LabLISP Guide

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**//List processing//**

LISP functions working with lists.

''CONS''

Expects two arguments, creates and returns new cons cell with first argument in ''CAR'' second in ''CDR''.  

<code lisp>
>(cons 'a nil)
(A)            ; proper list with single element

>(cons 'a 'b)
(A . B)        ; cons cell, not proper list
</code>

''LIST''

Expect zero or more arguments, returns the arguments as proper list.

<code lisp>
>(list 'a 'b 'c)
(A B C)            ; proper list with three elements

>(cons 'a (list 'b 'c 'd))
(A B C D)          ; we can cons to list 
</code>

''APPEND''

Expect zero or more arguments, and returns them in single proper list. The arguments that are lists will be connected together. Non list arguments will be added as elements. The returned list is freshly consed, so the original lists are not affected. In LabLISP, ''APPEND'' is extremely benevolent and accepts dotted or even cyclic lists. When the new cons cell are created, the trailing atoms in dotted lists are ignored, and cyclic list is cut at the cell which has a CDR pointing to some previous element of the list.

<code lisp>
>(setq l1 '(a b c))
(A B C)
>(setq l2 '(e f))
(E F)
>(append l1 'd l2)
(A B C D E F)   
>l1       
(A B C)            ; original L1 is untouched
</code>

''NCONC''

Evil twin of ''APPEND''. Expect zero or more arguments, and returns them in single list. List arguments will be now merged to the final list, so the original lists are affected. For dotted lists, the trailing atom is dropped, unless it is at the end of last list argument. In that case the returned list will also be dotted. Cyclic lists are not allowed in the middle of the arguments, but the last list can be cyclic, and so will be the returned list.

<code lisp>
>(setq l1 '(a b c))       ; propper list
(A B C)
>(setq l2 (cons 'e 'f))   ; this cons is a dotted list
(E . F)
>(nconc l1 l2)
(A B C E . F)  
>l1       
(A B C E . F)             ; original L1 is modified 
</code>

''LENGTH''

Expects one argument that must be proper list, returns the length. 

<code lisp>
>(length (list 'a 'b 'c)) ; proper list with three elements
3           

>(length nil)             ; NIL is (), i.e. empty list
0             
</code>

''CAR'' ''CDR'' etc. (//Accessor//)

Functions accessing list elements. They expect single argument that must be list. ''CAR'', ''CADR'', ''CADDR'', ''CADDDR'' access first, second, third and fourth element of list.  With combinations of As and Ds can access elements of cons cell trees, or lists of lists: ''CAAR'' gets first element of first sublist, and so on, with all combinations up to ''CAAAAR'' and ''CDDDDR''.

<code lisp>
>(car '(a b c))
A 

>(cdr '(a b c))
(B C)

>(cadr '(a b c))
B

>(caddr '(a b c))
C         

>(cadaar '(((a b) c d) e f))
B

>(cdddr '(a b c d e f))
(D E F)
</code>

''FIRST'' to ''TENTH'' (//Accessor//)

Equivalents to ''CAR'', ''CADR'', ''CADDR'', ''CADDDR'', and above, up to CAR of tenth cons cell.

<code lisp>
>(second '(a b c))
B       
</code>

''REST'' (//Accessor//)

Is the same as ''CDR''. That means ''FIRST'' and ''REST'' are synonymes to ''CAR'' and ''CDR'', respectively.
 
''NTH'' ''NTHCDR'' (//Accessor//)

Another equivalent access functions to list elements. Expects two arguments, first is integer index, starting from 0, second is the list.

<code lisp>
>(nth 0 '(a b c))
A

>(nth 2 '(a b c))
C

>(nthcdr 0 '(a b c))
(A B C)       
</code>
 
''LAST''

Returns last N cons cells of a list. Expects 2 arguments, first must be list, second argument is the count N. If second argument is missing, returns the last one cons cell.

<code lisp>
>(last (list 'a 'b 'c 'd 'e) 2) 
(D E)                      ; last 2 cons cells           
</code>