl-remove}, @code{cl-substitute}, etc.
3149 * Searching Sequences:: @code{cl-find}, @code{cl-count}, @code{cl-search}, etc.
3150 * Sorting Sequences:: @code{cl-sort}, @code{cl-stable-sort}, @code{cl-merge}.
3153 @node Sequence Basics
3154 @section Sequence Basics
3157 Many of the sequence functions take keyword arguments; @pxref{Argument
3158 Lists}. All keyword arguments are optional and, if specified,
3159 may appear in any order.
3161 The @code{:key} argument should be passed either @code{nil}, or a
3162 function of one argument. This key function is used as a filter
3163 through which the elements of the sequence are seen; for example,
3164 @code{(cl-find x y :key 'car)} is similar to @code{(cl-assoc x y)}.
3165 It searches for an element of the list whose @sc{car} equals
3166 @code{x}, rather than for an element which equals @code{x} itself.
3167 If @code{:key} is omitted or @code{nil}, the filter is effectively
3168 the identity function.
3170 The @code{:test} and @code{:test-not} arguments should be either
3171 @code{nil}, or functions of two arguments. The test function is
3172 used to compare two sequence elements, or to compare a search value
3173 with sequence elements. (The two values are passed to the test
3174 function in the same order as the original sequence function
3175 arguments from which they are derived, or, if they both come from
3176 the same sequence, in the same order as they appear in that sequence.)
3177 The @code{:test} argument specifies a function which must return
3178 true (non-@code{nil}) to indicate a match; instead, you may use
3179 @code{:test-not} to give a function which returns @emph{false} to
3180 indicate a match. The default test function is @code{eql}.
3182 Many functions that take @var{item} and @code{:test} or @code{:test-not}
3183 arguments also come in @code{-if} and @code{-if-not} varieties,
3184 where a @var{predicate} function is passed instead of @var{item},
3185 and sequence elements match if the predicate returns true on them
3186 (or false in the case of @code{-if-not}). For example:
3189 (cl-remove 0 seq :test '=) @equiv{} (cl-remove-if 'zerop seq)
3193 to remove all zeros from sequence @code{seq}.
3195 Some operations can work on a subsequence of the argument sequence;
3196 these function take @code{:start} and @code{:end} arguments, which
3197 default to zero and the length of the sequence, respectively.
3198 Only elements between @var{start} (inclusive) and @var{end}
3199 (exclusive) are affected by the operation. The @var{end} argument
3200 may be passed @code{nil} to signify the length of the sequence;
3201 otherwise, both @var{start} and @var{end} must be integers, with
3202 @code{0 <= @var{start} <= @var{end} <= (length @var{seq})}.
3203 If the function takes two sequence arguments, the limits are
3204 defined by keywords @code{:start1} and @code{:end1} for the first,
3205 and @code{:start2} and @code{:end2} for the second.
3207 A few functions accept a @code{:from-end} argument, which, if
3208 non-@code{nil}, causes the operation to go from right-to-left
3209 through the sequence instead of left-to-right, and a @code{:count}
3210 argument, which specifies an integer maximum number of elements
3211 to be removed or otherwise processed.
3213 The sequence functions make no guarantees about the order in
3214 which the @code{:test}, @code{:test-not}, and @code{:key} functions
3215 are called on various elements. Therefore, it is a bad idea to depend
3216 on side effects of these functions. For example, @code{:from-end}
3217 may cause the sequence to be scanned actually in reverse, or it may
3218 be scanned forwards but computing a result ``as if'' it were scanned
3219 backwards. (Some functions, like @code{cl-mapcar} and @code{cl-every},
3220 @emph{do} specify exactly the order in which the function is called
3221 so side effects are perfectly acceptable in those cases.)
3223 Strings may contain ``text properties'' as well
3224 as character data. Except as noted, it is undefined whether or
3225 not text properties are preserved by sequence functions. For
3226 example, @code{(cl-remove ?A @var{str})} may or may not preserve
3227 the properties of the characters copied from @var{str} into the
3230 @node Mapping over Sequences
3231 @section Mapping over Sequences
3234 These functions ``map'' the function you specify over the elements
3235 of lists or arrays. They are all variations on the theme of the
3236 built-in function @code{mapcar}.
3238 @defun cl-mapcar function seq &rest more-seqs
3239 This function calls @var{function} on successive parallel sets of
3240 elements from its argument sequences. Given a single @var{seq}
3241 argument it is equivalent to @code{mapcar}; given @var{n} sequences,
3242 it calls the function with the first elements of each of the sequences
3243 as the @var{n} arguments to yield the first element of the result
3244 list, then with the second elements, and so on. The mapping stops as
3245 soon as the shortest sequence runs out. The argument sequences may
3246 be any mixture of lists, strings, and vectors; the return sequence
3249 Common Lisp's @code{mapcar} accepts multiple arguments but works
3250 only on lists; Emacs Lisp's @code{mapcar} accepts a single sequence
3251 argument. This package's @code{cl-mapcar} works as a compatible
3255 @defun cl-map result-type function seq &rest more-seqs
3256 This function maps @var{function} over the argument sequences,
3257 just like @code{cl-mapcar}, but it returns a sequence of type
3258 @var{result-type} rather than a list. @var{result-type} must
3259 be one of the following symbols: @code{vector}, @code{string},
3260 @code{list} (in which case the effect is the same as for
3261 @code{cl-mapcar}), or @code{nil} (in which case the results are
3262 thrown away and @code{cl-map} returns @code{nil}).
3265 @defun cl-maplist function list &rest more-lists
3266 This function calls @var{function} on each of its argument lists,
3267 then on the @sc{cdr}s of those lists, and so on, until the
3268 shortest list runs out. The results are returned in the form
3269 of a list. Thus, @code{cl-maplist} is like @code{cl-mapcar} except
3270 that it passes in the list pointers themselves rather than the
3271 @sc{car}s of the advancing pointers.
3274 @defun cl-mapc function seq &rest more-seqs
3275 This function is like @code{cl-mapcar}, except that the values returned
3276 by @var{function} are ignored and thrown away rather than being
3277 collected into a list. The return value of @code{cl-mapc} is @var{seq},
3278 the first sequence. This function is more general than the Emacs
3279 primitive @code{mapc}. (Note that this function is called
3280 @code{cl-mapc} even in @file{cl.el}, rather than @code{mapc*} as you
3282 @c http://debbugs.gnu.org/6575
3285 @defun cl-mapl function list &rest more-lists
3286 This function is like @code{cl-maplist}, except that it throws away
3287 the values returned by @var{function}.
3290 @defun cl-mapcan function seq &rest more-seqs
3291 This function is like @code{cl-mapcar}, except that it concatenates
3292 the return values (which must be lists) using @code{nconc},
3293 rather than simply collecting them into a list.
3296 @defun cl-mapcon function list &rest more-lists
3297 This function is like @code{cl-maplist}, except that it concatenates
3298 the return values using @code{nconc}.
3301 @defun cl-some predicate seq &rest more-seqs
3302 This function calls @var{predicate} on each element of @var{seq}
3303 in turn; if @var{predicate} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3304 @code{cl-some} returns that value, otherwise it returns @code{nil}.
3305 Given several sequence arguments, it steps through the sequences
3306 in parallel until the shortest one runs out, just as in
3307 @code{cl-mapcar}. You can rely on the left-to-right order in which
3308 the elements are visited, and on the fact that mapping stops
3309 immediately as soon as @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
3312 @defun cl-every predicate seq &rest more-seqs
3313 This function calls @var{predicate} on each element of the sequence(s)
3314 in turn; it returns @code{nil} as soon as @var{predicate} returns
3315 @code{nil} for any element, or @code{t} if the predicate was true
3319 @defun cl-notany predicate seq &rest more-seqs
3320 This function calls @var{predicate} on each element of the sequence(s)
3321 in turn; it returns @code{nil} as soon as @var{predicate} returns
3322 a non-@code{nil} value for any element, or @code{t} if the predicate
3323 was @code{nil} for all elements.
3326 @defun cl-notevery predicate seq &rest more-seqs
3327 This function calls @var{predicate} on each element of the sequence(s)
3328 in turn; it returns a non-@code{nil} value as soon as @var{predicate}
3329 returns @code{nil} for any element, or @code{t} if the predicate was
3330 true for all elements.
3333 @defun cl-reduce function seq @t{&key :from-end :start :end :initial-value :key}
3334 This function combines the elements of @var{seq} using an associative
3335 binary operation. Suppose @var{function} is @code{*} and @var{seq} is
3336 the list @code{(2 3 4 5)}. The first two elements of the list are
3337 combined with @code{(* 2 3) = 6}; this is combined with the next
3338 element, @code{(* 6 4) = 24}, and that is combined with the final
3339 element: @code{(* 24 5) = 120}. Note that the @code{*} function happens
3340 to be self-reducing, so that @code{(* 2 3 4 5)} has the same effect as
3341 an explicit call to @code{cl-reduce}.
3343 If @code{:from-end} is true, the reduction is right-associative instead
3344 of left-associative:
3347 (cl-reduce '- '(1 2 3 4))
3348 @equiv{} (- (- (- 1 2) 3) 4) @result{} -8
3349 (cl-reduce '- '(1 2 3 4) :from-end t)
3350 @equiv{} (- 1 (- 2 (- 3 4))) @result{} -2
3353 If @code{:key} is specified, it is a function of one argument, which
3354 is called on each of the sequence elements in turn.
3356 If @code{:initial-value} is specified, it is effectively added to the
3357 front (or rear in the case of @code{:from-end}) of the sequence.
3358 The @code{:key} function is @emph{not} applied to the initial value.
3360 If the sequence, including the initial value, has exactly one element
3361 then that element is returned without ever calling @var{function}.
