Subject: Re: symbol in macro
From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.no>
Date: 01 Sep 2002 22:56:30 +0000
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Message-ID: <3239909790495015@naggum.no>

* cubicle584@mailandnews.com (Software Scavenger)
| Normally when a symbol is mentioned in a macro its package will be in the
| context of the macro definition rather than of the macro call.  But it seems
| obvious to me that the context of the macro call is what might be wanted
| and/or assumed by a programmer writing a macro without taking such issues
| into account.  But, maybe, by a coincidence of the ways things are normally
| done, this issue hardly ever manifests itself, so it doesn't get noticed.

  Why is it referring to that symbol in the first place?  Do you want a macro
  to rely on a protocol of use that requires certain symbols to be defined
  somehow in the package defined by the programmer that uses your macro and
  you do not want to supply a default definition?  I think I understand what
  you want to do, but really I do not understand why you want to do it or
  under what circumstances it would be the right thing to do.

-- 
Erik Naggum, Oslo, Norway

Act from reason, and failure makes you rethink and study harder.
Act from faith, and failure makes you blame someone and push harder.