Fixed problem with (- 1). Unary operator "-" didn't like number constants.
[clinton/parenscript.git] / docs / reference.lisp
1 ;;;# ParenScript Language Reference
2
3 ;;; This chapters describes the core constructs of ParenScript, as
4 ;;; well as its compilation model. This chapter is aimed to be a
5 ;;; comprehensive reference for ParenScript developers. Programmers
6 ;;; looking for how to tweak the ParenScript compiler itself should
7 ;;; turn to the ParenScript Internals chapter.
8
9 ;;;# Statements and Expressions
10 ;;;t \index{statement}
11 ;;;t \index{expression}
12
13 ;;; In contrast to Lisp, where everything is an expression, JavaScript
14 ;;; makes the difference between an expression, which evaluates to a
15 ;;; value, and a statement, which has no value. Examples for
16 ;;; JavaScript statements are `for', `with' and `while'. Most
17 ;;; ParenScript forms are expression, but certain special forms are
18 ;;; not (the forms which are transformed to a JavaScript
19 ;;; statement). All ParenScript expressions are statements
20 ;;; though. Certain forms, like `IF' and `PROGN', generate different
21 ;;; JavaScript constructs whether they are used in an expression
22 ;;; context or a statement context. For example:
23
24 (+ i (if 1 2 3)) => i + (1 ? 2 : 3)
25
26 (if 1 2 3)
27 => if (1) {
28 2;
29 } else {
30 3;
31 }
32
33 ;;;# Symbol conversion
34 ;;;t \index{symbol}
35 ;;;t \index{symbol conversion}
36
37 ;;; Lisp symbols are converted to JavaScript symbols by following a
38 ;;; few simple rules. Special characters `!', `?', `#', `@', `%',
39 ;;; '/', `*' and `+' get replaced by their written-out equivalents
40 ;;; "bang", "what", "hash", "at", "percent", "slash",
41 ;;; "start" and "plus" respectively. The `$' character is untouched.
42
43 !?#@% => bangwhathashatpercent
44
45 ;;; The `-' is an indication that the following character should be
46 ;;; converted to uppercase. Thus, `-' separated symbols are converted
47 ;;; to camelcase. The `_' character however is left untouched.
48
49 bla-foo-bar => blaFooBar
50
51 ;;; If you want a JavaScript symbol beginning with an uppercase, you
52 ;;; can either use a leading `-', which can be misleading in a
53 ;;; mathematical context, or a leading `*'.
54
55 *array => Array
56
57 ;;; The `.' character is left as is in symbols. This allows the
58 ;;; ParenScript programmer to use a practical shortcut when accessing
59 ;;; slots or methods of JavaScript objects. Instead of writing
60
61 (slot-value foobar 'slot)
62
63 ;;; we can write
64
65 foobar.slot
66
67 ;;; A symbol beggining and ending with `+' or `*' is converted to all
68 ;;; uppercase, to signify that this is a constant or a global
69 ;;; variable.
70
71 *global-array* => GLOBALARRAY
72
73 *global-array*.length => GLOBALARRAY.length
74
75 ;;;## Reserved Keywords
76 ;;;t \index{keyword}
77 ;;;t \index{reserved keywords}
78
79 ;;; The following keywords and symbols are reserved in ParenScript,
80 ;;; and should not be used as variable names.
81
82 ! ~ ++ -- * / % + - << >> >>> < > <= >= == != ==== !== & ^ | && ||
83 *= /= %= += -= <<= >>= >>>= &= ^= |= 1- 1+
84 ABSTRACT AND AREF ARRAY BOOLEAN BREAK BYTE CASE CATCH CC-IF CHAR CLASS
85 COMMA CONST CONTINUE CREATE DEBUGGER DECF DEFAULT DEFUN DEFVAR DELETE
86 DO DOEACH DOLIST DOTIMES DOUBLE ELSE ENUM EQL EXPORT EXTENDS FALSE
87 FINAL FINALLY FLOAT FLOOR FOR FUNCTION GOTO IF IMPLEMENTS IMPORT IN INCF
88 INSTANCEOF INT INTERFACE JS LAMBDA LET LISP LIST LONG MAKE-ARRAY NATIVE NEW
89 NIL NOT OR PACKAGE PRIVATE PROGN PROTECTED PUBLIC RANDOM REGEX RETURN
90 SETF SHORT SLOT-VALUE STATIC SUPER SWITCH SYMBOL-MACROLET SYNCHRONIZED T
91 THIS THROW THROWS TRANSIENT TRY TYPEOF UNDEFINED UNLESS VAR VOID VOLATILE
92 WHEN WHILE WITH WITH-SLOTS
93
94 ;;;# Literal values
95 ;;;t \index{literal value}
96
97 ;;;## Number literals
98 ;;;t \index{number}
99 ;;;t \index{number literal}
100
101 ; number ::= a Lisp number
102
103 ;;;
104 ;;; ParenScript supports the standard JavaScript literal
105 ;;; values. Numbers are compiled into JavaScript numbers.
106
107 1 => 1
108
109 123.123 => 123.123
110
111 ;;; Note that the base is not conserved between Lisp and JavaScript.
112
113 #x10 => 16
114
115 ;;;## String literals
116 ;;;t \index{string}
117 ;;;t \index{string literal}
118
119 ; string ::= a Lisp string
120
121 ;;; Lisp strings are converted into JavaScript literals.