3362 If the sequence is empty (and there is no initial value), then
3363 @var{function} is called with no arguments to obtain the return value.
3366 All of these mapping operations can be expressed conveniently in
3367 terms of the @code{cl-loop} macro. In compiled code, @code{cl-loop} will
3368 be faster since it generates the loop as in-line code with no
3371 @node Sequence Functions
3372 @section Sequence Functions
3375 This section describes a number of Common Lisp functions for
3376 operating on sequences.
3378 @defun cl-subseq sequence start &optional end
3379 This function returns a given subsequence of the argument
3380 @var{sequence}, which may be a list, string, or vector.
3381 The indices @var{start} and @var{end} must be in range, and
3382 @var{start} must be no greater than @var{end}. If @var{end}
3383 is omitted, it defaults to the length of the sequence. The
3384 return value is always a copy; it does not share structure
3385 with @var{sequence}.
3387 As an extension to Common Lisp, @var{start} and/or @var{end}
3388 may be negative, in which case they represent a distance back
3389 from the end of the sequence. This is for compatibility with
3390 Emacs's @code{substring} function. Note that @code{cl-subseq} is
3391 the @emph{only} sequence function that allows negative
3392 @var{start} and @var{end}.
3394 You can use @code{setf} on a @code{cl-subseq} form to replace a
3395 specified range of elements with elements from another sequence.
3396 The replacement is done as if by @code{cl-replace}, described below.
3399 @defun cl-concatenate result-type &rest seqs
3400 This function concatenates the argument sequences together to
3401 form a result sequence of type @var{result-type}, one of the
3402 symbols @code{vector}, @code{string}, or @code{list}. The
3403 arguments are always copied, even in cases such as
3404 @code{(cl-concatenate 'list '(1 2 3))} where the result is
3405 identical to an argument.
3408 @defun cl-fill seq item @t{&key :start :end}
3409 This function fills the elements of the sequence (or the specified
3410 part of the sequence) with the value @var{item}.
3413 @defun cl-replace seq1 seq2 @t{&key :start1 :end1 :start2 :end2}
3414 This function copies part of @var{seq2} into part of @var{seq1}.
3415 The sequence @var{seq1} is not stretched or resized; the amount
3416 of data copied is simply the shorter of the source and destination
3417 (sub)sequences. The function returns @var{seq1}.
3419 If @var{seq1} and @var{seq2} are @code{eq}, then the replacement
3420 will work correctly even if the regions indicated by the start
3421 and end arguments overlap. However, if @var{seq1} and @var{seq2}
3422 are lists that share storage but are not @code{eq}, and the
3423 start and end arguments specify overlapping regions, the effect
3427 @defun cl-remove item seq @t{&key :test :test-not :key :count :start :end :from-end}
3428 This returns a copy of @var{seq} with all elements matching
3429 @var{item} removed. The result may share storage with or be
3430 @code{eq} to @var{seq} in some circumstances, but the original
3431 @var{seq} will not be modified. The @code{:test}, @code{:test-not},
3432 and @code{:key} arguments define the matching test that is used;
3433 by default, elements @code{eql} to @var{item} are removed. The
3434 @code{:count} argument specifies the maximum number of matching
3435 elements that can be removed (only the leftmost @var{count} matches
3436 are removed). The @code{:start} and @code{:end} arguments specify
3437 a region in @var{seq} in which elements will be removed; elements
3438 outside that region are not matched or removed. The @code{:from-end}
3439 argument, if true, says that elements should be deleted from the
3440 end of the sequence rather than the beginning (this matters only
3441 if @var{count} was also specified).
3444 @defun cl-delete item seq @t{&key :test :test-not :key :count :start :end :from-end}
3445 This deletes all elements of @var{seq} that match @var{item}.
3446 It is a destructive operation. Since Emacs Lisp does not support
3447 stretchable strings or vectors, this is the same as @code{cl-remove}
3448 for those sequence types. On lists, @code{cl-remove} will copy the
3449 list if necessary to preserve the original list, whereas
3450 @code{cl-delete} will splice out parts of the argument list.
3451 Compare @code{append} and @code{nconc}, which are analogous
3452 non-destructive and destructive list operations in Emacs Lisp.
3455 @findex cl-remove-if
3456 @findex cl-remove-if-not
3457 @findex cl-delete-if
3458 @findex cl-delete-if-not
3459 The predicate-oriented functions @code{cl-remove-if}, @code{cl-remove-if-not},
3460 @code{cl-delete-if}, and @code{cl-delete-if-not} are defined similarly.
3462 @defun cl-remove-duplicates seq @t{&key :test :test-not :key :start :end :from-end}
3463 This function returns a copy of @var{seq} with duplicate elements
3464 removed. Specifically, if two elements from the sequence match
3465 according to the @code{:test}, @code{:test-not}, and @code{:key}
3466 arguments, only the rightmost one is retained. If @code{:from-end}
3467 is true, the leftmost one is retained instead. If @code{:start} or
3468 @code{:end} is specified, only elements within that subsequence are
3469 examined or removed.
3472 @defun cl-delete-duplicates seq @t{&key :test :test-not :key :start :end :from-end}
3473 This function deletes duplicate elements from @var{seq}. It is
3474 a destructive version of @code{cl-remove-duplicates}.
3477 @defun cl-substitute new old seq @t{&key :test :test-not :key :count :start :end :from-end}
3478 This function returns a copy of @var{seq}, with all elements
3479 matching @var{old} replaced with @var{new}. The @code{:count},
3480 @code{:start}, @code{:end}, and @code{:from-end} arguments may be
3481 used to limit the number of substitutions made.
3484 @defun cl-nsubstitute new old seq @t{&key :test :test-not :key :count :start :end :from-end}
3485 This is a destructive version of @code{cl-substitute}; it performs
3486 the substitution using @code{setcar} or @code{aset} rather than
3487 by returning a changed copy of the sequence.
3490 @findex cl-substitute-if
3491 @findex cl-substitute-if-not
3492 @findex cl-nsubstitute-if
3493 @findex cl-nsubstitute-if-not
3494 The functions @code{cl-substitute-if}, @code{cl-substitute-if-not},
3495 @code{cl-nsubstitute-if}, and @code{cl-nsubstitute-if-not} are defined
3496 similarly. For these, a @var{predicate} is given in place of the
3499 @node Searching Sequences
3500 @section Searching Sequences
3503 These functions search for elements or subsequences in a sequence.
3504 (See also @code{cl-member} and @code{cl-assoc}; @pxref{Lists}.)
3506 @defun cl-find item seq @t{&key :test :test-not :key :start :end :from-end}
3507 This function searches @var{seq} for an element matching @var{item}.
3508 If it finds a match, it returns the matching element. Otherwise,
3509 it returns @code{nil}. It returns the leftmost match, unless
3510 @code{:from-end} is true, in which case it returns the rightmost
3511 match. The @code{:start} and @code{:end} arguments may be used to
3512 limit the range of elements that are searched.
3515 @defun cl-position item seq @t{&key :test :test-not :key :start :end :from-end}
3516 This function is like @code{cl-find}, except that it returns the
3517 integer position in the sequence of the matching item rather than
3518 the item itself. The position is relative to the start of the
3519 sequence as a whole, even if @code{:start} is non-zero. The function
3520 returns @code{nil} if no matching element was found.
3523 @defun cl-count item seq @t{&key :test :test-not :key :start :end}
3524 This function returns the number of elements of @var{seq} which
3525 match @var{item}. The result is always a nonnegative integer.
3529 @findex cl-find-if-not
3530 @findex cl-position-if
3531 @findex cl-position-if-not
3533 @findex cl-count-if-not
3534 The @code{cl-find-if}, @code{cl-find-if-not}, @code{cl-position-if},
3535 @code{cl-position-if-not}, @code{cl-count-if}, and @code{cl-count-if-not}
3536 functions are defined similarly.
3538 @defun cl-mismatch seq1 seq2 @t{&key :test :test-not :key :start1 :end1 :start2 :end2 :from-end}
3539 This function compares the specified parts of @var{seq1} and
3540 @var{seq2}. If they are the same length and the corresponding
3541 elements match (according to @code{:test}, @code{:test-not},
3542 and @code{:key}), the function returns @code{nil}. If there is
3543 a mismatch, the function returns the index (relative to @var{seq1})
3544 of the first mismatching element. This will be the leftmost pair of
3545 elements that do not match, or the position at which the shorter of
3546 the two otherwise-matching sequences runs out.
3548 If @code{:from-end} is true, then the elements are compared from right
3549 to left starting at @code{(1- @var{end1})} and @code{(1- @var{end2})}.
3550 If the sequences differ, then one plus the index of the rightmost
3551 difference (relative to @var{seq1}) is returned.
3553 An interesting example is @code{(cl-mismatch str1 str2 :key 'upcase)},
3554 which compares two strings case-insensitively.
3557 @defun cl-search seq1 seq2 @t{&key :test :test-not :key :from-end :start1 :end1 :start2 :end2}
3558 This function searches @var{seq2} for a subsequence that matches
3559 @var{seq1} (or part of it specified by @code{:start1} and
3560 @code{:end1}). Only matches that fall entirely within the region
3561 defined by @code{:start2} and @code{:end2} will be considered.
3562 The return value is the index of the leftmost element of the
3563 leftmost match, relative to the start of @var{seq2}, or @code{nil}
3564 if no matches were found. If @code{:from-end} is true, the
3565 function finds the @emph{rightmost} matching subsequence.
