Guile NEWS --- history of user-visible changes. -*- text -*-
-Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
See the end for copying conditions.
Please send Guile bug reports to bug-guile@gnu.org.
* Changes to the distribution
+** New module (ice-9 stack-catch):
+
+stack-catch is like catch, but saves the current state of the stack in
+the the-last-stack fluid for the debugger to inspect or in able to
+re-throw an error.
+
+** The module (ice-9 and-let*) has been renamed to (ice-9 and-let-star)
+
+This has been done to prevent problems on lesser operating systems
+that can't tolerate `*'s in file names. The exported macro continues
+to be named `and-let*', of course.
+
+On systems that support it, there is also a compatability module named
+(ice-9 and-let*). It will go away in the next release.
+
+** New modules (oop goops) etc.:
+
+ (oop goops)
+ (oop goops describe)
+ (oop goops save)
+ (oop goops active-slot)
+ (oop goops composite-slot)
+
+The Guile Object Oriented Programming System (GOOPS) has been
+integrated into Guile.
+
+Type
+
+ (use-modules (oop goops))
+
+access GOOPS bindings.
+
+We're now ready to try some basic GOOPS functionality.
+
+Generic functions
+
+ (define-method (+ (x <string>) (y <string>))
+ (string-append x y))
+
+ (+ 1 2) --> 3
+ (+ "abc" "de") --> "abcde"
+
+User-defined types
+
+ (define-class <2D-vector> ()
+ (x #:init-value 0 #:accessor x-component #:init-keyword #:x)
+ (y #:init-value 0 #:accessor y-component #:init-keyword #:y))
+
+ (define-method write ((obj <2D-vector>) port)
+ (display (format #f "<~S, ~S>" (x-component obj) (y-component obj))
+ port))
+
+ (define v (make <2D-vector> #:x 3 #:y 4))
+ v --> <3, 4>
+
+ (define-method + ((x <2D-vector>) (y <2D-vector>))
+ (make <2D-vector>
+ #:x (+ (x-component x) (x-component y))
+ #:y (+ (y-component x) (y-component y))))
+
+ (+ v v) --> <6, 8>
+
+Asking for the type of an object
+
+ (class-of v) --> #<<class> <2D-vector> 40241ac0>
+ <2D-vector> --> #<<class> <2D-vector> 40241ac0>
+ (class-of 1) --> #<<class> <integer> 401b2a98>
+ <integer> --> #<<class> <integer> 401b2a98>
+
+ (is-a? v <2D-vector>) --> #t
+
+See further in the GOOPS tutorial available in the guile-doc
+distribution in info (goops.info) and texinfo formats.
+
+** New module (ice-9 rdelim).
+
+This exports the following procedures which were previously defined
+in the default environment:
+
+read-line read-line! read-delimited read-delimited! %read-delimited!
+%read-line write-line
+
+For backwards compatibility the definitions are still imported into the
+default environment in this version of Guile. However you should add:
+
+(use-modules (ice-9 rdelim))
+
+to any program which uses the definitions, since this may change in
+future.
+
+Alternatively, if guile-scsh is installed, the (scsh rdelim) module
+can be used for similar functionality.
+
+** New module (ice-9 match)
+
+This module includes Andrew K. Wright's pattern matcher:
+
+(use-modules (ice-9 match))
+
+(match '(+ 1 2)
+ (('+ x) x)
+ (('+ x y) `(add ,x ,y))
+ (('- x y) `(sub ,x ,y))) => (add 1 2)
+
+See ice-9/match.scm for brief description or
+http://www.star-lab.com/wright/code.html for complete documentation.
+
+This module requires SLIB to be installed and available from Guile.
+
* Changes to the stand-alone interpreter
+** Evaluation of "()", the empty list, is now an error.
+
+Previously, you could for example write (cons 1 ()); now you need to
+be more explicit and write (cons 1 '()).
+
** It's now possible to create modules with controlled environments
Example:
(use-modules (ice-9 safe))
(define m (make-safe-module))
;;; m will now be a module containing only a safe subset of R5RS
-(eval-in-module '(+ 1 2) m) --> 3
-(eval-in-module 'load m) --> ERROR: Unbound variable: load
+(eval '(+ 1 2) m) --> 3
+(eval 'load m) --> ERROR: Unbound variable: load
* Changes to Scheme functions and syntax
+** The module system has been made more disciplined.
+
+The function `eval' will now save and restore the current module
+around the evaluation of the specified expression. While this
+expression is evaluated, `(current-module)' will now return the right
+module, which is the module specified as the second argument to
+`eval'.
