How to use optional and unknow amount of arguments?

What is the best reference manual for common lisp?
And one that follows the ANSI standard and thus works for both
allegro, sbcl etc.

On Aug 23, 10:39*pm, ssecorp <circularf...@gmail.com> wrote:
> What is the best reference manual for common lisp?
> And one that follows the ANSI standard and thus works for both
> allegro, sbcl etc.

Try the HyperSpec. http://www.lispworks.com/documentati...ront/index.htm
(lisp.org is down at the moment).

If you're using a Debian-based distribution, you can apt-get the
package "hyperspec".

--
Mikael Jansson

In article
<75229419-af0f-443d-acd3-607d678bdd94@w7g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
ssecorp <circularfunc@gmail.com> wrote:

> What is the best reference manual for common lisp?
> And one that follows the ANSI standard and thus works for both
> allegro, sbcl etc.

Did you really intend to ask a different question in the body of your
message than in the Subject? Did you start out wanting to ask questions
about argument lists, but then change your mind and forget to change the
subject?

--
Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me ***
*** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group ***

Thanks, also I forgot to actually ask the questions.

1. How to use optional arguments?

2. How to handle unknown amount of arguments? in scheme it is ". args"

In article
<496c3148-ceb1-4c42-b3ef-d1721cffa9fc@m36g2000hse.googlegroups.com>,
ssecorp <circularfunc@gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks, also I forgot to actually ask the questions.
>
> 1. How to use optional arguments?

http://www.lispworks.com/documentati...Body/03_da.htm

The simple case is like this:

(defun foo (a &optional b c) ...)

B and C are optional, and default to NIL when not supplied. Read the
Hyperspec for the details on how to specify a different default and how
to tell whether the argument was supplied or defaulted.

>
> 2. How to handle unknown amount of arguments? in scheme it is ". args"

In CL it's "&rest args".

--
Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me ***
*** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group ***

ssecorp <circularfunc@gmail.com> writes:

> What is the best reference manual for common lisp?
> And one that follows the ANSI standard and thus works for both
> allegro, sbcl etc.


Read Peter Seibels Practical Common Lisp, online available at
http://www.gigamonkeys.com/book/

Jens

On Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:33:14 -0700, ssecorp wrote:

> Thanks, also I forgot to actually ask the questions.

You also forgot to read an into book before asking very, very basic
questions. Paul Graham's ANSI Common Lisp and Peter Seibel's Practical
Common Lisp come to mind. The second is available online. Both are good
investments to own in dead tree format.

Tamas