122
123 "foobar" => 'foobar'
124
125 "bratzel bub" => 'bratzel bub'
126
127 ;;; Escapes in Lisp are not converted to JavaScript escapes. However,
128 ;;; to avoid having to use double backslashes when constructing a
129 ;;; string, you can use the CL-INTERPOL library by Edi Weitz.
130
131 ;;;## Array literals
132 ;;;t \index{array}
133 ;;;t \index{ARRAY}
134 ;;;t \index{MAKE-ARRAY}
135 ;;;t \index{AREF}
136 ;;;t \index{array literal}
137
138 ; (ARRAY {values}*)
139 ; (MAKE-ARRAY {values}*)
140 ; (AREF array index)
141 ;
142 ; values ::= a ParenScript expression
143 ; array ::= a ParenScript expression
144 ; index ::= a ParenScript expression
145
146 ;;; Array literals can be created using the `ARRAY' form.
147
148 (array) => [ ]
149
150 (array 1 2 3) => [ 1, 2, 3 ]
151
152 (array (array 2 3)
153 (array "foobar" "bratzel bub"))
154 => [ [ 2, 3 ], [ 'foobar', 'bratzel bub' ] ]
155
156 ;;; Arrays can also be created with a call to the `Array' function
157 ;;; using the `MAKE-ARRAY'. The two forms have the exact same semantic
158 ;;; on the JavaScript side.
159
160 (make-array) => new Array()
161
162 (make-array 1 2 3) => new Array(1, 2, 3)
163
164 (make-array
165 (make-array 2 3)
166 (make-array "foobar" "bratzel bub"))
167 => new Array(new Array(2, 3), new Array('foobar', 'bratzel bub'))
168
169 ;;; Indexing arrays in ParenScript is done using the form `AREF'. Note
170 ;;; that JavaScript knows of no such thing as an array. Subscripting
171 ;;; an array is in fact reading a property from an object. So in a
172 ;;; semantic sense, there is no real difference between `AREF' and
173 ;;; `SLOT-VALUE'.
174
175 ;;;## Object literals
176 ;;;t \index{CREATE}
177 ;;;t \index{SLOT-VALUE}
178 ;;;t \index{WITH-SLOTS}
179 ;;;t \index{object literal}
180 ;;;t \index{object}
181 ;;;t \index{object property}
182 ;;;t \index{property}
183
184 ; (CREATE {name value}*)
185 ; (SLOT-VALUE object slot-name)
186 ; (WITH-SLOTS ({slot-name}*) object body)
187 ;
188 ; name ::= a ParenScript symbol or a Lisp keyword
189 ; value ::= a ParenScript expression
190 ; object ::= a ParenScript object expression
191 ; slot-name ::= a quoted Lisp symbol
192 ; body ::= a list of ParenScript statements
193
194 ;;;
195 ;;; Object literals can be create using the `CREATE' form. Arguments
196 ;;; to the `CREATE' form is a list of property names and values. To be
197 ;;; more "lispy", the property names can be keywords.
198
199 (create :foo "bar" :blorg 1)
200 => { foo : 'bar',
201 blorg : 1 }
202
203 (create :foo "hihi"
204 :blorg (array 1 2 3)
205 :another-object (create :schtrunz 1))
206 => { foo : 'hihi',
207 blorg : [ 1, 2, 3 ],
208 anotherObject : { schtrunz : 1 } }
209
210 ;;; Object properties can be accessed using the `SLOT-VALUE' form,
211 ;;; which takes an object and a slot-name.
212
213 (slot-value an-object 'foo) => anObject.foo
214
215 ;;; A programmer can also use the "." symbol notation explained above.
216
217 an-object.foo => anObject.foo
218
219 ;;; The form `WITH-SLOTS' can be used to bind the given slot-name
220 ;;; symbols to a macro that will expand into a `SLOT-VALUE' form at
221 ;;; expansion time.
222
223 (with-slots (a b c) this
224 (+ a b c))
225 => this.a + this.b + this.c;
226
227 ;;;## Regular Expression literals
228 ;;;t \index{REGEX}
229 ;;;t \index{regular expression}
230 ;;;t \index{CL-INTERPOL}
231
232 ; (REGEX regex)
233 ;
234 ; regex ::= a Lisp string
235
236 ;;; Regular expressions can be created by using the `REGEX' form. If
237 ;;; the argument does not start with a slash, it is surrounded by
238 ;;; slashes to make it a proper JavaScript regex. If the argument
239 ;;; starts with a slash it is left as it is. This makes it possible
240 ;;; to use modifiers such as slash-i (case-insensitive) or
241 ;;; slash-g (match-globally (all)).
242
243 (regex "foobar") => /foobar/
244
245 (regex "/foobar/i") => /foobar/i
246
247 ;;; Here CL-INTERPOL proves really useful.
248
249 (regex #?r"/([^\s]+)foobar/i") => /([^\s]+)foobar/i
250
251 ;;;## Literal symbols
252 ;;;t \index{T}
253 ;;;t \index{FALSE}
254 ;;;t \index{NIL}
255 ;;;t \index{UNDEFINED}
256 ;;;t \index{THIS}
257 ;;;t \index{literal symbols}
258 ;;;t \index{null}
259 ;;;t \index{true}
260
261 ; T, FALSE, NIL, UNDEFINED, THIS
262
263 ;;; The Lisp symbols `T' and `FALSE' are converted to their JavaScript
264 ;;; boolean equivalents `true' and `false'.