+
+A consequence of this change is that `eval' is not particularily
+useful when you want allow the evaluated code to change what module is
+designated as the current module and have this change persist from one
+call to `eval' to the next. The read-eval-print-loop is an example
+where `eval' is now inadequate. To compensate, there is a new
+function `primitive-eval' that does not take a module specifier and
+that does not save/restore the current module. You should use this
+function together with `set-current-module', `current-module', etc
+when you want to have more control over the state that is carried from
+one eval to the next.
+
+Additionally, it has been made sure that forms that are evaluated at
+the top level are always evaluated with respect to the current module.
+Previously, subforms of top-level forms such as `begin', `case',
+etc. did not respect changes to the current module although these
+subforms are at the top-level as well.
+
+To prevent strange behaviour, the forms `define-module',
+`use-modules', `use-syntax', and `export' have been restricted to only
+work on the top level. The forms `define-public' and
+`defmacro-public' only export the new binding on the top level. They
+behave just like `define' and `defmacro', respectively, when they are
+used in a lexical environment.
+
+** `port-for-each' makes an additional guarantee.
+
+From the docstring: @var{proc} is applied exactly once to every port
+that exists in the system at the time @var{port-for-each} is invoked.
+Changes to the port table while @var{port-for-each} is running have no
+effect as far as @var{port-for-each} is concerned.
+
+This guarantee is important to make (ice-9 popen) work reliable.
+
+** The semantics of guardians have changed.
+
+The changes are for the most part compatible. An important criterion
+was to keep the typical usage of guardians as simple as before, but to
+make the semantics safer and (as a result) more useful.
+
+*** All objects returned from guardians are now properly alive.
+
+It is now guaranteed that any object referenced by an object returned
+from a guardian is alive. It's now impossible for a guardian to
+return a "contained" object before its "containing" object.
+
+One incompatible (but probably not very important) change resulting
+from this is that it is no longer possible to guard objects that
+indirectly reference themselves (i.e. are parts of cycles). If you do
+so accidentally, you'll get a warning.
+
+*** There are now two types of guardians: greedy and sharing.
+
+If you call (make-guardian #t) or just (make-guardian), you'll get a
+greedy guardian, and for (make-guardian #f) a sharing guardian.
+
+Greedy guardians are the default because they are more "defensive".
+You can only greedily guard an object once. If you guard an object
+more than once, once in a greedy guardian and the rest of times in
+sharing guardians, then it is guaranteed that the object won't be
+returned from sharing guardians as long as it is greedily guarded
+and/or alive.
+
+Guardians returned by calls to `make-guardian' can now take one more
+optional parameter, which says whether to throw an error in case an
+attempt is made to greedily guard an object that is already greedily
+guarded. The default is true, i.e. throw an error. If the parameter
+is false, the guardian invocation returns #t if guarding was
+successful and #f if it wasn't.
+
+Also, since greedy guarding is, in effect, a side-effecting operation
+on objects, a new function is introduced: `destroy-guardian!'.
+Invoking this function on a guardian renders it unoperative and, if
+the guardian is greedy, clears the "greedily guarded" property of the
+objects that were guarded by it, thus undoing the side effect.
+
+Note that all this hair is hardly very important, since guardian
+objects are usually permanent.
+
+** Escape procedures created by call-with-current-continuation now
+accept any number of arguments, as required by R5RS.
+
+** New function `make-object-property'
+
+This function returns a new `procedure with setter' P that can be used
+to attach a property to objects. When calling P as
+
+ (set! (P obj) val)
+
+where `obj' is any kind of object, it attaches `val' to `obj' in such
+a way that it can be retrieved by calling P as
+
+ (P obj)
+
+This function will replace procedure properties, symbol properties and
+source properties eventually.
+
+** Module (ice-9 optargs) now uses keywords instead of `#&'.
+
+Instead of #&optional, #&key, etc you should now use #:optional,
+#:key, etc. Since #:optional is a keyword, you can write it as just
+:optional when (read-set! keywords 'prefix) is active.
+
+The old reader syntax `#&' is still supported, but deprecated. It
+will be removed in the next release.
+
+** Backward incompatible change: eval EXP ENVIRONMENT-SPECIFIER
+
+`eval' is now R5RS, that is it takes two arguments.
+The second argument is an environment specifier, i.e. either
+
+ (scheme-report-environment 5)
+ (null-environment 5)
+ (interaction-environment)
+
+or
+
+ any module.
+
** New define-module option: pure
Tells the module system not to include any bindings from the root
(define (bar)
...)