3568 @node Sorting Sequences
3569 @section Sorting Sequences
3571 @defun cl-sort seq predicate @t{&key :key}
3572 This function sorts @var{seq} into increasing order as determined
3573 by using @var{predicate} to compare pairs of elements. @var{predicate}
3574 should return true (non-@code{nil}) if and only if its first argument
3575 is less than (not equal to) its second argument. For example,
3576 @code{<} and @code{string-lessp} are suitable predicate functions
3577 for sorting numbers and strings, respectively; @code{>} would sort
3578 numbers into decreasing rather than increasing order.
3580 This function differs from Emacs's built-in @code{sort} in that it
3581 can operate on any type of sequence, not just lists. Also, it
3582 accepts a @code{:key} argument, which is used to preprocess data
3583 fed to the @var{predicate} function. For example,
3586 (setq data (cl-sort data 'string-lessp :key 'downcase))
3590 sorts @var{data}, a sequence of strings, into increasing alphabetical
3591 order without regard to case. A @code{:key} function of @code{car}
3592 would be useful for sorting association lists. It should only be a
3593 simple accessor though, since it's used heavily in the current
3596 The @code{cl-sort} function is destructive; it sorts lists by actually
3597 rearranging the @sc{cdr} pointers in suitable fashion.
3600 @defun cl-stable-sort seq predicate @t{&key :key}
3601 This function sorts @var{seq} @dfn{stably}, meaning two elements
3602 which are equal in terms of @var{predicate} are guaranteed not to
3603 be rearranged out of their original order by the sort.
3605 In practice, @code{cl-sort} and @code{cl-stable-sort} are equivalent
3606 in Emacs Lisp because the underlying @code{sort} function is
3607 stable by default. However, this package reserves the right to
3608 use non-stable methods for @code{cl-sort} in the future.
3611 @defun cl-merge type seq1 seq2 predicate @t{&key :key}
3612 This function merges two sequences @var{seq1} and @var{seq2} by
3613 interleaving their elements. The result sequence, of type @var{type}
3614 (in the sense of @code{cl-concatenate}), has length equal to the sum
3615 of the lengths of the two input sequences. The sequences may be
3616 modified destructively. Order of elements within @var{seq1} and
3617 @var{seq2} is preserved in the interleaving; elements of the two
3618 sequences are compared by @var{predicate} (in the sense of
3619 @code{sort}) and the lesser element goes first in the result.
3620 When elements are equal, those from @var{seq1} precede those from
3621 @var{seq2} in the result. Thus, if @var{seq1} and @var{seq2} are
3622 both sorted according to @var{predicate}, then the result will be
3623 a merged sequence which is (stably) sorted according to
3631 The functions described here operate on lists.
3634 * List Functions:: @code{cl-caddr}, @code{cl-first}, @code{cl-list*}, etc.
3635 * Substitution of Expressions:: @code{cl-subst}, @code{cl-sublis}, etc.
3636 * Lists as Sets:: @code{cl-member}, @code{cl-adjoin}, @code{cl-union}, etc.
3637 * Association Lists:: @code{cl-assoc}, @code{cl-acons}, @code{cl-pairlis}, etc.
3640 @node List Functions
3641 @section List Functions
3644 This section describes a number of simple operations on lists,
3645 i.e., chains of cons cells.
3648 This function is equivalent to @code{(car (cdr (cdr @var{x})))}.
3649 Likewise, this package defines all 24 @code{c@var{xxx}r} functions
3650 where @var{xxx} is up to four @samp{a}s and/or @samp{d}s.
3651 All of these functions are @code{setf}-able, and calls to them
3652 are expanded inline by the byte-compiler for maximum efficiency.
3656 This function is a synonym for @code{(car @var{x})}. Likewise,
3657 the functions @code{cl-second}, @code{cl-third}, @dots{}, through
3658 @code{cl-tenth} return the given element of the list @var{x}.
3662 This function is a synonym for @code{(cdr @var{x})}.
3666 Common Lisp defines this function to act like @code{null}, but
3667 signaling an error if @code{x} is neither a @code{nil} nor a
3668 cons cell. This package simply defines @code{cl-endp} as a synonym
3672 @defun cl-list-length x
3673 This function returns the length of list @var{x}, exactly like
3674 @code{(length @var{x})}, except that if @var{x} is a circular
3675 list (where the @sc{cdr}-chain forms a loop rather than terminating
3676 with @code{nil}), this function returns @code{nil}. (The regular
3677 @code{length} function would get stuck if given a circular list.
3678 See also the @code{safe-length} function.)
3681 @defun cl-list* arg &rest others
3682 This function constructs a list of its arguments. The final
3683 argument becomes the @sc{cdr} of the last cell constructed.
3684 Thus, @code{(cl-list* @var{a} @var{b} @var{c})} is equivalent to
3685 @code{(cons @var{a} (cons @var{b} @var{c}))}, and
3686 @code{(cl-list* @var{a} @var{b} nil)} is equivalent to
3687 @code{(list @var{a} @var{b})}.
3690 @defun cl-ldiff list sublist
3691 If @var{sublist} is a sublist of @var{list}, i.e., is @code{eq} to
3692 one of the cons cells of @var{list}, then this function returns
3693 a copy of the part of @var{list} up to but not including
3694 @var{sublist}. For example, @code{(cl-ldiff x (cddr x))} returns
3695 the first two elements of the list @code{x}. The result is a
3696 copy; the original @var{list} is not modified. If @var{sublist}
3697 is not a sublist of @var{list}, a copy of the entire @var{list}
3701 @defun cl-copy-list list
3702 This function returns a copy of the list @var{list}. It copies
3703 dotted lists like @code{(1 2 . 3)} correctly.
3706 @defun cl-tree-equal x y @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3707 This function compares two trees of cons cells. If @var{x} and
3708 @var{y} are both cons cells, their @sc{car}s and @sc{cdr}s are
3709 compared recursively. If neither @var{x} nor @var{y} is a cons
3710 cell, they are compared by @code{eql}, or according to the
3711 specified test. The @code{:key} function, if specified, is
3712 applied to the elements of both trees. @xref{Sequences}.
3715 @node Substitution of Expressions
3716 @section Substitution of Expressions
3719 These functions substitute elements throughout a tree of cons
3720 cells. (@xref{Sequence Functions}, for the @code{cl-substitute}
3721 function, which works on just the top-level elements of a list.)
3723 @defun cl-subst new old tree @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3724 This function substitutes occurrences of @var{old} with @var{new}
3725 in @var{tree}, a tree of cons cells. It returns a substituted
3726 tree, which will be a copy except that it may share storage with
3727 the argument @var{tree} in parts where no substitutions occurred.
3728 The original @var{tree} is not modified. This function recurses
3729 on, and compares against @var{old}, both @sc{car}s and @sc{cdr}s
3730 of the component cons cells. If @var{old} is itself a cons cell,
3731 then matching cells in the tree are substituted as usual without
3732 recursively substituting in that cell. Comparisons with @var{old}
3733 are done according to the specified test (@code{eql} by default).
3734 The @code{:key} function is applied to the elements of the tree
3735 but not to @var{old}.
3738 @defun cl-nsubst new old tree @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3739 This function is like @code{cl-subst}, except that it works by
3740 destructive modification (by @code{setcar} or @code{setcdr})
3741 rather than copying.
3745 @findex cl-subst-if-not
3746 @findex cl-nsubst-if
3747 @findex cl-nsubst-if-not
3748 The @code{cl-subst-if}, @code{cl-subst-if-not}, @code{cl-nsubst-if}, and
3749 @code{cl-nsubst-if-not} functions are defined similarly.
3751 @defun cl-sublis alist tree @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3752 This function is like @code{cl-subst}, except that it takes an
3753 association list @var{alist} of @var{old}-@var{new} pairs.
3754 Each element of the tree (after applying the @code{:key}
3755 function, if any), is compared with the @sc{car}s of
3756 @var{alist}; if it matches, it is replaced by the corresponding
3760 @defun cl-nsublis alist tree @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3761 This is a destructive version of @code{cl-sublis}.
3765 @section Lists as Sets
3768 These functions perform operations on lists that represent sets
3771 @defun cl-member item list @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3772 This function searches @var{list} for an element matching @var{item}.
3773 If a match is found, it returns the cons cell whose @sc{car} was
3774 the matching element. Otherwise, it returns @code{nil}. Elements
3775 are compared by @code{eql} by default; you can use the @code{:test},
3776 @code{:test-not}, and @code{:key} arguments to modify this behavior.
3779 The standard Emacs lisp function @code{member} uses @code{equal} for
3780 comparisons; it is equivalent to @code{(cl-member @var{item} @var{list}
3781 :test 'equal)}. With no keyword arguments, @code{cl-member} is
3782 equivalent to @code{memq}.
3785 @findex cl-member-if
3786 @findex cl-member-if-not
3787 The @code{cl-member-if} and @code{cl-member-if-not} functions
3788 analogously search for elements that satisfy a given predicate.
3790 @defun cl-tailp sublist list
3791 This function returns @code{t} if @var{sublist} is a sublist of
3792 @var{list}, i.e., if @var{sublist} is @code{eql} to @var{list} or to
3793 any of its @sc{cdr}s.
3796 @defun cl-adjoin item list @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3797 This function conses @var{item} onto the front of @var{list},
3798 like @code{(cons @var{item} @var{list})}, but only if @var{item}
3799 is not already present on the list (as determined by @code{cl-member}).
3800 If a @code{:key} argument is specified, it is applied to
3801 @var{item} as well as to the elements of @var{list} during
3802 the search, on the reasoning that @var{item} is ``about'' to
3803 become part of the list.
3806 @defun cl-union list1 list2 @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3807 This function combines two lists that represent sets of items,
3808 returning a list that represents the union of those two sets.