265
266 T => true
267
268 FALSE => false
269
270 ;;; The Lisp symbol `NIL' is converted to the JavaScript keyword
271 ;;; `null'.
272
273 NIL => null
274
275 ;;; The Lisp symbol `UNDEFINED' is converted to the JavaScript keyword
276 ;;; `undefined'.
277
278 UNDEFINED => undefined
279
280 ;;; The Lisp symbol `THIS' is converted to the JavaScript keyword
281 ;;; `this'.
282
283 THIS => this
284
285 ;;;# Variables
286 ;;;t \index{variable}
287 ;;;t \index{symbol}
288
289 ; variable ::= a Lisp symbol
290
291 ;;; All the other literal Lisp values that are not recognized as
292 ;;; special forms or symbol macros are converted to JavaScript
293 ;;; variables. This extreme freedom is actually quite useful, as it
294 ;;; allows the ParenScript programmer to be flexible, as flexible as
295 ;;; JavaScript itself.
296
297 variable => variable
298
299 a-variable => aVariable
300
301 *math => Math
302
303 *math.floor => Math.floor
304
305 ;;;# Function calls and method calls
306 ;;;t \index{function}
307 ;;;t \index{function call}
308 ;;;t \index{method}
309 ;;;t \index{method call}
310
311 ; (function {argument}*)
312 ; (method object {argument}*)
313 ;
314 ; function ::= a ParenScript expression or a Lisp symbol
315 ; method ::= a Lisp symbol beginning with .
316 ; object ::= a ParenScript expression
317 ; argument ::= a ParenScript expression
318
319 ;;; Any list passed to the JavaScript that is not recognized as a
320 ;;; macro or a special form (see "Macro Expansion" below) is
321 ;;; interpreted as a function call. The function call is converted to
322 ;;; the normal JavaScript function call representation, with the
323 ;;; arguments given in paren after the function name.
324
325 (blorg 1 2) => blorg(1, 2)
326
327 (foobar (blorg 1 2) (blabla 3 4) (array 2 3 4))
328 => foobar(blorg(1, 2), blabla(3, 4), [ 2, 3, 4 ])
329
330 ((aref foo i) 1 2) => foo[i](1, 2)
331
332 ;;; A method call is a function call where the function name is a
333 ;;; symbol and begins with a "." . In a method call, the name of the
334 ;;; function is append to its first argument, thus reflecting the
335 ;;; method call syntax of JavaScript. Please note that most method
336 ;;; calls can be abbreviated using the "." trick in symbol names (see
337 ;;; "Symbol Conversion" above).
338
339 (.blorg this 1 2) => this.blorg(1, 2)
340
341 (this.blorg 1 2) => this.blorg(1, 2)
342
343 (.blorg (aref foobar 1) NIL T)
344 => foobar[1].blorg(null, true)
345
346 ;;;# Operator Expressions
347 ;;;t \index{operator}
348 ;;;t \index{operator expression}
349 ;;;t \index{assignment operator}
350 ;;;t \index{EQL}
351 ;;;t \index{NOT}
352 ;;;t \index{AND}
353 ;;;t \index{OR}
354
355 ; (operator {argument}*)
356 ; (single-operator argument)
357 ;
358 ; operator ::= one of *, /, %, +, -, <<, >>, >>>, < >, EQL,
359 ; ==, !=, =, ===, !==, &, ^, |, &&, AND, ||, OR.
360 ; single-operator ::= one of INCF, DECF, ++, --, NOT, !
361 ; argument ::= a ParenScript expression
362
363 ;;; Operator forms are similar to function call forms, but have an
364 ;;; operator as function name.
365 ;;;
366 ;;; Please note that `=' is converted to `==' in JavaScript. The `='
367 ;;; ParenScript operator is not the assignment operator. Unlike
368 ;;; JavaScript, ParenScript supports multiple arguments to the
369 ;;; operators.
370
371 (* 1 2) => 1 * 2
372
373 (= 1 2) => 1 == 2
374
375 (eql 1 2) => 1 == 2
376
377 ;;; Note that the resulting expression is correctly parenthesized,
378 ;;; according to the JavaScript operator precedence that can be found
379 ;;; in table form at:
380
381 http://www.codehouse.com/javascript/precedence/
382
383 (* 1 (+ 2 3 4) 4 (/ 6 7))
384 => 1 * (2 + 3 + 4) * 4 * (6 / 7)
385
386 ;;; The pre increment and decrement operators are also
387 ;;; available. `INCF' and `DECF' are the pre-incrementing and
388 ;;; pre-decrementing operators. These operators can
389 ;;; take only one argument.
390
391 (incf i) => ++i
392
393 (decf i) => --i
394
395 ;;; The `1+' and `1-' operators are shortforms for adding and
396 ;;; substracting 1.
397
398 (1- i) => i - 1
399
400 (1+ i) => i + 1
401
402 ;;; The `not' operator actually optimizes the code a bit. If `not' is
403 ;;; used on another boolean-returning operator, the operator is
404 ;;; reversed.
