How do you pre-evaluate a function passed to a macro?

How do you pre-evaluate a function passed to a macro?

[Gregory J. Grubbs]

I'm calling a function, wanting to pass nil instead of the empty string
when the string argument is zero length.  But the function is defined as
a macro, so the argument gets passed in unevaluated, which fails.  

How do I force evaluation of the argument before it is passed in?

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
;; myname is a string taken from user input
(bbdb-search (bbdb-records) (if (> (length myname) 0) myname nil) nil nil)
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

The above call produces the following backtrace:
--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
  signal(error ("name must be atomic"))
  error("name must be atomic")
  (or (stringp name) (symbolp name) (error "name must be atomic"))
  (let (clauses) (or (stringp name) (symbolp name) (error "name must be atomic")) (or (stringp company) (symbolp company) (error "company must be atomic")) (or (stringp net) (symbolp net) (error "net must be atomic")) (or (stringp notes) (symbolp notes) (error "notes must be atomic")) (or (stringp phone) (symbolp phone) (error "phone must be atomic")) (if phone (setq clauses ...)) (if notes (setq clauses ...)) (if name (setq clauses ...)) (if net (setq clauses ...)) (if company (setq clauses ...)) (\` (let ... ... ...)))
  (lambda (records &optional name company net notes phone) "Search RECORDS for optional arguments NAME, COMPANY, NET, NOTES, PHONE.\nThis macro only emits code for those things being searched for;\nliteral nils at compile-time cause no code to be emitted.\n\nIf you want to reverse the search, bind `bbdb-search-invert' to t." (let (clauses) (or ... ... ...) (or ... ... ...) (or ... ... ...) (or ... ... ...) (or ... ... ...) (if phone ...) (if notes ...) (if name ...) (if net ...) (if company ...) (\` ...)))((bbdb-records) (if (> (length myname) 0) myname nil) nil nil)
  (bbdb-search (bbdb-records) (if (> ... 0) myname nil) nil nil)
  eval((bbdb-search (bbdb-records) (if (> ... 0) myname nil) nil nil))
  eval-expression((bbdb-search (bbdb-records) (if (> ... 0) myname nil) nil nil) nil)
  call-interactively(eval-expression nil nil)
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

Re: How do you pre-evaluate a function passed to a macro?

[Barry Margolin]

In article <mailman.10640.1258121962.2239.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>,
 gregory@dynapse.com (Gregory J. Grubbs) wrote:

> I'm calling a function, wanting to pass nil instead of the empty string
> when the string argument is zero length.  But the function is defined as
> a macro, so the argument gets passed in unevaluated, which fails.  
> 
> How do I force evaluation of the argument before it is passed in?

Use eval:

(eval `(bbdb-search (bbdb-records) 
                    ',(if (> (length myname) 0) myname nil)
                    nil nil))

> 
> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
> ;; myname is a string taken from user input
> (bbdb-search (bbdb-records) (if (> (length myname) 0) myname nil) nil nil)
> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
> 
> The above call produces the following backtrace:
> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
>   signal(error ("name must be atomic"))
>   error("name must be atomic")
>   (or (stringp name) (symbolp name) (error "name must be atomic"))
>   (let (clauses) (or (stringp name) (symbolp name) (error "name must be 
>   atomic")) (or (stringp company) (symbolp company) (error "company must be 
>   atomic")) (or (stringp net) (symbolp net) (error "net must be atomic")) (or 
>   (stringp notes) (symbolp notes) (error "notes must be atomic")) (or 
>   (stringp phone) (symbolp phone) (error "phone must be atomic")) (if phone 
>   (setq clauses ...)) (if notes (setq clauses ...)) (if name (setq clauses 
>   ...)) (if net (setq clauses ...)) (if company (setq clauses ...)) (\` (let 
>   ... ... ...)))
>   (lambda (records &optional name company net notes phone) "Search RECORDS 
>   for optional arguments NAME, COMPANY, NET, NOTES, PHONE.\nThis macro only 
>   emits code for those things being searched for;\nliteral nils at 
>   compile-time cause no code to be emitted.\n\nIf you want to reverse the 
>   search, bind `bbdb-search-invert' to t." (let (clauses) (or ... ... ...) 
>   (or ... ... ...) (or ... ... ...) (or ... ... ...) (or ... ... ...) (if 
>   phone ...) (if notes ...) (if name ...) (if net ...) (if company ...) (\` 
>   ...)))((bbdb-records) (if (> (length myname) 0) myname nil) nil nil)
>   (bbdb-search (bbdb-records) (if (> ... 0) myname nil) nil nil)
>   eval((bbdb-search (bbdb-records) (if (> ... 0) myname nil) nil nil))
>   eval-expression((bbdb-search (bbdb-records) (if (> ... 0) myname nil) nil 
>   nil) nil)
>   call-interactively(eval-expression nil nil)
> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

-- 
Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me ***
*** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group ***

Re: How do you pre-evaluate a function passed to a macro?

[Stefan Monnier]

> I'm calling a function, wanting to pass nil instead of the empty string
> when the string argument is zero length.  But the function is defined as
> a macro, so the argument gets passed in unevaluated, which fails.  

> How do I force evaluation of the argument before it is passed in?

> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
> ;; myname is a string taken from user input
> (bbdb-search (bbdb-records) (if (> (length myname) 0) myname nil) nil
> nil)

(if (> (length myname) 0)
    (bbdb-search (bbdb-records) myname nil nil)
  (bbdb-search (bbdb-records) nil nil nil))


        Stefan