how to learn lisp

how to learn lisp

[jacklisp]

how to learn lisp

Re: how to learn lisp

[Jordan Greenberg]

http://tinyurl.com/6qz5kn

Re: how to learn lisp

[William Case]

Hi;

On Mon, 2008-10-13 at 12:34 +0800, jacklisp wrote:
> how to learn lisp

It depends on how green you are to programming etc.  When I started
using emacs I knew nothing.  In fact, I started using emacs in order to
learn something about 'C', my first attempt at a programming language.

What worked for me was first:

http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs-lisp-intro/html_node/index.html

to start with the simplest concepts.  Then on the emacs menu:

Help => More Manuals => Introduction to Emacs Lisp

Then practise, practise, until the 'eureka' moment.  It doesn't take too
long for that moment to arrive.


-- 
Regards Bill
Fedora 9, Gnome 2.22.3
Evo.2.22.3.1, Emacs 22.2.1

Re: how to learn lisp

[TheFlyingDutchman]

On Oct 12, 9:34 pm, "jacklisp" <jackl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> how to learn lisp

I have studied the Emacs Lisp manual on more than one occassion and
never got much past evaluating (+ 2 2) in a buffer. But recently I was
looking to modify my .emacs file and came across something that I
wasn't aware of that I find very helpful for learning the Lisp part of
Emacs Lisp (as opposed to the "Emacs API" part of Emacs Lisp). So if
you haven't seen it yet, there is a -batch option for starting up
Emacs. If you create an Emacs Lisp file, for example - hello_world.el
- you can then execute this file in the same manner you would execute
a Perl/Python/Ruby/Tcl script by typing "emacs -batch -l
hello_world.el". In batch mode the (message ... ) function acts like a
print/printf statement in other languages, so you can start with
(message "%s" "hello world") and go on from there the way you
typically would learning a standalone language.

Re: how to learn lisp

[Tim X]

TheFlyingDutchman <zzbbaadd@aol.com> writes:

> On Oct 12, 9:34 pm, "jacklisp" <jackl...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> how to learn lisp
>
> I have studied the Emacs Lisp manual on more than one occassion and
> never got much past evaluating (+ 2 2) in a buffer. But recently I was
> looking to modify my .emacs file and came across something that I
> wasn't aware of that I find very helpful for learning the Lisp part of
> Emacs Lisp (as opposed to the "Emacs API" part of Emacs Lisp). So if
> you haven't seen it yet, there is a -batch option for starting up
> Emacs. If you create an Emacs Lisp file, for example - hello_world.el
> - you can then execute this file in the same manner you would execute
> a Perl/Python/Ruby/Tcl script by typing "emacs -batch -l
> hello_world.el". In batch mode the (message ... ) function acts like a
> print/printf statement in other languages, so you can start with
> (message "%s" "hello world") and go on from there the way you
> typically would learning a standalone language.

An alternative and useful way to start playing with elisp that is faster
than running scripts with batch mode is IELM mod (e.g. m-x ielm). It
provides an elisp REPL where you can evaluate various elisp forms.

,----[ C-h f ielm RET ]
| ielm is an interactive compiled Lisp function in `ielm.el'.
| 
| (ielm)
| 
| Interactively evaluate Emacs Lisp expressions.
| Switches to the buffer `*ielm*', or creates it if it does not exist.
| 
| [back]
`----

HTH

Tim


-- 
tcross (at) rapttech dot com dot au

Re: how to learn lisp

[Xavier Maillard]

Hi,

   > you haven't seen it yet, there is a -batch option for starting up
   > Emacs. If you create an Emacs Lisp file, for example - hello_world.el
   > - you can then execute this file in the same manner you would execute
   > a Perl/Python/Ruby/Tcl script by typing "emacs -batch -l
   > hello_world.el".

   An alternative and useful way to start playing with elisp that is faster
   than running scripts with batch mode is IELM mod (e.g. m-x ielm). It
   provides an elisp REPL where you can evaluate various elisp forms.

I second that. This is the best tool to start with when learning.
I did that way a long time ago.