405
406 (not (< i 2)) => i >= 2
407
408 (not (eql i 2)) => i != 2
409
410 ;;;# Body forms
411 ;;;t \index{body form}
412 ;;;t \index{PROGN}
413 ;;;t \index{body statement}
414
415 ; (PROGN {statement}*) in statement context
416 ; (PROGN {expression}*) in expression context
417 ;
418 ; statement ::= a ParenScript statement
419 ; expression ::= a ParenScript expression
420
421 ;;; The `PROGN' special form defines a sequence of statements when
422 ;;; used in a statement context, or sequence of expression when used
423 ;;; in an expression context. The `PROGN' special form is added
424 ;;; implicitly around the branches of conditional executions forms,
425 ;;; function declarations and iteration constructs.
426
427 ;;; For example, in a statement context:
428
429 (progn (blorg i) (blafoo i))
430 => blorg(i);
431 blafoo(i);
432
433 ;;; In an expression context:
434
435 (+ i (progn (blorg i) (blafoo i)))
436 => i + (blorg(i), blafoo(i))
437
438 ;;; A `PROGN' form doesn't lead to additional indentation or
439 ;;; additional braces around it's body.
440
441 ;;;# Function Definition
442 ;;;t \index{function}
443 ;;;t \index{method}
444 ;;;t \index{function definition}
445 ;;;t \index{DEFUN}
446 ;;;t \index{LAMBDA}
447 ;;;t \index{closure}
448 ;;;t \index{anonymous function}
449
450 ; (DEFUN name ({argument}*) body)
451 ; (LAMBDA ({argument}*) body)
452 ;
453 ; name ::= a Lisp Symbol
454 ; argument ::= a Lisp symbol
455 ; body ::= a list of ParenScript statements
456
457 ;;; As in Lisp, functions are defined using the `DEFUN' form, which
458 ;;; takes a name, a list of arguments, and a function body. An
459 ;;; implicit `PROGN' is added around the body statements.
460
461 (defun a-function (a b)
462 (return (+ a b)))
463 => function aFunction(a, b) {
464 return a + b;
465 }
466
467 ;;; Anonymous functions can be created using the `LAMBDA' form, which
468 ;;; is the same as `DEFUN', but without function name. In fact,
469 ;;; `LAMBDA' creates a `DEFUN' with an empty function name.
470
471 (lambda (a b) (return (+ a b)))
472 => function (a, b) {
473 return a + b;
474 }
475
476 ;;;# Assignment
477 ;;;t \index{assignment}
478 ;;;t \index{SETF}
479 ;;;t \index{DEFSETF}
480 ;;;t \index{assignment operator}
481
482 ; (SETF {lhs rhs}*)
483 ;
484 ; lhs ::= a ParenScript left hand side expression
485 ; rhs ::= a ParenScript expression
486
487 ;;; Assignment is done using the `SETF' form, which is transformed
488 ;;; into a series of assignments using the JavaScript `=' operator.
489
490 (setf a 1) => a = 1;
491
492 (setf a 2 b 3 c 4 x (+ a b c))
493 => a = 2;
494 b = 3;
495 c = 4;
496 x = a + b + c;
497
498 ;;; The `SETF' form can transform assignments of a variable with an
499 ;;; operator expression using this variable into a more "efficient"
500 ;;; assignment operator form. For example:
501
502 (setf a (1+ a)) => a++;
503
504 (setf a (+ a 2 3 4 a)) => a += 2 + 3 + 4 + a;
505
506 (setf a (- 1 a)) => a = 1 - a;
507
508 ;;; New types of setf places can be defined in one of two ways: using
509 ;;; `DEFSETF' or using `DEFUN' with a setf function name; both are
510 ;;; analogous to their Common Lisp counterparts.
511
512 ;;; `DEFSETF' supports both long and short forms, while `DEFUN' of a
513 ;;; setf place generates a JavaScript function name with the __setf_
514 ;;; prefix:
515
516 (defun (setf color) (new-color el)
517 (setf (slot-value (slot-value el 'style) 'color) new-color))
518 => function __setf_color(newColor, el) {
519 el.style.color = newColor;
520 };
521
522 (setf (color some-div) (+ 23 "em"))
523 => var _js2 = someDiv;
524 var _js1 = 23 + 'em';
525 __setf_color(_js1, _js2);
526
527
528 ;;; Note that temporary variables are generated to preserve evaluation
529 ;;; order of the arguments as they would be in Lisp.
530
531 ;;; The following example illustrates how setf places can be used to
532 ;;; provide a uniform protocol for positioning elements in HTML pages:
533
534 (defsetf left (el) (offset)
535 `(setf (slot-value (slot-value ,el 'style) 'left) ,offset)) => null
536
537 (setf (left some-div) (+ 123 "px"))
538 => var _js2 = someDiv;
539 var _js1 = 123 + 'px';
540 _js2.style.left = _js1;
541
542 (progn (defmacro left (el)
543 `(slot-value ,el 'offset-left))
544 (left some-div))
545 => someDiv.offsetLeft;
546
547 ;;;# Single argument statements
548 ;;;t \index{single-argument statement}
549 ;;;t \index{RETURN}
550 ;;;t \index{THROW}
551 ;;;t \index{THROW}
552 ;;;t \index{function}
553
554 ; (RETURN {value}?)
555 ; (THROW {value}?)