3809 The resulting list contains all items that appear in @var{list1}
3810 or @var{list2}, and no others. If an item appears in both
3811 @var{list1} and @var{list2} it is copied only once. If
3812 an item is duplicated in @var{list1} or @var{list2}, it is
3813 undefined whether or not that duplication will survive in the
3814 result list. The order of elements in the result list is also
3818 @defun cl-nunion list1 list2 @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3819 This is a destructive version of @code{cl-union}; rather than copying,
3820 it tries to reuse the storage of the argument lists if possible.
3823 @defun cl-intersection list1 list2 @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3824 This function computes the intersection of the sets represented
3825 by @var{list1} and @var{list2}. It returns the list of items
3826 that appear in both @var{list1} and @var{list2}.
3829 @defun cl-nintersection list1 list2 @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3830 This is a destructive version of @code{cl-intersection}. It
3831 tries to reuse storage of @var{list1} rather than copying.
3832 It does @emph{not} reuse the storage of @var{list2}.
3835 @defun cl-set-difference list1 list2 @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3836 This function computes the ``set difference'' of @var{list1}
3837 and @var{list2}, i.e., the set of elements that appear in
3838 @var{list1} but @emph{not} in @var{list2}.
3841 @defun cl-nset-difference list1 list2 @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3842 This is a destructive @code{cl-set-difference}, which will try
3843 to reuse @var{list1} if possible.
3846 @defun cl-set-exclusive-or list1 list2 @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3847 This function computes the ``set exclusive or'' of @var{list1}
3848 and @var{list2}, i.e., the set of elements that appear in
3849 exactly one of @var{list1} and @var{list2}.
3852 @defun cl-nset-exclusive-or list1 list2 @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3853 This is a destructive @code{cl-set-exclusive-or}, which will try
3854 to reuse @var{list1} and @var{list2} if possible.
3857 @defun cl-subsetp list1 list2 @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3858 This function checks whether @var{list1} represents a subset
3859 of @var{list2}, i.e., whether every element of @var{list1}
3860 also appears in @var{list2}.
3863 @node Association Lists
3864 @section Association Lists
3867 An @dfn{association list} is a list representing a mapping from
3868 one set of values to another; any list whose elements are cons
3869 cells is an association list.
3871 @defun cl-assoc item a-list @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3872 This function searches the association list @var{a-list} for an
3873 element whose @sc{car} matches (in the sense of @code{:test},
3874 @code{:test-not}, and @code{:key}, or by comparison with @code{eql})
3875 a given @var{item}. It returns the matching element, if any,
3876 otherwise @code{nil}. It ignores elements of @var{a-list} that
3877 are not cons cells. (This corresponds to the behavior of
3878 @code{assq} and @code{assoc} in Emacs Lisp; Common Lisp's
3879 @code{assoc} ignores @code{nil}s but considers any other non-cons
3880 elements of @var{a-list} to be an error.)
3883 @defun cl-rassoc item a-list @t{&key :test :test-not :key}
3884 This function searches for an element whose @sc{cdr} matches
3885 @var{item}. If @var{a-list} represents a mapping, this applies
3886 the inverse of the mapping to @var{item}.
3890 @findex cl-assoc-if-not
3891 @findex cl-rassoc-if
3892 @findex cl-rassoc-if-not
3893 The @code{cl-assoc-if}, @code{cl-assoc-if-not}, @code{cl-rassoc-if},
3894 and @code{cl-rassoc-if-not} functions are defined similarly.
3896 Two simple functions for constructing association lists are:
3898 @defun cl-acons key value alist
3899 This is equivalent to @code{(cons (cons @var{key} @var{value}) @var{alist})}.
3902 @defun cl-pairlis keys values &optional alist
3903 This is equivalent to @code{(nconc (cl-mapcar 'cons @var{keys} @var{values})
3911 The Common Lisp @dfn{structure} mechanism provides a general way
3912 to define data types similar to C's @code{struct} types. A
3913 structure is a Lisp object containing some number of @dfn{slots},
3914 each of which can hold any Lisp data object. Functions are
3915 provided for accessing and setting the slots, creating or copying
3916 structure objects, and recognizing objects of a particular structure
3919 In true Common Lisp, each structure type is a new type distinct
3920 from all existing Lisp types. Since the underlying Emacs Lisp
3921 system provides no way to create new distinct types, this package
3922 implements structures as vectors (or lists upon request) with a
3923 special ``tag'' symbol to identify them.
3925 @defmac cl-defstruct name slots@dots{}
3926 The @code{cl-defstruct} form defines a new structure type called
3927 @var{name}, with the specified @var{slots}. (The @var{slots}
3928 may begin with a string which documents the structure type.)
3929 In the simplest case, @var{name} and each of the @var{slots}
3930 are symbols. For example,
3933 (cl-defstruct person name age sex)
3937 defines a struct type called @code{person} that contains three
3938 slots. Given a @code{person} object @var{p}, you can access those
3939 slots by calling @code{(person-name @var{p})}, @code{(person-age @var{p})},
3940 and @code{(person-sex @var{p})}. You can also change these slots by
3941 using @code{setf} on any of these place forms, for example:
3944 (cl-incf (person-age birthday-boy))
3947 You can create a new @code{person} by calling @code{make-person},
3948 which takes keyword arguments @code{:name}, @code{:age}, and
3949 @code{:sex} to specify the initial values of these slots in the
3950 new object. (Omitting any of these arguments leaves the corresponding
3951 slot ``undefined'', according to the Common Lisp standard; in Emacs
3952 Lisp, such uninitialized slots are filled with @code{nil}.)
3954 Given a @code{person}, @code{(copy-person @var{p})} makes a new
3955 object of the same type whose slots are @code{eq} to those of @var{p}.
3957 Given any Lisp object @var{x}, @code{(person-p @var{x})} returns
3958 true if @var{x} looks like a @code{person}, and false otherwise. (Again,
3959 in Common Lisp this predicate would be exact; in Emacs Lisp the
3960 best it can do is verify that @var{x} is a vector of the correct
3961 length that starts with the correct tag symbol.)
3963 Accessors like @code{person-name} normally check their arguments
3964 (effectively using @code{person-p}) and signal an error if the
3965 argument is the wrong type. This check is affected by
3966 @code{(optimize (safety @dots{}))} declarations. Safety level 1,
3967 the default, uses a somewhat optimized check that will detect all
3968 incorrect arguments, but may use an uninformative error message
3969 (e.g., ``expected a vector'' instead of ``expected a @code{person}'').
3970 Safety level 0 omits all checks except as provided by the underlying
3971 @code{aref} call; safety levels 2 and 3 do rigorous checking that will
3972 always print a descriptive error message for incorrect inputs.
3973 @xref{Declarations}.
3976 (setq dave (make-person :name "Dave" :sex 'male))
3977 @result{} [cl-struct-person "Dave" nil male]
3978 (setq other (copy-person dave))
3979 @result{} [cl-struct-person "Dave" nil male]
3982 (eq (person-name dave) (person-name other))
3986 (person-p [1 2 3 4])
3990 (person-p '[cl-struct-person counterfeit person object])
3994 In general, @var{name} is either a name symbol or a list of a name
3995 symbol followed by any number of @dfn{struct options}; each @var{slot}
3996 is either a slot symbol or a list of the form @samp{(@var{slot-name}
3997 @var{default-value} @var{slot-options}@dots{})}. The @var{default-value}
3998 is a Lisp form that is evaluated any time an instance of the
3999 structure type is created without specifying that slot's value.
4001 Common Lisp defines several slot options, but the only one
4002 implemented in this package is @code{:read-only}. A non-@code{nil}
4003 value for this option means the slot should not be @code{setf}-able;
4004 the slot's value is determined when the object is created and does
4005 not change afterward.
4008 (cl-defstruct person
4009 (name nil :read-only t)
4014 Any slot options other than @code{:read-only} are ignored.
4016 For obscure historical reasons, structure options take a different
4017 form than slot options. A structure option is either a keyword
4018 symbol, or a list beginning with a keyword symbol possibly followed
4019 by arguments. (By contrast, slot options are key-value pairs not
4023 (cl-defstruct (person (:constructor create-person)
4029 The following structure options are recognized.
4033 The argument is a symbol whose print name is used as the prefix for
4034 the names of slot accessor functions. The default is the name of
4035 the struct type followed by a hyphen. The option @code{(:conc-name p-)}
4036 would change this prefix to @code{p-}. Specifying @code{nil} as an
4037 argument means no prefix, so that the slot names themselves are used
4038 to name the accessor functions.
4041 In the simple case, this option takes one argument which is an
4042 alternate name to use for the constructor function. The default
4043 is @code{make-@var{name}}, e.g., @code{make-person}. The above
4044 example changes this to @code{create-person}. Specifying @code{nil}
4045 as an argument means that no standard constructor should be
4048 In the full form of this option, the constructor name is followed
4049 by an arbitrary argument list. @xref{Program Structure}, for a
4050 description of the format of Common Lisp argument lists. All
4051 options, such as @code{&rest} and @code{&key}, are supported.
4052 The argument names should match the slot names; each slot is
4053 initialized from the corresponding argument. Slots whose names
4054 do not appear in the argument list are initialized based on the
4055 @var{default-value} in their slot descriptor. Also, @code{&optional}
4056 and @code{&key} arguments that don't specify defaults take their
4057 defaults from the slot descriptor. It is valid to include arguments
4058 that don't correspond to slot names; these are useful if they are
4059 referred to in the defaults for optional, keyword, or @code{&aux}
4060 arguments that @emph{do} correspond to slots.