-batch option is, IMO, a bad idea for a beginner since the user
 has to know what -batch implies internally (what it does, what
 it can't do, etc.).

Regards

	Xavier
-- 
http://www.gnu.org
http://www.april.org
http://www.lolica.org

Re: how to learn lisp

[TheFlyingDutchman]

> -batch option is, IMO, a bad idea for a beginner since the user
>  has to know what -batch implies internally (what it does, what
>  it can't do, etc.).
>
I found out after some head scratching, that the .emacs init file is
not read when in batch mode. What are some of the other things to be
aware of in batch mode?

Re: how to learn lisp

[Kevin Rodgers]

TheFlyingDutchman wrote:
> 
>> -batch option is, IMO, a bad idea for a beginner since the user
>>  has to know what -batch implies internally (what it does, what
>>  it can't do, etc.).
>>
> I found out after some head scratching, that the .emacs init file is
> not read when in batch mode. What are some of the other things to be
> aware of in batch mode?

RTFM:

`-batch'
`--batch'
      Run Emacs in "batch mode".  Batch mode is used for running
      programs written in Emacs Lisp from shell scripts, makefiles, and
      so on.  You should also use the `-l', `-f' or `--eval' option, to
      invoke a Lisp program to do batch processing.

      In batch mode, Emacs does not display the text being edited, and
      the standard terminal interrupt characters such as `C-z' and `C-c'
      continue to have their normal effect.  The functions `prin1',
      `princ' and `print' output to `stdout' instead of the echo area,
      while `message' and error messages output to `stderr'.  Functions
      that would normally read from the minibuffer take their input from
      `stdin' instead.

      `--batch' implies `-q' (do not load an init file), but
      `site-start.el' is loaded nonetheless.  It also causes Emacs to
      exit after processing all the command options.  In addition, it
      disables auto-saving except in buffers for which it has been
      explicitly requested.

-- 
Kevin Rodgers
Denver, Colorado, USA

Re: how to learn lisp

[Xah]

On Oct 20, 10:36 pm, TheFlyingDutchman <zzbba...@aol.com> wrote:
> On Oct 12, 9:34 pm, "jacklisp" <jackl...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > how to learn lisp
>
> I have studied the Emacs Lisp manual on more than one occassion and
> never got much past evaluating (+ 2 2) in a buffer. But recently I was
> looking to modify my .emacs file and came across something that I
> wasn't aware of that I find very helpful for learning the Lisp part of
> Emacs Lisp (as opposed to the "Emacs API" part of Emacs Lisp). So if
> you haven't seen it yet, there is a -batch option for starting up
> Emacs. If you create an Emacs Lisp file, for example - hello_world.el
> - you can then execute this file in the same manner you would execute
> a Perl/Python/Ruby/Tcl script by typing "emacs -batch -l
> hello_world.el". In batch mode the (message ... ) function acts like a
> print/printf statement in other languages, so you can start with
> (message "%s" "hello world") and go on from there the way you
> typically would learning a standalone language.

i actually don't find batch mode useful for elisp dev. Some other
suggested the interactive command line mode (Alt+x ielm), but i don't
find it useful neither. I actually never used them for learning elisp
or elisp dev.

I find that, having elisp code in a buffer, and the ability to
evaluate any code in the buffer, in whole or in parts i choose, and
being able to interactively exam variables and values, is more
helpful. I both learned elisp and do elisp dev this way.

I use batch mode when i want to run a already written elisp script for
text processing. The ielm i never used.

Note: the batch mode is the basic style of running programs supported
by almost all langs. The interactive input/output is supported by
Python, Common Lisp, many Scheme Lisp, etc langs. Typically functional
langs.
The eval any parts in buffer is often called notebook, and is the
typical way of running programs in MATLAB, mathCAD, Mathematica ...

  Xah
∑ http://xahlee.org/

☄

Re: how to learn lisp

[Javier]

Xah, when are you going to start advocating Common Lisp?
Come on, you are being the last one, do not stay behind!

;-)