556 ;
557 ; value ::= a ParenScript expression
558
559 ;;; The single argument statements `return' and `throw' are generated
560 ;;; by the form `RETURN' and `THROW'. `THROW' has to be used inside a
561 ;;; `TRY' form. `RETURN' is used to return a value from a function
562 ;;; call.
563
564 (return 1) => return 1
565
566 (throw "foobar") => throw 'foobar'
567
568 ;;;# Single argument expression
569 ;;;t \index{single-argument expression}
570 ;;;t \index{object creation}
571 ;;;t \index{object deletion}
572 ;;;t \index{DELETE}
573 ;;;t \index{VOID}
574 ;;;t \index{TYPEOF}
575 ;;;t \index{INSTANCEOF}
576 ;;;t \index{NEW}
577 ;;;t \index{new}
578
579 ; (DELETE {value})
580 ; (VOID {value})
581 ; (TYPEOF {value})
582 ; (INSTANCEOF {value})
583 ; (NEW {value})
584 ;
585 ; value ::= a ParenScript expression
586
587 ;;; The single argument expressions `delete', `void', `typeof',
588 ;;; `instanceof' and `new' are generated by the forms `DELETE',
589 ;;; `VOID', `TYPEOF', `INSTANCEOF' and `NEW'. They all take a
590 ;;; ParenScript expression.
591
592 (delete (new (*foobar 2 3 4))) => delete new Foobar(2, 3, 4)
593
594 (if (= (typeof blorg) *string)
595 (alert (+ "blorg is a string: " blorg))
596 (alert "blorg is not a string"))
597 => if (typeof blorg == String) {
598 alert('blorg is a string: ' + blorg);
599 } else {
600 alert('blorg is not a string');
601 }
602
603 ;;;# Conditional Statements
604 ;;;t \index{conditional statements}
605 ;;;t \index{IF}
606 ;;;t \index{WHEN}
607 ;;;t \index{UNLESS}
608 ;;;t \index{conditionals}
609
610 ; (IF conditional then {else})
611 ; (WHEN condition then)
612 ; (UNLESS condition then)
613 ;
614 ; condition ::= a ParenScript expression
615 ; then ::= a ParenScript statement in statement context, a
616 ; ParenScript expression in expression context
617 ; else ::= a ParenScript statement in statement context, a
618 ; ParenScript expression in expression context
619
620 ;;; The `IF' form compiles to the `if' javascript construct. An
621 ;;; explicit `PROGN' around the then branch and the else branch is
622 ;;; needed if they consist of more than one statement. When the `IF'
623 ;;; form is used in an expression context, a JavaScript `?', `:'
624 ;;; operator form is generated.
625
626 (if (blorg.is-correct)
627 (progn (carry-on) (return i))
628 (alert "blorg is not correct!"))
629 => if (blorg.isCorrect()) {
630 carryOn();
631 return i;
632 } else {
633 alert('blorg is not correct!');
634 }
635
636 (+ i (if (blorg.add-one) 1 2))
637 => i + (blorg.addOne() ? 1 : 2)
638
639 ;;; The `WHEN' and `UNLESS' forms can be used as shortcuts for the
640 ;;; `IF' form.
641
642 (when (blorg.is-correct)
643 (carry-on)
644 (return i))
645 => if (blorg.isCorrect()) {
646 carryOn();
647 return i;
648 }
649
650 (unless (blorg.is-correct)
651 (alert "blorg is not correct!"))
652 => if (!blorg.isCorrect()) {
653 alert('blorg is not correct!');
654 }
655
656 ;;;# Variable declaration
657 ;;;t \index{variable}
658 ;;;t \index{variable declaration}
659 ;;;t \index{binding}
660 ;;;t \index{scoping}
661 ;;;t \index{DEFVAR}
662 ;;;t \index{LET}
663
664 ; (DEFVAR var {value}?)
665 ; (LET ({var | (var value)) body)
666 ;
667 ; var ::= a Lisp symbol
668 ; value ::= a ParenScript expression
669 ; body ::= a list of ParenScript statements
670
671 ;;; Variables (either local or global) can be declared using the
672 ;;; `DEFVAR' form, which is similar to its equivalent form in
673 ;;; Lisp. The `DEFVAR' is converted to "var ... = ..." form in
674 ;;; JavaScript.
675
676 (defvar *a* (array 1 2 3)) => var A = [ 1, 2, 3 ]
677
678 (if (= i 1)
679 (progn (defvar blorg "hallo")
680 (alert blorg))
681 (progn (defvar blorg "blitzel")
682 (alert blorg)))
683 => if (i == 1) {
684 var blorg = 'hallo';
685 alert(blorg);
686 } else {
687 var blorg = 'blitzel';
688 alert(blorg);
689 }
690
691 ;;; Another way to declare local variables is to use the `LET' form.
692 ;;; Note that the ParenScript `LET' compiles to a straightforward
693 ;;; assignment and does not have lexical-scoping semantics, unlike its
694 ;;; Lisp cousin.
695
696 (if (= i 1)
697 (let ((blorg "hallo"))
698 (alert blorg))
699 (let ((blorg "blitzel"))
700 (alert blorg)))
701 => if (i == 1) {
702 var blorg = 'hallo';
703 alert(blorg);
704 } else {
705 var blorg = 'blitzel';
706 alert(blorg);
707 }
708
709 ;;; Moreover, beware that scoping in Lisp and JavaScript are quite
710 ;;; different. For example, don't rely on closures capturing local
711 ;;; variables in the way you'd think they would.