+** Deprecated: scm_make_shared_substring
+
+Explicit shared substrings will disappear from Guile.
+
+Instead, "normal" strings will be implemented using sharing
+internally, combined with a copy-on-write strategy.
+
+** Deprecated: scm_read_only_string_p
+
+The concept of read-only strings will disappear in next release of
+Guile.
+
+** Deprecated: scm_sloppy_memq, scm_sloppy_memv, scm_sloppy_member
+
+Instead, use scm_c_memq or scm_memq, scm_memv, scm_member.
+
+** New function: read-string!/partial str [port_or_fdes [start [end]]]
+
+ Read characters from an fport or file descriptor into a string
+ STR. This procedure is scsh-compatible and can efficiently read
+ large strings. It will:
+
+ * attempt to fill the entire string, unless the START and/or
+ END arguments are supplied. i.e., START defaults to 0 and
+ END defaults to `(string-length str)'
+
+ * use the current input port if PORT_OR_FDES is not supplied.
+
+ * read any characters that are currently available, without
+ waiting for the rest (short reads are possible).
+
+ * wait for as long as it needs to for the first character to
+ become available, unless the port is in non-blocking mode
+
+ * return `#f' if end-of-file is encountered before reading any
+ characters, otherwise return the number of characters read.
+
+ * return 0 if the port is in non-blocking mode and no characters
+ are immediately available.
+
+ * return 0 if the request is for 0 bytes, with no end-of-file
+ check
+
+** New function: port? X
+
+Returns a boolean indicating whether X is a port. Equivalent to
+`(or (input-port? X) (output-port? X))'.
+
+** New function: file-port?
+
+Determines whether a given object is a port that is related to a file.
+
+** New function: port-for-each proc
+
+Apply PROC to each port in the Guile port table in turn. The
+return value is unspecified.
+
+** New function: dup2 oldfd newfd
+
+A simple wrapper for the `dup2' system call. Copies the file
+descriptor OLDFD to descriptor number NEWFD, replacing the
+previous meaning of NEWFD. Both OLDFD and NEWFD must be integers.
+Unlike for dup->fdes or primitive-move->fdes, no attempt is made
+to move away ports which are using NEWFD. The return value is
+unspecified.
+
+** New function: close-fdes fd
+
+A simple wrapper for the `close' system call. Close file
+descriptor FD, which must be an integer. Unlike close (*note
+close: Ports and File Descriptors.), the file descriptor will be
+closed even if a port is using it. The return value is
+unspecified.
+
+** Deprecated: close-all-ports-except. This was intended for closing
+ports in a child process after a fork, but it has the undesirable side
+effect of flushing buffers. port-for-each is more flexible.
+
+** The (ice-9 popen) module now attempts to set up file descriptors in
+the child process from the current Scheme ports, instead of using the
+current values of file descriptors 0, 1, and 2 in the parent process.
+
+** Removed function: builtin-weak-bindings
+
+There is no such concept as a weak binding any more.
+
+** Removed constants: bignum-radix, scm-line-incrementors
+
* Changes to the gh_ interface
* Changes to the scm_ interface
+** New function: scm_c_read (SCM port, void *buffer, scm_sizet size)
+
+Used by an application to read arbitrary number of bytes from a port.
+Same semantics as libc read, except that scm_c_read only returns less
+than SIZE bytes if at end-of-file.
+
+Warning: Doesn't update port line and column counts!
+
+** New function: scm_c_write (SCM port, const void *ptr, scm_sizet size)
+
+Used by an application to write arbitrary number of bytes to an SCM
+port. Similar semantics as libc write. However, unlike libc
+write, scm_c_write writes the requested number of bytes and has no
+return value.
+
+Warning: Doesn't update port line and column counts!
+
+** New function: scm_init_guile ()
+
+In contrast to scm_boot_guile, scm_init_guile will return normally
+after initializing Guile. It is not available on all systems, tho.
+
+** New functions: scm_str2symbol, scm_mem2symbol
+
+The function scm_str2symbol takes a const char* pointing to a zero-terminated
+field of characters and creates a scheme symbol object from that C string.
+The function scm_mem2symbol takes a const char* and a number of characters and
+creates a symbol from the characters in that memory area.
+
+** New functions: scm_primitive_make_property
+ scm_primitive_property_ref
+ scm_primitive_property_set_x
+ scm_primitive_property_del_x
+
+These functions implement a new way to deal with object properties.
+See libguile/properties.c for their documentation.