4062 You can specify any number of full-format @code{:constructor}
4063 options on a structure. The default constructor is still generated
4064 as well unless you disable it with a simple-format @code{:constructor}
4070 (:constructor nil) ; no default constructor
4071 (:constructor new-person
4072 (name sex &optional (age 0)))
4073 (:constructor new-hound (&key (name "Rover")
4075 &aux (age (* 7 dog-years))
4080 The first constructor here takes its arguments positionally rather
4081 than by keyword. (In official Common Lisp terminology, constructors
4082 that work By Order of Arguments instead of by keyword are called
4083 ``BOA constructors''. No, I'm not making this up.) For example,
4084 @code{(new-person "Jane" 'female)} generates a person whose slots
4085 are @code{"Jane"}, 0, and @code{female}, respectively.
4087 The second constructor takes two keyword arguments, @code{:name},
4088 which initializes the @code{name} slot and defaults to @code{"Rover"},
4089 and @code{:dog-years}, which does not itself correspond to a slot
4090 but which is used to initialize the @code{age} slot. The @code{sex}
4091 slot is forced to the symbol @code{canine} with no syntax for
4095 The argument is an alternate name for the copier function for
4096 this type. The default is @code{copy-@var{name}}. @code{nil}
4097 means not to generate a copier function. (In this implementation,
4098 all copier functions are simply synonyms for @code{copy-sequence}.)
4101 The argument is an alternate name for the predicate that recognizes
4102 objects of this type. The default is @code{@var{name}-p}. @code{nil}
4103 means not to generate a predicate function. (If the @code{:type}
4104 option is used without the @code{:named} option, no predicate is
4107 In true Common Lisp, @code{typep} is always able to recognize a
4108 structure object even if @code{:predicate} was used. In this
4109 package, @code{cl-typep} simply looks for a function called
4110 @code{@var{typename}-p}, so it will work for structure types
4111 only if they used the default predicate name.
4114 This option implements a very limited form of C++-style inheritance.
4115 The argument is the name of another structure type previously
4116 created with @code{cl-defstruct}. The effect is to cause the new
4117 structure type to inherit all of the included structure's slots
4118 (plus, of course, any new slots described by this struct's slot
4119 descriptors). The new structure is considered a ``specialization''
4120 of the included one. In fact, the predicate and slot accessors
4121 for the included type will also accept objects of the new type.
4123 If there are extra arguments to the @code{:include} option after
4124 the included-structure name, these options are treated as replacement
4125 slot descriptors for slots in the included structure, possibly with
4126 modified default values. Borrowing an example from Steele:
4129 (cl-defstruct person name (age 0) sex)
4131 (cl-defstruct (astronaut (:include person (age 45)))
4133 (favorite-beverage 'tang))
4136 (setq joe (make-person :name "Joe"))
4137 @result{} [cl-struct-person "Joe" 0 nil]
4138 (setq buzz (make-astronaut :name "Buzz"))
4139 @result{} [cl-struct-astronaut "Buzz" 45 nil nil tang]
4141 (list (person-p joe) (person-p buzz))
4143 (list (astronaut-p joe) (astronaut-p buzz))
4148 (astronaut-name joe)
4149 @result{} error: "astronaut-name accessing a non-astronaut"
4152 Thus, if @code{astronaut} is a specialization of @code{person},
4153 then every @code{astronaut} is also a @code{person} (but not the
4154 other way around). Every @code{astronaut} includes all the slots
4155 of a @code{person}, plus extra slots that are specific to
4156 astronauts. Operations that work on people (like @code{person-name})
4157 work on astronauts just like other people.
4159 @item :print-function
4160 In full Common Lisp, this option allows you to specify a function
4161 that is called to print an instance of the structure type. The
4162 Emacs Lisp system offers no hooks into the Lisp printer which would
4163 allow for such a feature, so this package simply ignores
4164 @code{:print-function}.
4167 The argument should be one of the symbols @code{vector} or @code{list}.
4168 This tells which underlying Lisp data type should be used to implement
4169 the new structure type. Vectors are used by default, but
4170 @code{(:type list)} will cause structure objects to be stored as
4173 The vector representation for structure objects has the advantage
4174 that all structure slots can be accessed quickly, although creating
4175 vectors is a bit slower in Emacs Lisp. Lists are easier to create,
4176 but take a relatively long time accessing the later slots.
4179 This option, which takes no arguments, causes a characteristic ``tag''
4180 symbol to be stored at the front of the structure object. Using
4181 @code{:type} without also using @code{:named} will result in a
4182 structure type stored as plain vectors or lists with no identifying
4185 The default, if you don't specify @code{:type} explicitly, is to
4186 use named vectors. Therefore, @code{:named} is only useful in
4187 conjunction with @code{:type}.
4190 (cl-defstruct (person1) name age sex)
4191 (cl-defstruct (person2 (:type list) :named) name age sex)
4192 (cl-defstruct (person3 (:type list)) name age sex)
4194 (setq p1 (make-person1))
4195 @result{} [cl-struct-person1 nil nil nil]
4196 (setq p2 (make-person2))
4197 @result{} (person2 nil nil nil)
4198 (setq p3 (make-person3))
4199 @result{} (nil nil nil)
4206 @result{} error: function person3-p undefined
4209 Since unnamed structures don't have tags, @code{cl-defstruct} is not
4210 able to make a useful predicate for recognizing them. Also,
4211 accessors like @code{person3-name} will be generated but they
4212 will not be able to do any type checking. The @code{person3-name}
4213 function, for example, will simply be a synonym for @code{car} in
4214 this case. By contrast, @code{person2-name} is able to verify
4215 that its argument is indeed a @code{person2} object before
4218 @item :initial-offset
4219 The argument must be a nonnegative integer. It specifies a
4220 number of slots to be left ``empty'' at the front of the
4221 structure. If the structure is named, the tag appears at the
4222 specified position in the list or vector; otherwise, the first
4223 slot appears at that position. Earlier positions are filled
4224 with @code{nil} by the constructors and ignored otherwise. If
4225 the type @code{:include}s another type, then @code{:initial-offset}
4226 specifies a number of slots to be skipped between the last slot
4227 of the included type and the first new slot.
4231 Except as noted, the @code{cl-defstruct} facility of this package is
4232 entirely compatible with that of Common Lisp.
4235 @chapter Assertions and Errors
4238 This section describes two macros that test @dfn{assertions}, i.e.,
4239 conditions which must be true if the program is operating correctly.
4240 Assertions never add to the behavior of a Lisp program; they simply
4241 make ``sanity checks'' to make sure everything is as it should be.
4243 If the optimization property @code{speed} has been set to 3, and
4244 @code{safety} is less than 3, then the byte-compiler will optimize
4245 away the following assertions. Because assertions might be optimized
4246 away, it is a bad idea for them to include side-effects.
4248 @defmac cl-assert test-form [show-args string args@dots{}]
4249 This form verifies that @var{test-form} is true (i.e., evaluates to
4250 a non-@code{nil} value). If so, it returns @code{nil}. If the test
4251 is not satisfied, @code{cl-assert} signals an error.
4253 A default error message will be supplied which includes @var{test-form}.
4254 You can specify a different error message by including a @var{string}
4255 argument plus optional extra arguments. Those arguments are simply
4256 passed to @code{error} to signal the error.
4258 If the optional second argument @var{show-args} is @code{t} instead
4259 of @code{nil}, then the error message (with or without @var{string})
4260 will also include all non-constant arguments of the top-level
4261 @var{form}. For example:
4264 (cl-assert (> x 10) t "x is too small: %d")
4267 This usage of @var{show-args} is an extension to Common Lisp. In
4268 true Common Lisp, the second argument gives a list of @var{places}
4269 which can be @code{setf}'d by the user before continuing from the
4270 error. Since Emacs Lisp does not support continuable errors, it
4271 makes no sense to specify @var{places}.
4274 @defmac cl-check-type form type [string]
4275 This form verifies that @var{form} evaluates to a value of type
4276 @var{type}. If so, it returns @code{nil}. If not, @code{cl-check-type}
4277 signals a @code{wrong-type-argument} error. The default error message
4278 lists the erroneous value along with @var{type} and @var{form}
4279 themselves. If @var{string} is specified, it is included in the
4280 error message in place of @var{type}. For example:
4283 (cl-check-type x (integer 1 *) "a positive integer")
4286 @xref{Type Predicates}, for a description of the type specifiers
4287 that may be used for @var{type}.
4289 Note that in Common Lisp, the first argument to @code{check-type}
4290 must be a @var{place} suitable for use by @code{setf}, because
4291 @code{check-type} signals a continuable error that allows the
4292 user to modify @var{place}.
4295 @node Efficiency Concerns
4296 @appendix Efficiency Concerns
4301 Many of the advanced features of this package, such as @code{cl-defun},
4302 @code{cl-loop}, etc., are implemented as Lisp macros. In
4303 byte-compiled code, these complex notations will be expanded into
4304 equivalent Lisp code which is simple and efficient. For example,
4312 is expanded at compile-time to the Lisp form
4319 which is the most efficient ways of doing this operation
4320 in Lisp. Thus, there is no performance penalty for using the more
4321 readable @code{cl-incf} form in your compiled code.
4323 @emph{Interpreted} code, on the other hand, must expand these macros
4324 every time they are executed. For this reason it is strongly
4325 recommended that code making heavy use of macros be compiled.
4326 A loop using @code{cl-incf} a hundred times will execute considerably
4327 faster if compiled, and will also garbage-collect less because the
4328 macro expansion will not have to be generated, used, and thrown away a
4331 You can find out how a macro expands by using the
4332 @code{cl-prettyexpand} function.
