Document (ice-9 curried definitions)

* doc/ref/Makefile.am (guile_TEXINFOS): Add curried.texi to list
* doc/ref/curried.texi: New file.
* doc/ref/guile.texi (Guile Modules): Add "Curried Definitions" to menu.
* doc/ref/scheme-ideas.texi (Lambda Alternatives): Refer to "Curried Definitions"
  from the `define' section.
This commit is contained in:
Ian Price 2012-09-06 21:21:47 +01:00
commit 9855388378
4 changed files with 64 additions and 0 deletions

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@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ guile_TEXINFOS = preface.texi \
web.texi \
expect.texi \
scsh.texi \
curried.texi \
sxml-match.texi \
scheme-scripts.texi \
api-overview.texi \

56
doc/ref/curried.texi Normal file
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@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
@c -*-texinfo-*-
@c This is part of the GNU Guile Reference Manual.
@c Copyright (C) 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@c See the file guile.texi for copying conditions.
@node Curried Definitions
@section Curried Definitions
The macros in this section are provided by
@lisp
(use-modules (ice-9 curried-definitions))
@end lisp
@noindent
and replace those provided by default.
Prior to Guile 2.0, Guile provided a type of definition known colloquially
as a ``curried definition''. The idea is to extend the syntax of
@code{define} so that you can conveniently define procedures that return
procedures, up to any desired depth.
For example,
@example
(define ((foo x) y)
(list x y))
@end example
is a convenience form of
@example
(define foo
(lambda (x)
(lambda (y)
(list x y))))
@end example
@deffn {Scheme Syntax} define (@dots{} (name args @dots{}) @dots{}) body @dots{}
@deffnx {Scheme Syntax} define* (@dots{} (name args @dots{}) @dots{}) body @dots{}
@deffnx {Scheme Syntax} define-public (@dots{} (name args @dots{}) @dots{}) body @dots{}
Create a top level variable @var{name} bound to the procedure with
parameter list @var{args}. If @var{name} is itself a formal parameter
list, then a higher order procedure is created using that
formal-parameter list, and returning a procedure that has parameter list
@var{args}. This nesting may occur to arbitrary depth.
@code{define*} is similar but the formal parameter lists take additional
options as described in @ref{lambda* and define*}. For example,
@example
(define* ((foo #:keys (bar 'baz) (quux 'zot)) frotz #:rest rest)
(list bar quux frotz rest))
((foo #:quux 'foo) 1 2 3 4 5)
@result{} (baz foo 1 (2 3 4 5))
@end example
@code{define-public} is similar to @code{define} but it also adds
@var{name} to the list of exported bindings of the current module.
@end deffn

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@ -370,6 +370,7 @@ available through both Scheme and C interfaces.
* Expect:: Controlling interactive programs with Guile.
* sxml-match:: Pattern matching of SXML.
* The Scheme shell (scsh):: Using scsh interfaces in Guile.
* Curried Definitions:: Extended @code{define} syntax.
@end menu
@include slib.texi
@ -387,6 +388,7 @@ available through both Scheme and C interfaces.
@include sxml-match.texi
@include scsh.texi
@include curried.texi
@node Standard Library
@chapter Standard Library

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@ -476,6 +476,11 @@ The corresponding forms of the alternative @code{define} syntax are:
@noindent
For details on how these forms work, see @xref{Lambda}.
Prior to Guile 2.0, Guile provided an extension to @code{define} syntax
that allowed you to nest the previous extension up to an arbitrary
depth. These are no longer provided by default, and instead have been
moved to @ref{Curried Definitions}
(It could be argued that the alternative @code{define} forms are rather
confusing, especially for newcomers to the Scheme language, as they hide
both the role of @code{lambda} and the fact that procedures are values