In elisp-mode.el, there is a function, IMO somewhat unfortunately named

"elisp--beginning-of-sexp". What this function does is to place cursor at the

beginning of the innermost list, which we can perhaps call more conveniently,

"current list".

The function does so always, and is relatively well written, minor the case when

the cursor is placed in a literal string or outside a symbolic expression, say

between two top-level forms. In those cases, it jumps into the first string

before the current string, which might be anywhere in the file prior to the

current string, or to the beginning of the file.

I took me a liberty to rename this function and update the doc to a more

appropriate wording, and turn it into a command. I have also patched the

above mentioned cases when it is invoked in a literal string or outside of

an expression.

As another consideration, I have moved this function into lisp.el (in

lisp/emacs-lisp/) in the sources. It does not look like it has nothing

particularly specific to EmacsLisp per se, seems like it should work on any

"parenthesis"-language. I have tested it successfully in both CommonLisp and

EmacsLisp files.

I found only one user of elisp--beginning-of-sexp in the entire Emacs, and that

is the function directly above: elisp--fnsym-in-current-sexp.

Emacs already has few functions for motion over lists and symbolic expressions,

but actually not the one that places the cursor at the beginning of a list. I

think people use "lispy" to move several sexps at a time or cook their own via

paredit to move to the end of a list or beginning of a list. At least what I

have seen in some SX posts when looking around after I made the patch. I don't

even have one myself, I use either C-f/b to move by words or paredit-forward to

move one expression at a time.

IMO it is a pitty to leave "elisp--beginning-of-sexp" underused, when it can

perhaps be more useful to someone, so I suggest this little "re-furntituring" as a

small quality-of-life improvement for Lisp programmers.

Of course, if there is a beginning-of-list, there should be end-of-list too? I

have prototyped one hastly, which just inverts the condition (works), but the

proper way would be to refactor out the common code and do the argument

handling similar as in forward-sexp, or something like that.

TBH I am not sure how generally useful this is (it is to me), but if it is an

acceptable change, I can refactor out the common code, and format the patch

according to Emacs style, with NEWS entry and perhaps some tests (I tested

interactively only).

As extra chatter: a symbolic expression is either atom (non consp such as

literals or symbols) or a list:

> 1. Atomic symbols are S-expressions.

> 2. If e1 and e2 are S-expressions, so is (e1 . e2).

From the "Recursive Functions of Symbolic Expressions" by J. McCarthy (the paper

freely available online).

Thus elisp--beginning-of-sexp, is really a misnomer considering what it

does. Also, Emacs already has a function that actually does move cursor to the

beginning of a sexp, (forward-sexp -1) does it, and it does it correctly.