4334 @defun cl-prettyexpand form &optional full
4335 This function takes a single Lisp form as an argument and inserts
4336 a nicely formatted copy of it in the current buffer (which must be
4337 in Lisp mode so that indentation works properly). It also expands
4338 all Lisp macros that appear in the form. The easiest way to use
4339 this function is to go to the @file{*scratch*} buffer and type, say,
4342 (cl-prettyexpand '(cl-loop for x below 10 collect x))
4346 and type @kbd{C-x C-e} immediately after the closing parenthesis;
4347 an expansion similar to:
4354 (setq G1004 (cons x G1004))
4360 will be inserted into the buffer. (The @code{cl-block} macro is
4361 expanded differently in the interpreter and compiler, so
4362 @code{cl-prettyexpand} just leaves it alone. The temporary
4363 variable @code{G1004} was created by @code{cl-gensym}.)
4365 If the optional argument @var{full} is true, then @emph{all}
4366 macros are expanded, including @code{cl-block}, @code{cl-eval-when},
4367 and compiler macros. Expansion is done as if @var{form} were
4368 a top-level form in a file being compiled.
4370 @c FIXME none of these examples are still applicable.
4375 (cl-prettyexpand '(cl-pushnew 'x list))
4376 @print{} (setq list (cl-adjoin 'x list))
4377 (cl-prettyexpand '(cl-pushnew 'x list) t)
4378 @print{} (setq list (if (memq 'x list) list (cons 'x list)))
4379 (cl-prettyexpand '(caddr (cl-member 'a list)) t)
4380 @print{} (car (cdr (cdr (memq 'a list))))
4384 Note that @code{cl-adjoin}, @code{cl-caddr}, and @code{cl-member} all
4385 have built-in compiler macros to optimize them in common cases.
4388 @appendixsec Error Checking
4391 Common Lisp compliance has in general not been sacrificed for the
4392 sake of efficiency. A few exceptions have been made for cases
4393 where substantial gains were possible at the expense of marginal
4396 The Common Lisp standard (as embodied in Steele's book) uses the
4397 phrase ``it is an error if'' to indicate a situation that is not
4398 supposed to arise in complying programs; implementations are strongly
4399 encouraged but not required to signal an error in these situations.
4400 This package sometimes omits such error checking in the interest of
4401 compactness and efficiency. For example, @code{cl-do} variable
4402 specifiers are supposed to be lists of one, two, or three forms;
4403 extra forms are ignored by this package rather than signaling a
4404 syntax error. The @code{cl-endp} function is simply a synonym for
4405 @code{null} in this package. Functions taking keyword arguments
4406 will accept an odd number of arguments, treating the trailing
4407 keyword as if it were followed by the value @code{nil}.
4409 Argument lists (as processed by @code{cl-defun} and friends)
4410 @emph{are} checked rigorously except for the minor point just
4411 mentioned; in particular, keyword arguments are checked for
4412 validity, and @code{&allow-other-keys} and @code{:allow-other-keys}
4413 are fully implemented. Keyword validity checking is slightly
4414 time consuming (though not too bad in byte-compiled code);
4415 you can use @code{&allow-other-keys} to omit this check. Functions
4416 defined in this package such as @code{cl-find} and @code{cl-member}
4417 do check their keyword arguments for validity.
4419 @appendixsec Compiler Optimizations
4422 Changing the value of @code{byte-optimize} from the default @code{t}
4423 is highly discouraged; many of the Common
4425 code that can be improved by optimization. In particular,
4426 @code{cl-block}s (whether explicit or implicit in constructs like
4427 @code{cl-defun} and @code{cl-loop}) carry a fair run-time penalty; the
4428 byte-compiler removes @code{cl-block}s that are not actually
4429 referenced by @code{cl-return} or @code{cl-return-from} inside the block.
4431 @node Common Lisp Compatibility
4432 @appendix Common Lisp Compatibility
4435 The following is a list of all known incompatibilities between this
4436 package and Common Lisp as documented in Steele (2nd edition).
4438 The word @code{cl-defun} is required instead of @code{defun} in order
4439 to use extended Common Lisp argument lists in a function. Likewise,
4440 @code{cl-defmacro} and @code{cl-function} are versions of those forms
4441 which understand full-featured argument lists. The @code{&whole}
4442 keyword does not work in @code{cl-defmacro} argument lists (except
4443 inside recursive argument lists).
4445 The @code{equal} predicate does not distinguish
4446 between IEEE floating-point plus and minus zero. The @code{cl-equalp}
4447 predicate has several differences with Common Lisp; @pxref{Predicates}.
4449 The @code{cl-do-all-symbols} form is the same as @code{cl-do-symbols}
4450 with no @var{obarray} argument. In Common Lisp, this form would
4451 iterate over all symbols in all packages. Since Emacs obarrays
4452 are not a first-class package mechanism, there is no way for
4453 @code{cl-do-all-symbols} to locate any but the default obarray.
4455 The @code{cl-loop} macro is complete except that @code{loop-finish}
4456 and type specifiers are unimplemented.
4458 The multiple-value return facility treats lists as multiple
4459 values, since Emacs Lisp cannot support multiple return values
4460 directly. The macros will be compatible with Common Lisp if
4461 @code{cl-values} or @code{cl-values-list} is always used to return to
4462 a @code{cl-multiple-value-bind} or other multiple-value receiver;
4463 if @code{cl-values} is used without @code{cl-multiple-value-@dots{}}
4464 or vice-versa the effect will be different from Common Lisp.
4466 Many Common Lisp declarations are ignored, and others match
4467 the Common Lisp standard in concept but not in detail. For
4468 example, local @code{special} declarations, which are purely
4469 advisory in Emacs Lisp, do not rigorously obey the scoping rules
4470 set down in Steele's book.
4472 The variable @code{cl--gensym-counter} starts out with a pseudo-random
4473 value rather than with zero. This is to cope with the fact that
4474 generated symbols become interned when they are written to and
4475 loaded back from a file.
4477 The @code{cl-defstruct} facility is compatible, except that structures
4478 are of type @code{:type vector :named} by default rather than some
4479 special, distinct type. Also, the @code{:type} slot option is ignored.
4481 The second argument of @code{cl-check-type} is treated differently.
4483 @node Porting Common Lisp
4484 @appendix Porting Common Lisp
4487 This package is meant to be used as an extension to Emacs Lisp,
4488 not as an Emacs implementation of true Common Lisp. Some of the
4489 remaining differences between Emacs Lisp and Common Lisp make it
4490 difficult to port large Common Lisp applications to Emacs. For
4491 one, some of the features in this package are not fully compliant
4492 with ANSI or Steele; @pxref{Common Lisp Compatibility}. But there
4493 are also quite a few features that this package does not provide
4494 at all. Here are some major omissions that you will want to watch out
4495 for when bringing Common Lisp code into Emacs.
4499 Case-insensitivity. Symbols in Common Lisp are case-insensitive
4500 by default. Some programs refer to a function or variable as
4501 @code{foo} in one place and @code{Foo} or @code{FOO} in another.
4502 Emacs Lisp will treat these as three distinct symbols.
4504 Some Common Lisp code is written entirely in upper case. While Emacs
4505 is happy to let the program's own functions and variables use
4506 this convention, calls to Lisp builtins like @code{if} and
4507 @code{defun} will have to be changed to lower case.
4510 Lexical scoping. In Common Lisp, function arguments and @code{let}
4511 bindings apply only to references physically within their bodies (or
4512 within macro expansions in their bodies). Traditionally, Emacs Lisp
4513 uses @dfn{dynamic scoping} wherein a binding to a variable is visible
4514 even inside functions called from the body.
4515 @xref{Dynamic Binding,,,elisp,GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
4516 Lexical binding is available since Emacs 24.1, so be sure to set
4517 @code{lexical-binding} to @code{t} if you need to emulate this aspect
4518 of Common Lisp. @xref{Lexical Binding,,,elisp,GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
4520 Here is an example of a Common Lisp code fragment that would fail in
4521 Emacs Lisp if @code{lexical-binding} were set to @code{nil}:
4524 (defun map-odd-elements (func list)
4526 for flag = t then (not flag)
4527 collect (if flag x (funcall func x))))
4529 (defun add-odd-elements (list x)
4530 (map-odd-elements (lambda (a) (+ a x)) list))
4534 With lexical binding, the two functions' usages of @code{x} are
4535 completely independent. With dynamic binding, the binding to @code{x}
4536 made by @code{add-odd-elements} will have been hidden by the binding
4537 in @code{map-odd-elements} by the time the @code{(+ a x)} function is
4540 Internally, this package uses lexical binding so that such problems do
4541 not occur. @xref{Obsolete Lexical Binding}, for a description of the obsolete
4542 @code{lexical-let} form that emulates a Common Lisp-style lexical
4543 binding when dynamic binding is in use.
4546 Reader macros. Common Lisp includes a second type of macro that
4547 works at the level of individual characters. For example, Common
4548 Lisp implements the quote notation by a reader macro called @code{'},
4549 whereas Emacs Lisp's parser just treats quote as a special case.
4550 Some Lisp packages use reader macros to create special syntaxes
4551 for themselves, which the Emacs parser is incapable of reading.
4554 Other syntactic features. Common Lisp provides a number of
4555 notations beginning with @code{#} that the Emacs Lisp parser
4556 won't understand. For example, @samp{#| @dots{} |#} is an
4557 alternate comment notation, and @samp{#+lucid (foo)} tells
4558 the parser to ignore the @code{(foo)} except in Lucid Common
4562 Packages. In Common Lisp, symbols are divided into @dfn{packages}.
4563 Symbols that are Lisp built-ins are typically stored in one package;
4564 symbols that are vendor extensions are put in another, and each
4565 application program would have a package for its own symbols.
4566 Certain symbols are ``exported'' by a package and others are
4567 internal; certain packages ``use'' or import the exported symbols
4568 of other packages. To access symbols that would not normally be
4569 visible due to this importing and exporting, Common Lisp provides
4570 a syntax like @code{package:symbol} or @code{package::symbol}.