+
+** New function: scm_done_free (long size)
+
+This function is the inverse of scm_done_malloc. Use it to report the
+amount of smob memory you free. The previous method, which involved
+calling scm_done_malloc with negative argument, was somewhat
+unintuitive (and is still available, of course).
+
+** New function: scm_c_memq (SCM obj, SCM list)
+
+This function provides a fast C level alternative for scm_memq for the case
+that the list parameter is known to be a proper list. The function is a
+replacement for scm_sloppy_memq, but is stricter in its requirements on its
+list input parameter, since for anything else but a proper list the function's
+behaviour is undefined - it may even crash or loop endlessly. Further, for
+the case that the object is not found in the list, scm_c_memq returns #f which
+is similar to scm_memq, but different from scm_sloppy_memq's behaviour.
+
+** New functions: scm_remember_upto_here_1, scm_remember_upto_here_2,
+scm_remember_upto_here
+
+These functions replace the function scm_remember.
+
+** Deprecated function: scm_remember
+
+Use one of the new functions scm_remember_upto_here_1,
+scm_remember_upto_here_2 or scm_remember_upto_here instead.
+
** New global variable scm_gc_running_p introduced.
Use this variable to find out if garbage collection is being executed. Up to
may change. Further, scm_gc_heap_lock is not set throughout gc, thus the use
of this variable is (and has been) not fully safe anyway.
+** New macros: SCM_BITVECTOR_MAX_LENGTH, SCM_UVECTOR_MAX_LENGTH
+
+Use these instead of SCM_LENGTH_MAX.
+
+** New macros: SCM_CONTINUATION_LENGTH, SCM_CCLO_LENGTH, SCM_STACK_LENGTH,
+SCM_STRING_LENGTH, SCM_SYMBOL_LENGTH, SCM_UVECTOR_LENGTH,
+SCM_BITVECTOR_LENGTH, SCM_VECTOR_LENGTH.
+
+Use these instead of SCM_LENGTH.
+
+** New macros: SCM_SET_CONTINUATION_LENGTH, SCM_SET_STRING_LENGTH,
+SCM_SET_SYMBOL_LENGTH, SCM_SET_VECTOR_LENGTH, SCM_SET_UVECTOR_LENGTH,
+SCM_SET_BITVECTOR_LENGTH
+
+Use these instead of SCM_SETLENGTH
+
+** New macros: SCM_STRING_CHARS, SCM_SYMBOL_CHARS, SCM_CCLO_BASE,
+SCM_VECTOR_BASE, SCM_UVECTOR_BASE, SCM_BITVECTOR_BASE, SCM_COMPLEX_MEM,
+SCM_ARRAY_MEM
+
+Use these instead of SCM_CHARS, SCM_UCHARS, SCM_ROCHARS, SCM_ROUCHARS or
+SCM_VELTS.
+
+** New macros: SCM_SET_BIGNUM_BASE, SCM_SET_STRING_CHARS,
+SCM_SET_SYMBOL_CHARS, SCM_SET_UVECTOR_BASE, SCM_SET_BITVECTOR_BASE,
+SCM_SET_VECTOR_BASE
+
+Use these instead of SCM_SETCHARS.
+
+** New macro: SCM_BITVECTOR_P
+
+** New macro: SCM_STRING_COERCE_0TERMINATION_X
+
+Use instead of SCM_COERCE_SUBSTR.
+
+** New macros: SCM_DIR_OPEN_P, SCM_DIR_FLAG_OPEN
+
+For directory objects, use these instead of SCM_OPDIRP and SCM_OPN.
+
** Deprecated macros: SCM_OUTOFRANGE, SCM_NALLOC, SCM_HUP_SIGNAL,
SCM_INT_SIGNAL, SCM_FPE_SIGNAL, SCM_BUS_SIGNAL, SCM_SEGV_SIGNAL,
SCM_ALRM_SIGNAL, SCM_GC_SIGNAL, SCM_TICK_SIGNAL, SCM_SIG_ORD,
-SCM_ORD_SIG, SCM_NUM_SIGS
+SCM_ORD_SIG, SCM_NUM_SIGS, SCM_SYMBOL_SLOTS, SCM_SLOTS, SCM_SLOPPY_STRINGP,
+SCM_VALIDATE_STRINGORSUBSTR, SCM_FREEP, SCM_NFREEP, SCM_CHARS, SCM_UCHARS,
+SCM_VALIDATE_ROSTRING, SCM_VALIDATE_ROSTRING_COPY,
+SCM_VALIDATE_NULLORROSTRING_COPY, SCM_ROLENGTH, SCM_LENGTH, SCM_HUGE_LENGTH,
+SCM_SUBSTRP, SCM_SUBSTR_STR, SCM_SUBSTR_OFFSET, SCM_COERCE_SUBSTR,
+SCM_ROSTRINGP, SCM_RWSTRINGP, SCM_VALIDATE_RWSTRING, SCM_ROCHARS,
+SCM_ROUCHARS, SCM_SETLENGTH, SCM_SETCHARS, SCM_LENGTH_MAX, SCM_GC8MARKP,
+SCM_SETGC8MARK, SCM_CLRGC8MARK, SCM_GCTYP16, SCM_GCCDR, SCM_SUBR_DOC,
+SCM_OPDIRP, SCM_VALIDATE_OPDIR
Use SCM_ASSERT_RANGE or SCM_VALIDATE_XXX_RANGE instead of SCM_OUTOFRANGE.