712
713 ;;;# Iteration constructs
714 ;;;t \index{iteration}
715 ;;;t \index{iteration construct}
716 ;;;t \index{loop}
717 ;;;t \index{array traversal}
718 ;;;t \index{property}
719 ;;;t \index{object property}
720 ;;;t \index{DO}
721 ;;;t \index{DOTIMES}
722 ;;;t \index{DOLIST}
723 ;;;t \index{DOEACH}
724 ;;;t \index{WHILE}
725
726 ; (DO ({var | (var {init}? {step}?)}*) (end-test) body)
727 ; (DOTIMES (var numeric-form) body)
728 ; (DOLIST (var list-form) body)
729 ; (DOEACH (var object) body)
730 ; (WHILE end-test body)
731 ;
732 ; var ::= a Lisp symbol
733 ; numeric-form ::= a ParenScript expression resulting in a number
734 ; list-form ::= a ParenScript expression resulting in an array
735 ; object ::= a ParenScript expression resulting in an object
736 ; init ::= a ParenScript expression
737 ; step ::= a ParenScript expression
738 ; end-test ::= a ParenScript expression
739 ; body ::= a list of ParenScript statements
740
741 ;;; The `DO' form, which is similar to its Lisp form, is transformed
742 ;;; into a JavaScript `for' statement. Note that the ParenScript `DO'
743 ;;; form does not have a return value, that is because `for' is a
744 ;;; statement and not an expression in JavaScript.
745
746 (do ((i 0 (1+ i))
747 (l (aref blorg i) (aref blorg i)))
748 ((or (= i blorg.length)
749 (eql l "Fumitastic")))
750 (document.write (+ "L is " l)))
751 => for (var i = 0, l = blorg[i];
752 !(i == blorg.length || l == 'Fumitastic');
753 i = i + 1, l = blorg[i]) {
754 document.write('L is ' + l);
755 }
756
757 ;;; The `DOTIMES' form, which lets a variable iterate from 0 upto an
758 ;;; end value, is a shortcut for `DO'.
759
760 (dotimes (i blorg.length)
761 (document.write (+ "L is " (aref blorg i))))
762 => for (var i = 0; i < blorg.length; i = i + 1) {
763 document.write('L is ' + blorg[i]);
764 }
765
766 ;;; The `DOLIST' form is a shortcut for iterating over an array. Note
767 ;;; that this form creates temporary variables using a function called
768 ;;; `PS-GENSYM', which is similar to its Lisp counterpart `GENSYM'.
769
770 (dolist (l blorg)
771 (document.write (+ "L is " l)))
772 => var tmpArr1 = blorg;
773 for (var tmpI2 = 0; tmpI2 < tmpArr1.length;
774 tmpI2 = tmpI2 + 1) {
775 var l = tmpArr1[tmpI2];
776 document.write('L is ' + l);
777 };
778
779 ;;; The `DOEACH' form is converted to a `for (var .. in ..)' form in
780 ;;; JavaScript. It is used to iterate over the enumerable properties
781 ;;; of an object.
782
783 (doeach (i object)
784 (document.write (+ i " is " (aref object i))))
785 => for (var i in object) {
786 document.write(i + ' is ' + object[i]);
787 }
788
789 ;;; The `WHILE' form is transformed to the JavaScript form `while',
790 ;;; and loops until a termination test evaluates to false.
791
792 (while (film.is-not-finished)
793 (this.eat (new *popcorn)))
794 => while (film.isNotFinished()) {
795 this.eat(new Popcorn);
796 }
797
798 ;;;# The `CASE' statement
799 ;;;t \index{CASE}
800 ;;;t \index{SWITCH}
801 ;;;t \index{switch}
802
803 ; (CASE case-value clause*)
804 ;
805 ; clause ::= (value body) | ((value*) body) | t-clause
806 ; case-value ::= a ParenScript expression
807 ; value ::= a ParenScript expression
808 ; t-clause ::= {t | otherwise | default} body
809 ; body ::= a list of ParenScript statements
810
811 ;;; The Lisp `CASE' form is transformed to a `switch' statement in
812 ;;; JavaScript. Note that `CASE' is not an expression in
813 ;;; ParenScript.
814
815 (case (aref blorg i)
816 ((1 "one") (alert "one"))
817 (2 (alert "two"))
818 (t (alert "default clause")))
819 => switch (blorg[i]) {
820 case 1:
821 case 'one':
822 alert('one');
823 break;
824 case 2:
825 alert('two');
826 break;
827 default: alert('default clause');
828 }
829
830 ; (SWITCH case-value clause*)
831 ; clause ::= (value body) | (default body)
832
833 ;;; The `SWITCH' form is the equivalent to a javascript switch statement.
834 ;;; No break statements are inserted, and the default case is named `DEFAULT'.
835 ;;; The `CASE' form should be prefered in most cases.