4572 Emacs Lisp has a single namespace for all interned symbols, and
4573 then uses a naming convention of putting a prefix like @code{cl-}
4574 in front of the name. Some Emacs packages adopt the Common Lisp-like
4575 convention of using @code{cl:} or @code{cl::} as the prefix.
4576 However, the Emacs parser does not understand colons and just
4577 treats them as part of the symbol name. Thus, while @code{mapcar}
4578 and @code{lisp:mapcar} may refer to the same symbol in Common
4579 Lisp, they are totally distinct in Emacs Lisp. Common Lisp
4580 programs that refer to a symbol by the full name sometimes
4581 and the short name other times will not port cleanly to Emacs.
4583 Emacs Lisp does have a concept of ``obarrays'', which are
4584 package-like collections of symbols, but this feature is not
4585 strong enough to be used as a true package mechanism.
4588 The @code{format} function is quite different between Common
4589 Lisp and Emacs Lisp. It takes an additional ``destination''
4590 argument before the format string. A destination of @code{nil}
4591 means to format to a string as in Emacs Lisp; a destination
4592 of @code{t} means to write to the terminal (similar to
4593 @code{message} in Emacs). Also, format control strings are
4594 utterly different; @code{~} is used instead of @code{%} to
4595 introduce format codes, and the set of available codes is
4596 much richer. There are no notations like @code{\n} for
4597 string literals; instead, @code{format} is used with the
4598 ``newline'' format code, @code{~%}. More advanced formatting
4599 codes provide such features as paragraph filling, case
4600 conversion, and even loops and conditionals.
4602 While it would have been possible to implement most of Common
4603 Lisp @code{format} in this package (under the name @code{cl-format},
4604 of course), it was not deemed worthwhile. It would have required
4605 a huge amount of code to implement even a decent subset of
4606 @code{format}, yet the functionality it would provide over
4607 Emacs Lisp's @code{format} would rarely be useful.
4610 Vector constants use square brackets in Emacs Lisp, but
4611 @code{#(a b c)} notation in Common Lisp. To further complicate
4612 matters, Emacs has its own @code{#(} notation for
4613 something entirely different---strings with properties.
4616 Characters are distinct from integers in Common Lisp. The notation
4617 for character constants is also different: @code{#\A} in Common Lisp
4618 where Emacs Lisp uses @code{?A}. Also, @code{string=} and
4619 @code{string-equal} are synonyms in Emacs Lisp, whereas the latter is
4620 case-insensitive in Common Lisp.
4623 Data types. Some Common Lisp data types do not exist in Emacs
4624 Lisp. Rational numbers and complex numbers are not present,
4625 nor are large integers (all integers are ``fixnums''). All
4626 arrays are one-dimensional. There are no readtables or pathnames;
4627 streams are a set of existing data types rather than a new data
4628 type of their own. Hash tables, random-states, structures, and
4629 packages (obarrays) are built from Lisp vectors or lists rather
4630 than being distinct types.
4633 The Common Lisp Object System (CLOS) is not implemented,
4634 nor is the Common Lisp Condition System. However, the EIEIO package
4635 (@pxref{Top, , Introduction, eieio, EIEIO}) does implement some
4639 Common Lisp features that are completely redundant with Emacs
4640 Lisp features of a different name generally have not been
4641 implemented. For example, Common Lisp writes @code{defconstant}
4642 where Emacs Lisp uses @code{defconst}. Similarly, @code{make-list}
4643 takes its arguments in different ways in the two Lisps but does
4644 exactly the same thing, so this package has not bothered to
4645 implement a Common Lisp-style @code{make-list}.
4648 A few more notable Common Lisp features not included in this
4649 package: @code{compiler-let}, @code{tagbody}, @code{prog},
4650 @code{ldb/dpb}, @code{parse-integer}, @code{cerror}.
4653 Recursion. While recursion works in Emacs Lisp just like it
4654 does in Common Lisp, various details of the Emacs Lisp system
4655 and compiler make recursion much less efficient than it is in
4656 most Lisps. Some schools of thought prefer to use recursion
4657 in Lisp over other techniques; they would sum a list of
4658 numbers using something like
4661 (defun sum-list (list)
4663 (+ (car list) (sum-list (cdr list)))
4668 where a more iteratively-minded programmer might write one of
4672 (let ((total 0)) (dolist (x my-list) (incf total x)) total)
4673 (loop for x in my-list sum x)
4676 While this would be mainly a stylistic choice in most Common Lisps,
4677 in Emacs Lisp you should be aware that the iterative forms are
4678 much faster than recursion. Also, Lisp programmers will want to
4679 note that the current Emacs Lisp compiler does not optimize tail
4683 @node Obsolete Features
4684 @appendix Obsolete Features
4686 This section describes some features of the package that are obsolete
4687 and should not be used in new code. They are either only provided by
4688 the old @file{cl.el} entry point, not by the newer @file{cl-lib.el};
4689 or where versions with a @samp{cl-} prefix do exist they do not behave
4690 in exactly the same way.
4693 * Obsolete Lexical Binding:: An approximation of lexical binding.
4694 * Obsolete Macros:: Obsolete macros.
4695 * Obsolete Setf Customization:: Obsolete ways to customize setf.
4698 @node Obsolete Lexical Binding
4699 @appendixsec Obsolete Lexical Binding
4701 The following macros are extensions to Common Lisp, where all bindings
4702 are lexical unless declared otherwise. These features are likewise
4703 obsolete since the introduction of true lexical binding in Emacs 24.1.
4705 @defmac lexical-let (bindings@dots{}) forms@dots{}
4706 This form is exactly like @code{let} except that the bindings it
4707 establishes are purely lexical.
4710 @c FIXME remove this and refer to elisp manual.
4711 @c Maybe merge some stuff from here to there?
4713 Lexical bindings are similar to local variables in a language like C:
4714 Only the code physically within the body of the @code{lexical-let}
4715 (after macro expansion) may refer to the bound variables.
4719 (defun foo (b) (+ a b))
4720 (let ((a 2)) (foo a))
4722 (lexical-let ((a 2)) (foo a))
4727 In this example, a regular @code{let} binding of @code{a} actually
4728 makes a temporary change to the global variable @code{a}, so @code{foo}
4729 is able to see the binding of @code{a} to 2. But @code{lexical-let}
4730 actually creates a distinct local variable @code{a} for use within its
4731 body, without any effect on the global variable of the same name.
4733 The most important use of lexical bindings is to create @dfn{closures}.
4734 A closure is a function object that refers to an outside lexical
4735 variable (@pxref{Closures,,,elisp,GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}).
4739 (defun make-adder (n)
4740 (lexical-let ((n n))
4741 (function (lambda (m) (+ n m)))))
4742 (setq add17 (make-adder 17))
4748 The call @code{(make-adder 17)} returns a function object which adds
4749 17 to its argument. If @code{let} had been used instead of
4750 @code{lexical-let}, the function object would have referred to the
4751 global @code{n}, which would have been bound to 17 only during the
4752 call to @code{make-adder} itself.
4755 (defun make-counter ()
4756 (lexical-let ((n 0))
4757 (cl-function (lambda (&optional (m 1)) (cl-incf n m)))))
4758 (setq count-1 (make-counter))
4761 (funcall count-1 14)
4763 (setq count-2 (make-counter))
4773 Here we see that each call to @code{make-counter} creates a distinct
4774 local variable @code{n}, which serves as a private counter for the
4775 function object that is returned.
4777 Closed-over lexical variables persist until the last reference to
4778 them goes away, just like all other Lisp objects. For example,
4779 @code{count-2} refers to a function object which refers to an
4780 instance of the variable @code{n}; this is the only reference
4781 to that variable, so after @code{(setq count-2 nil)} the garbage
4782 collector would be able to delete this instance of @code{n}.
4783 Of course, if a @code{lexical-let} does not actually create any
4784 closures, then the lexical variables are free as soon as the
4785 @code{lexical-let} returns.
4787 Many closures are used only during the extent of the bindings they
4788 refer to; these are known as ``downward funargs'' in Lisp parlance.
4789 When a closure is used in this way, regular Emacs Lisp dynamic
4790 bindings suffice and will be more efficient than @code{lexical-let}
4794 (defun add-to-list (x list)
4795 (mapcar (lambda (y) (+ x y))) list)
4796 (add-to-list 7 '(1 2 5))
4801 Since this lambda is only used while @code{x} is still bound,
4802 it is not necessary to make a true closure out of it.
4804 You can use @code{defun} or @code{flet} inside a @code{lexical-let}
4805 to create a named closure. If several closures are created in the
4806 body of a single @code{lexical-let}, they all close over the same
4807 instance of the lexical variable.
4809 @defmac lexical-let* (bindings@dots{}) forms@dots{}
4810 This form is just like @code{lexical-let}, except that the bindings
4811 are made sequentially in the manner of @code{let*}.
4814 @node Obsolete Macros
4815 @appendixsec Obsolete Macros
4817 The following macros are obsolete, and are replaced by versions with
4818 a @samp{cl-} prefix that do not behave in exactly the same way.
4819 Consequently, the @file{cl.el} versions are not simply aliases to the
4820 @file{cl-lib.el} versions.
4822 @defmac flet (bindings@dots{}) forms@dots{}
4823 This macro is replaced by @code{cl-flet} (@pxref{Function Bindings}),
4824 which behaves the same way as Common Lisp's @code{flet}.
4825 This @code{flet} takes the same arguments as @code{cl-flet}, but does
4826 not behave in precisely the same way.
4828 While @code{flet} in Common Lisp establishes a lexical function
4829 binding, this @code{flet} makes a dynamic binding (it dates from a
4830 time before Emacs had lexical binding). The result is
4831 that @code{flet} affects indirect calls to a function as well as calls
4832 directly inside the @code{flet} form itself.