Use scm_memory_error instead of SCM_NALLOC.
+Use SCM_STRINGP instead of SCM_SLOPPY_STRINGP.
+Use SCM_VALIDATE_STRING instead of SCM_VALIDATE_STRINGORSUBSTR.
+Use SCM_FREE_CELL_P instead of SCM_FREEP/SCM_NFREEP
+Use a type specific accessor macro instead of SCM_CHARS/SCM_UCHARS.
+Use a type specific accessor instead of SCM(_|_RO|_HUGE_)LENGTH.
+Use SCM_VALIDATE_(SYMBOL|STRING) instead of SCM_VALIDATE_ROSTRING.
+Use SCM_STRING_COERCE_0TERMINATION_X instead of SCM_COERCE_SUBSTR.
+Use SCM_STRINGP or SCM_SYMBOLP instead of SCM_ROSTRINGP.
+Use SCM_STRINGP instead of SCM_RWSTRINGP.
+Use SCM_VALIDATE_STRING instead of SCM_VALIDATE_RWSTRING.
+Use SCM_STRING_CHARS instead of SCM_ROCHARS.
+Use SCM_STRING_UCHARS instead of SCM_ROUCHARS.
+Use a type specific setter macro instead of SCM_SETLENGTH.
+Use a type specific setter macro instead of SCM_SETCHARS.
+Use a type specific length macro instead of SCM_LENGTH_MAX.
+Use SCM_GCMARKP instead of SCM_GC8MARKP.
+Use SCM_SETGCMARK instead of SCM_SETGC8MARK.
+Use SCM_CLRGCMARK instead of SCM_CLRGC8MARK.
+Use SCM_TYP16 instead of SCM_GCTYP16.
+Use SCM_CDR instead of SCM_GCCDR.
+Use SCM_DIR_OPEN_P instead of SCM_OPDIRP.
+
+** Removed function: scm_struct_init
+
+** Removed variable: scm_symhash_dim
+
+** Renamed function: scm_make_cont has been replaced by
+scm_make_continuation, which has a different interface.
+
+** Deprecated function: scm_call_catching_errors
+
+Use scm_catch or scm_lazy_catch from throw.[ch] instead.
+
+** Deprecated function: scm_strhash
+
+Use scm_string_hash instead.
+
+** Deprecated function: scm_vector_set_length_x
+
+Instead, create a fresh vector of the desired size and copy the contents.
+
+** scm_gensym has changed prototype
+
+scm_gensym now only takes one argument.
+
+** New function: scm_gentemp (SCM prefix, SCM obarray)
+
+The builtin `gentemp' has now become a primitive.
+
+** Deprecated type tags: scm_tc7_ssymbol, scm_tc7_msymbol, scm_tcs_symbols,
+scm_tc7_lvector
+
+There is now only a single symbol type scm_tc7_symbol.
+The tag scm_tc7_lvector was not used anyway.
+
+** Deprecated function: scm_make_smob_type_mfpe, scm_set_smob_mfpe.
+
+Use scm_make_smob_type and scm_set_smob_XXX instead.
+
+** New function scm_set_smob_apply.
+
+This can be used to set an apply function to a smob type.
\f
Changes since Guile 1.3.4:
** New constants: vtable-index-layout, vtable-index-vtable, vtable-index-printer
-** There is now a fourth (optional) argument to make-vtable-vtable and
- make-struct when constructing new types (vtables). This argument
- initializes field vtable-index-printer of the vtable.
+** There is now a third optional argument to make-vtable-vtable
+ (and fourth to make-struct) when constructing new types (vtables).
+ This argument initializes field vtable-index-printer of the vtable.
** The detection of circular references has been extended to structs.
That is, a structure that -- in the process of being printed -- prints
HCoop / bpt / guile.git / blobdiff