CSE 4308/5360 - How to Run Lisp

Online Tutorial

A tutorial on Common LISP can be found here:

http://www.notam02.no/internt/cm-sys/cm-2.2/doc/clt.html

Lisp for Windows/Macintosh/Linux

All Lisp code for the programming assignments should run on omega. Lisp code that does not run on omega will not be given any credit. However, for people who want to use Lisp on a Windows machine, the following website has a complete description on how to install and run Lisp on Windows.

http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/novak/gclwin.html

Another implementation of Lisp is LispWorks, and there is a free personal edition that runs on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux, and can be downloaded from http://www.lispworks.com/downloads/index.html .

Lisp on Omega

Once you log in to Omega, run CMU lisp by typing "clisp":

CMU Common Lisp 18a, running on omega
Send bug reports and questions to your local CMU CL maintainer, or to
cmucl-bugs@cs.cmu.edu.
Loaded subsystems:
    Python 1.0, target SPARCstation/Solaris 2
    CLOS based on PCL version:  September 16 92 PCL (f)
*

At this point, you can type in any valid lisp expression, just like in class. Here are a few examples:

* 3

3

* nil

NIL

* (+ (* 2 3) (- 7 1))

12

Suppose we type the following Lisp function and save the function in the file ``sample.lisp'':

(defun simple (x)
   (* x (- x 1)))

We can now load the file ``sample.lisp'' into the Lisp environment. To load a file, use the load command as follows, putting the file name in quotes.

* (load "sample.lisp")

; Loading #p"/export/home/public/cse/huber/cse4308/sample.lisp".
T

Notice that the load command returns the value T. Let's run the simple function.

* (simple 20)

380
*

While you're in Lisp, you can use the dribble function to capture the output to a file. The dribble function takes a file name, in double quotes, as the argument. To close the dribble file, enter (dribble) at the prompt. Everything typed by you and printed by Lisp will be stored in the file until you close the output file.

* (dribble "sample.drib")

* (simple 5)

20
* (if (= (simple 6) 30)
          t
	  nil)

T
* (dribble)

*

At times, you may enter an invalid Lisp expression or run a program which the Lisp interpreter cannot understand. When this happens, the Lisp interpreter will give you an error message and transfer you to ``debug'' mode, as in the following example.

* add(1,2)

Error in KERNEL::UNBOUND-SYMBOL-ERROR-HANDLER:  the variable ADD is unbound.

Restarts:
  0: [ABORT] Return to Top-Level.

Debug  (type H for help)

(EVAL ADD)
0]

In the debugger, if you type ``?'' you will see a list of available debug options. To return from the debugger back to the top-level interpreter, type the ABORT option given to you (in this case ``0'') and the interpreter will continue. You may have to abort out of several levels of errors before returning to the top-level ``*'' prompt.

You can exit Lisp (by typing ``(quit)'').

* (quit)

This concludes the introduction to CMU lisp. For further help, consult the manual pages on the system by typing ``man <command>''. For example, type ``man lisp'' to read about CMU Common Lisp features. A complete CMU Common Lisp manual can be obtained at ftp://ftp://ftp.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/project/clisp/docs/cmu-user/cmu-user.ps