4834 This will even work on Emacs primitives, although note that some calls
4835 to primitive functions internal to Emacs are made without going
4836 through the symbol's function cell, and so will not be affected by
4837 @code{flet}. For example,
4840 (flet ((message (&rest args) (push args saved-msgs)))
4844 This code attempts to replace the built-in function @code{message}
4845 with a function that simply saves the messages in a list rather
4846 than displaying them. The original definition of @code{message}
4847 will be restored after @code{do-something} exits. This code will
4848 work fine on messages generated by other Lisp code, but messages
4849 generated directly inside Emacs will not be caught since they make
4850 direct C-language calls to the message routines rather than going
4851 through the Lisp @code{message} function.
4853 For those cases where the dynamic scoping of @code{flet} is desired,
4854 @code{cl-flet} is clearly not a substitute. The most direct replacement would
4855 be instead to use @code{cl-letf} to temporarily rebind @code{(symbol-function
4856 '@var{fun})}. But in most cases, a better substitute is to use an advice, such
4860 (defvar my-fun-advice-enable nil)
4861 (add-advice '@var{fun} :around
4862 (lambda (orig &rest args)
4863 (if my-fun-advice-enable (do-something)
4864 (apply orig args))))
4867 so that you can then replace the @code{flet} with a simple dynamically scoped
4868 binding of @code{my-fun-advice-enable}.
4871 Note that many primitives (e.g., @code{+}) have special byte-compile handling.
4872 Attempts to redefine such functions using @code{flet}, @code{cl-letf}, or an
4873 advice will fail when byte-compiled.
4875 @c In such cases, use @code{labels} instead.
4878 @defmac labels (bindings@dots{}) forms@dots{}
4879 This macro is replaced by @code{cl-labels} (@pxref{Function Bindings}),
4880 which behaves the same way as Common Lisp's @code{labels}.
4881 This @code{labels} takes the same arguments as @code{cl-labels}, but
4882 does not behave in precisely the same way.
4884 This version of @code{labels} uses the obsolete @code{lexical-let}
4885 form (@pxref{Obsolete Lexical Binding}), rather than the true
4886 lexical binding that @code{cl-labels} uses.
4889 @node Obsolete Setf Customization
4890 @appendixsec Obsolete Ways to Customize Setf
4892 Common Lisp defines three macros, @code{define-modify-macro},
4893 @code{defsetf}, and @code{define-setf-method}, that allow the
4894 user to extend generalized variables in various ways.
4895 In Emacs, these are obsolete, replaced by various features of
4896 @file{gv.el} in Emacs 24.3.
4897 @xref{Adding Generalized Variables,,,elisp,GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.
4900 @defmac define-modify-macro name arglist function [doc-string]
4901 This macro defines a ``read-modify-write'' macro similar to
4902 @code{cl-incf} and @code{cl-decf}. You can replace this macro
4903 with @code{gv-letplace}.
4905 The macro @var{name} is defined to take a @var{place} argument
4906 followed by additional arguments described by @var{arglist}. The call
4909 (@var{name} @var{place} @var{args}@dots{})
4916 (cl-callf @var{func} @var{place} @var{args}@dots{})
4920 which in turn is roughly equivalent to
4923 (setf @var{place} (@var{func} @var{place} @var{args}@dots{}))
4929 (define-modify-macro incf (&optional (n 1)) +)
4930 (define-modify-macro concatf (&rest args) concat)
4933 Note that @code{&key} is not allowed in @var{arglist}, but
4934 @code{&rest} is sufficient to pass keywords on to the function.
4936 Most of the modify macros defined by Common Lisp do not exactly
4937 follow the pattern of @code{define-modify-macro}. For example,
4938 @code{push} takes its arguments in the wrong order, and @code{pop}
4939 is completely irregular.
4941 The above @code{incf} example could be written using
4942 @code{gv-letplace} as:
4944 (defmacro incf (place &optional n)
4945 (gv-letplace (getter setter) place
4946 (macroexp-let2 nil v (or n 1)
4947 (funcall setter `(+ ,v ,getter)))))
4950 (defmacro concatf (place &rest args)
4951 (gv-letplace (getter setter) place
4952 (macroexp-let2 nil v (mapconcat 'identity args "")
4953 (funcall setter `(concat ,getter ,v)))))
4957 @defmac defsetf access-fn update-fn
4958 This is the simpler of two @code{defsetf} forms, and is
4959 replaced by @code{gv-define-simple-setter}.
4961 With @var{access-fn} the name of a function that accesses a place,
4962 this declares @var{update-fn} to be the corresponding store function.
4966 (setf (@var{access-fn} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @var{arg3}) @var{value})
4973 (@var{update-fn} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @var{arg3} @var{value})
4977 The @var{update-fn} is required to be either a true function, or
4978 a macro that evaluates its arguments in a function-like way. Also,
4979 the @var{update-fn} is expected to return @var{value} as its result.
4980 Otherwise, the above expansion would not obey the rules for the way
4981 @code{setf} is supposed to behave.
4983 As a special (non-Common-Lisp) extension, a third argument of @code{t}
4984 to @code{defsetf} says that the return value of @code{update-fn} is
4985 not suitable, so that the above @code{setf} should be expanded to
4989 (let ((temp @var{value}))
4990 (@var{update-fn} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @var{arg3} temp)
4997 (defsetf car setcar)
4998 (defsetf buffer-name rename-buffer t)
5001 These translate directly to @code{gv-define-simple-setter}:
5004 (gv-define-simple-setter car setcar)
5005 (gv-define-simple-setter buffer-name rename-buffer t)
5009 @defmac defsetf access-fn arglist (store-var) forms@dots{}
5010 This is the second, more complex, form of @code{defsetf}.
5011 It can be replaced by @code{gv-define-setter}.
5013 This form of @code{defsetf} is rather like @code{defmacro} except for
5014 the additional @var{store-var} argument. The @var{forms} should
5015 return a Lisp form that stores the value of @var{store-var} into the
5016 generalized variable formed by a call to @var{access-fn} with
5017 arguments described by @var{arglist}. The @var{forms} may begin with
5018 a string which documents the @code{setf} method (analogous to the doc
5019 string that appears at the front of a function).
5021 For example, the simple form of @code{defsetf} is shorthand for
5024 (defsetf @var{access-fn} (&rest args) (store)
5025 (append '(@var{update-fn}) args (list store)))
5028 The Lisp form that is returned can access the arguments from
5029 @var{arglist} and @var{store-var} in an unrestricted fashion;
5030 macros like @code{cl-incf} that invoke this
5031 setf-method will insert temporary variables as needed to make
5032 sure the apparent order of evaluation is preserved.
5034 Another standard example:
5037 (defsetf nth (n x) (store)
5038 `(setcar (nthcdr ,n ,x) ,store))
5041 You could write this using @code{gv-define-setter} as:
5044 (gv-define-setter nth (store n x)
5045 `(setcar (nthcdr ,n ,x) ,store))
5049 @defmac define-setf-method access-fn arglist forms@dots{}
5050 This is the most general way to create new place forms. You can
5051 replace this by @code{gv-define-setter} or @code{gv-define-expander}.
5053 When a @code{setf} to @var{access-fn} with arguments described by
5054 @var{arglist} is expanded, the @var{forms} are evaluated and must
5055 return a list of five items:
5059 A list of @dfn{temporary variables}.
5062 A list of @dfn{value forms} corresponding to the temporary variables
5063 above. The temporary variables will be bound to these value forms
5064 as the first step of any operation on the generalized variable.
5067 A list of exactly one @dfn{store variable} (generally obtained
5068 from a call to @code{gensym}).
5071 A Lisp form that stores the contents of the store variable into
5072 the generalized variable, assuming the temporaries have been
5073 bound as described above.
5076 A Lisp form that accesses the contents of the generalized variable,
5077 assuming the temporaries have been bound.
5080 This is exactly like the Common Lisp macro of the same name,
5081 except that the method returns a list of five values rather
5082 than the five values themselves, since Emacs Lisp does not
5083 support Common Lisp's notion of multiple return values.
5084 (Note that the @code{setf} implementation provided by @file{gv.el}
5085 does not use this five item format. Its use here is only for
5086 backwards compatibility.)
5088 Once again, the @var{forms} may begin with a documentation string.
5090 A setf-method should be maximally conservative with regard to
5091 temporary variables. In the setf-methods generated by
5092 @code{defsetf}, the second return value is simply the list of
5093 arguments in the place form, and the first return value is a
5094 list of a corresponding number of temporary variables generated
5095 @c FIXME I don't think this is true anymore.
5096 by @code{cl-gensym}. Macros like @code{cl-incf} that
5097 use this setf-method will optimize away most temporaries that
5098 turn out to be unnecessary, so there is little reason for the
5099 setf-method itself to optimize.
5102 @c Removed in Emacs 24.3, not possible to make a compatible replacement.
5104 @defun get-setf-method place &optional env
5105 This function returns the setf-method for @var{place}, by
5106 invoking the definition previously recorded by @code{defsetf}
5107 or @code{define-setf-method}. The result is a list of five
5108 values as described above. You can use this function to build
5109 your own @code{cl-incf}-like modify macros.
5111 The argument @var{env} specifies the ``environment'' to be
5112 passed on to @code{macroexpand} if @code{get-setf-method} should
5113 need to expand a macro in @var{place}. It should come from
5114 an @code{&environment} argument to the macro or setf-method
5115 that called @code{get-setf-method}.
5120 @node GNU Free Documentation License
5121 @appendix GNU Free Documentation License
5122 @include doclicense.texi
5124 @node Function Index
5125 @unnumbered Function Index
5129 @node Variable Index
5130 @unnumbered Variable Index