836
837 (switch (aref blorg i)
838 (1 (alert "If I get here"))
839 (2 (alert "I also get here"))
840 (default (alert "I always get here")))
841 => switch (blorg[i]) {
842 case 1: alert('If I get here');
843 case 2: alert('I also get here');
844 default: alert('I always get here');
845 }
846
847
848 ;;;# The `WITH' statement
849 ;;;t \index{WITH}
850 ;;;t \index{dynamic scope}
851 ;;;t \index{binding}
852 ;;;t \index{scoping}
853 ;;;t \index{closure}
854
855 ; (WITH object body)
856 ;
857 ; object ::= a ParenScript expression evaluating to an object
858 ; body ::= a list of ParenScript statements
859
860 ;;; The `WITH' form is compiled to a JavaScript `with' statements, and
861 ;;; adds the object `object' as an intermediary scope objects when
862 ;;; executing the body.
863
864 (with (create :foo "foo" :i "i")
865 (alert (+ "i is now intermediary scoped: " i)))
866 => with ({ foo : 'foo',
867 i : 'i' }) {
868 alert('i is now intermediary scoped: ' + i);
869 }
870
871 ;;;# The `TRY' statement
872 ;;;t \index{TRY}
873 ;;;t \index{CATCH}
874 ;;;t \index{FINALLY}
875 ;;;t \index{exception}
876 ;;;t \index{error handling}
877
878 ; (TRY body {(:CATCH (var) body)}? {(:FINALLY body)}?)
879 ;
880 ; body ::= a list of ParenScript statements
881 ; var ::= a Lisp symbol
882
883 ;;; The `TRY' form is converted to a JavaScript `try' statement, and
884 ;;; can be used to catch expressions thrown by the `THROW'
885 ;;; form. The body of the catch clause is invoked when an exception
886 ;;; is catched, and the body of the finally is always invoked when
887 ;;; leaving the body of the `TRY' form.
888
889 (try (throw "i")
890 (:catch (error)
891 (alert (+ "an error happened: " error)))
892 (:finally
893 (alert "Leaving the try form")))
894 => try {
895 throw 'i';
896 } catch (error) {
897 alert('an error happened: ' + error);
898 } finally {
899 alert('Leaving the try form');
900 }
901
902 ;;;# The HTML Generator
903 ;;;t \index{PS-HTML}
904 ;;;t \index{HTML generation}
905 ;;;t \index{CSS}
906 ;;;t \index{CSS generation}
907
908
909 ; (PS-HTML html-expression)
910
911 ;;; The HTML generator of ParenScript is very similar to the htmlgen
912 ;;; HTML generator library included with AllegroServe. It accepts the
913 ;;; same input forms as the AllegroServer HTML generator. However,
914 ;;; non-HTML construct are compiled to JavaScript by the ParenScript
915 ;;; compiler. The resulting expression is a JavaScript expression.
916
917 (ps-html ((:a :href "foobar") "blorg"))
918 => '<a href=\"foobar\">blorg</a>'
919
920 (ps-html ((:a :href (generate-a-link)) "blorg"))
921 => '<a href=\"' + generateALink() + '\">blorg</a>'
922
923 ;;; We can recursively call the ParenScript compiler in an HTML
924 ;;; expression.
925
926 (document.write
927 (ps-html ((:a :href "#"
928 :onclick (lisp (ps-inline (transport)))) "link")))
929 => document.write('<a href=\"#\" onclick=\"' + 'javascript:transport();' + '\">link</a>')
930
931 ;;; Forms may be used in attribute lists to conditionally generate
932 ;;; the next attribute. In this example the textarea is sometimes disabled.
933
934 (let ((disabled nil)
935 (authorized t))
936 (setf element.inner-h-t-m-l
937 (ps-html ((:textarea (or disabled (not authorized)) :disabled "disabled")
938 "Edit me"))))
939 => var disabled = null;
940 var authorized = true;
941 element.innerHTML =
942 '<textarea'
943 + (disabled || !authorized ? ' disabled=\"' + 'disabled' + '\"' : '')
944 + '>Edit me</textarea>';
945
946 ; (CSS-INLINE css-expression)
947
948 ;;; Stylesheets can also be created in ParenScript.
949
950 (css-inline :color "red"
951 :font-size "x-small")
952 => 'color:red;font-size:x-small'
953
954 (defun make-color-div(color-name)
955 (return (ps-html ((:div :style (css-inline :color color-name))
956 color-name " looks like this."))))
957 => function makeColorDiv(colorName) {
958 return '<div style=\"' + ('color:' + colorName) + '\">' + colorName
959 + ' looks like this.</div>';
960 }
961
962 ;;;# Macrology
963 ;;;t \index{macro}
964 ;;;t \index{macrology}
965 ;;;t \index{DEFPSMACRO}
966 ;;;t \index{MACROLET}
967 ;;;t \index{SYMBOL-MACROLET}
968 ;;;t \index{PS-GENSYM}
969 ;;;t \index{compiler}
970
971 ; (DEFPSMACRO name lambda-list macro-body)
972 ; (MACROLET ({name lambda-list macro-body}*) body)
973 ; (SYMBOL-MACROLET ({name macro-body}*) body)
974 ; (PS-GENSYM {string})
975 ;
976 ; name ::= a Lisp symbol
977 ; lambda-list ::= a lambda list
978 ; macro-body ::= a Lisp body evaluating to ParenScript code
979 ; body ::= a list of ParenScript statements
980 ; string ::= a string
981
982 ;;; ParenScript can be extended using macros, just like Lisp can be
983 ;;; extended using Lisp macros. Using the special Lisp form
984 ;;; `DEFPSMACRO', the ParenScript language can be
985 ;;; extended. `DEFPSMACRO' adds the new macro to the toplevel macro
986 ;;; environment, which is always accessible during ParenScript
987 ;;; compilation. For example, the `1+' and `1-' operators are
988 ;;; implemented using macros.
