nsymbols

Nsymbols is a set of functions to search, filter, and group symbols in a chosen set of packages based on arbitrary conditions.

Nsymbols extends the regular package API of ANSI CL with more operations, allowing one to list:

• package-symbols.
• package-variables.
• package-functions (and package-functions* in nsymbols/star).
  • package-generic-functions (and package-generic-functions* in nsymbols/star).
  • package-macros.
  • package-methods* in nsymbols/star.
• package-classes (and package-classes* in nsymbols/star)
• package-structures (and package-structures* in nsymbols/star).
• And other symbol types, given define-symbol-type for those.

Nsymbols can also find symbols by their name/matching symbol with resolve-symbol. All these operations are aware of symbol visibility in the given packages, due to a new symbol-visibility function.

Getting started

Clone the Git repository:

git clone --recursive https://github.com/atlas-engineer/nsymbols ~/common-lisp/

And then load Nsymbols in the REPL:

(asdf:load-system :nsymbols)
;; or, if you use Quicklisp
(ql:quickload :nsymbols)

And you can list your package symbols and resolve them right away:

(nsymbols:macro-symbol-p 'defclass)
;; => true
(nsymbols:package-classes :cl)
;; => (METHOD-COMBINATION CLASS BUILT-IN-CLASS STRUCTURE-CLASS
;; STANDARD-METHOD STANDARD-CLASS STANDARD-OBJECT METHOD)
(nsymbols:package-functions :nsymbols :internal)
;; => (NSYMBOLS::LIST-ALL-MAYBE-SUBPACKAGES)
(nsymbols:resolve-symbol "SUBPACKAGES" 'function :nsymbols)
;; => NSYMBOLS:SUBPACKAGES
;; => (NSYMBOLS:SUBPACKAGES)

How it works

Nsymbols uses the auto-generated predicates to check whether the given symbol belongs to a certain group of symbols. For example:

(define-symbol-type function ()
  (fboundp %symbol%))

creates a symbol type :FUNCTION that will only list fboundp symbols. Underneath this short definition, a set of helpers is generated:

• function-symbol-p predicate to check whether a symbol belongs to this group. That’s where the body of define-symbol-type goes.
• function-symbol type to type-check the symbol you use.
• package-functions function to list function symbols in the package based on their visibility.

Roadmap

• [X] Maybe use Closer MOP to get (more reliable?) list of classes, structures, and slots (current implementation makes slot listing impossible).
• [X] Introduce package-functions*-like starred helpers returning function/class/method/slot objects instead of symbols designating them?
• [X] package-slots*.