annotate org/no_parens.org @ 1:a4cb0b71fc78

got this working again
author Robert McIntyre <rlm@mit.edu>
date Sun, 16 Oct 2011 07:52:40 -0700
parents 1c7ace5054ac
children 06131b93e54f
rev   line source
rlm@0 1 #+title: Calling it quits without parentheses
rlm@0 2 #+author: Robert McIntyre & Dylan Holmes
rlm@0 3 #+EMAIL: rlm@mit.edu
rlm@0 4 #+MATHJAX: align:"left" mathml:t path:"../MathJax/MathJax.js"
rlm@0 5 #+STYLE: <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../css/aurellem.css" />
rlm@0 6 #+OPTIONS: H:3 num:t toc:t \n:nil @:t ::t |:t ^:t -:t f:t *:t <:t
rlm@1 7 #+SETUPFILE: ../../aurellem/org/level-0.org
rlm@1 8 #+INCLUDE: ../../aurellem/org/level-0.org
rlm@1 9 #+BABEL: :mkdirp yes
rlm@0 10
rlm@0 11 [TABLE-OF-CONTENTS]
rlm@0 12
rlm@0 13 # * Calling it quits without parentheses
rlm@0 14 Is it possible to make a =quit= command for Clojure such that simply
rlm@0 15 typing the word =quit= at an REPL exits the REPL? An intuitive =quit=
rlm@0 16 command would be especially useful for people new to Lisp syntax or
rlm@0 17 the REPL; the challenge is to make a genuine Clojure command that
rlm@0 18 executes without being called with parentheses. We found three
rlm@0 19 solutions.
rlm@0 20
rlm@0 21 #+srcname: header
rlm@0 22 #+begin_src clojure :results silent
rlm@0 23 (ns abomination.no-parens
rlm@0 24 (:use clojure.contrib.def))
rlm@0 25 #+end_src
rlm@0 26
rlm@0 27 * By modifying =toString=
rlm@0 28 #+srcname: toString
rlm@0 29 #+begin_src clojure
rlm@0 30 (in-ns 'abomination.no-parens)
rlm@0 31 (gen-class :name abomination.no-parens.Quit
rlm@0 32 :prefix quit-)
rlm@0 33
rlm@0 34 (defn quit-toString
rlm@0 35 [this]
rlm@0 36 (System/exit 0))
rlm@0 37
rlm@1 38
rlm@0 39 (defvar quit (abomination.no-parens.Quit.)
rlm@0 40 "a sneaky way to support a `quit` command")
rlm@0 41 #+end_src
rlm@0 42
rlm@1 43 When you type any variable at the REPL, the REPL attempts to print it
rlm@1 44 as a nicely-formatted string by calling its =toString= method. Our
rlm@1 45 trick is to define a class with a =toString= method that exits the
rlm@1 46 REPL; this trick ensures that any variable of that class will close
rlm@0 47 the REPL when the REPL attempts to print it.
rlm@0 48
rlm@1 49 First, we use =gen-class= to make a new class named Quit; in that same
rlm@1 50 line, we use =:prefix= to establish the convention that any function
rlm@1 51 named =quit-[something]= will be adopted as the =[something]= method
rlm@1 52 for the newly-defined Quit class. We use this convention to write our
rlm@1 53 own =toString= method for Quit.
rlm@0 54
rlm@1 55 Next, we define a suitable =toString= method for the Quit class so
rlm@1 56 that attempting to print an instance of the Quit class has the effect
rlm@1 57 of closing the REPL. We do this by defining a function =quit-toString=
rlm@0 58 which closes the REPL; by the convention established above, the Quit
rlm@1 59 class automatically adopts =quit-toString= as its =toString= method.
rlm@0 60
rlm@0 61 Finally, we use =defvar= to create an instance of the Quit class; we
rlm@0 62 name this instance =quit=. Now when you type =quit= into the REPL, the
rlm@1 63 REPL executes the =toString= method of the Quit class, exiting the
rlm@1 64 REPL instead of returning a string.
rlm@0 65
rlm@0 66 #+begin_src clojure :exports both
rlm@1 67 (binding [*compile-path* "/home/r/proj/abomination/classes"]
rlm@0 68 (compile 'abomination.no-parens))
rlm@1 69
rlm@0 70 #+end_src
rlm@0 71
rlm@0 72 #+results:
rlm@0 73 : abomination.no-parens
rlm@0 74
rlm@0 75 * By wrapping the command in a lazy sequence
rlm@0 76 #+srcname: lazy-seq
rlm@0 77 #+begin_src clojure :results silent
rlm@0 78 (in-ns 'abomination.no-parens)
rlm@0 79 (defvar quit* (lazy-seq :the-great-bringer-of-death! (System/exit 0))
rlm@0 80 "the first time it's evaulated it will kill the JVM")
rlm@0 81 #+end_src
rlm@0 82
rlm@0 83 * By =delay=-ing the command
rlm@0 84 #+srcname: delay
rlm@0 85 #+begin_src clojure :results silent
rlm@0 86 (in-ns 'abomination.no-parens)
rlm@0 87 (defvar quit** (delay (System/exit 0))
rlm@0 88 "when this is evaulated at the REPL, it will exit the JVM.")
rlm@0 89 #+end_src
rlm@0 90
rlm@0 91 The same thing, accomplished in a much more elegant and clojureish
rlm@0 92 way.
rlm@0 93
rlm@0 94 # STUD CRUFT PIZZA
rlm@0 95
rlm@0 96 #+begin_quote
rlm@0 97 And death i think is no parenthesis
rlm@0 98 \mdash{}E. E. Cummings
rlm@0 99 #+end_quote
rlm@1 100
rlm@1 101
rlm@1 102 * COMMENT code generation
rlm@1 103 #+begin_src clojure :tangle ../src/abomination/no_parens.clj :results silent :exports none :noweb yes
rlm@1 104 <<header>>
rlm@1 105 <<toString>>
rlm@1 106 <<lazy-seq>>
rlm@1 107 <<delay>>
rlm@1 108 #+end_src