989
990 (defpsmacro 1- (form)
991 `(- ,form 1))
992
993 (defpsmacro 1+ (form)
994 `(+ ,form 1))
995
996 ;;; A more complicated ParenScript macro example is the implementation
997 ;;; of the `DOLIST' form (note how `PS-GENSYM', the ParenScript of
998 ;;; `GENSYM', is used to generate new ParenScript variable names):
999
1000 (defpsmacro dolist (i-array &rest body)
1001 (let ((var (first i-array))
1002 (array (second i-array))
1003 (arrvar (ps-gensym "arr"))
1004 (idx (ps-gensym "i")))
1005 `(let ((,arrvar ,array))
1006 (do ((,idx 0 (incf ,idx)))
1007 ((>= ,idx (slot-value ,arrvar 'length)))
1008 (let ((,var (aref ,arrvar ,idx)))
1009 ,@body)))))
1010
1011 ;;; Macros can be defined in ParenScript code itself (as opposed to
1012 ;;; from Lisp) by using the ParenScript `MACROLET' and `DEFMACRO'
1013 ;;; forms.
1014
1015 ;;; ParenScript also supports the use of macros defined in the
1016 ;;; underlying Lisp environment. Existing Lisp macros can be imported
1017 ;;; into the ParenScript macro environment by
1018 ;;; `IMPORT-MACROS-FROM-LISP'. This functionality enables code sharing
1019 ;;; between ParenScript and Lisp, and is useful in debugging since the
1020 ;;; full power of Lisp macroexpanders, editors and other supporting
1021 ;;; facilities can be used. However, it is important to note that the
1022 ;;; macroexpansion of Lisp macros and ParenScript macros takes place
1023 ;;; in their own respective environments, and many Lisp macros
1024 ;;; (especially those provided by the Lisp implementation) expand into
1025 ;;; code that is not usable by ParenScript. To make it easy for users
1026 ;;; to take advantage of these features, two additional macro
1027 ;;; definition facilities are provided by ParenScript: `DEFMACRO/PS'
1028 ;;; and `DEFMACRO+PS'. `DEFMACRO/PS' defines a Lisp macro and then
1029 ;;; imports it into the ParenScript macro environment, while
1030 ;;; `DEFMACRO+PS' defines two macros with the same name and expansion,
1031 ;;; one in ParenScript and one in Lisp. `DEFMACRO+PS' is used when the
1032 ;;; full 'macroexpand' of the Lisp macro yields code that cannot be
1033 ;;; used by ParenScript.
1034
1035 ;;; ParenScript also supports symbol macros, which can be introduced
1036 ;;; using the ParenScript form `SYMBOL-MACROLET'.For example, the
1037 ;;; ParenScript `WITH-SLOTS' is implemented using symbol macros.
1038
1039 (defjsmacro with-slots (slots object &rest body)
1040 `(symbol-macrolet ,(mapcar #'(lambda (slot)
1041 `(,slot '(slot-value ,object ',slot)))
1042 slots)
1043 ,@body))
1044
1045 ;;;# The ParenScript Compiler
1046 ;;;t \index{compiler}
1047 ;;;t \index{ParenScript compiler}
1048 ;;;t \index{COMPILE-SCRIPT}
1049 ;;;t \index{PS}
1050 ;;;t \index{PS*}
1051 ;;;t \index{PS-INLINE}
1052 ;;;t \index{LISP}
1053 ;;;t \index{nested compilation}
1054
1055 ; (COMPILE-SCRIPT script-form &key (output-stream nil))
1056 ; (PS &body body)
1057 ; (PS* &body body)
1058 ; (PS-INLINE &body body)
1059 ; (LISP &body lisp-forms)
1060 ;
1061 ; body ::= ParenScript statements comprising an implicit `PROGN'
1062
1063 ;;; For static ParenScript code, the macros `PS' and `PS-INLINE',
1064 ;;; avoid the need to quote the ParenScript expression. `PS*' and
1065 ;;; `COMPILE-SCRIPT' evaluate their arguments. All these forms except
1066 ;;; for `COMPILE-SCRIPT' treat the given forms as an implicit
1067 ;;; `PROGN'. `PS' and `PS*' return a string of the compiled body,
1068 ;;; while `COMPILE-SCRIPT' takes an optional output-stream parameter
1069 ;;; that can be used to specify a stream to which the generated
1070 ;;; JavaScript will be written. `PS-INLINE' generates a string that
1071 ;;; can be used in HTML node attributes.
1072
1073 ;;; ParenScript can also call out to arbitrary Lisp code at
1074 ;;; compile-time using the special form `LISP'. This is typically used
1075 ;;; to insert the values of Lisp special variables into ParenScript
1076 ;;; code at compile-time, and can also be used to make nested calls to
1077 ;;; the ParenScript compiler, which comes in useful when you want to
1078 ;;; use the result of `PS-INLINE' in `PS-HTML' forms, for
1079 ;;; example. Alternatively the same thing can be accomplished by
1080 ;;; constructing ParenScript programs as lists and passing them to
1081 ;;; `PS*' or `COMPILE-SCRIPT'.