ParenWorks Systems Website

A modern website for ParenWorks Systems built with Common Lisp using the Radiance web application framework.

About ParenWorks Systems

ParenWorks Systems is a systems development company that specialises in using Common Lisp to find solutions to problems and innovating in Common Lisp.

Prerequisites

• A Common Lisp implementation (SBCL recommended)
• Quicklisp
• Radiance framework

Installation

1. Install the Shirakumo dist (if not already installed)

(ql-dist:install-dist "http://dist.shirakumo.org/shirakumo.txt")

2. Install Radiance

(ql:quickload :radiance)

3. Configure the Server Implementation

By default, Radiance uses Hunchentoot. To use a different server (e.g., Woo), you can configure the environment.

For Woo server (recommended for production):

;; In your Radiance configuration
(setf (mconfig :radiance-core :interfaces :server) "r-woo")

For Clack (flexible backend):

(setf (mconfig :radiance-core :interfaces :server) "r-clack")

4. Load the ParenWorks module

Make sure this directory is in a location ASDF can find (e.g., ~/common-lisp/ or Quicklisp's local-projects):

(ql:register-local-projects)
(ql:quickload :parenworks)

Running the Website

Start Radiance

(radiance:startup)

The website will be available at: http://localhost:8080/

Stop Radiance

(radiance:shutdown)

Project Structure

parenworks/
├── parenworks.asd      # ASDF system definition
├── module.lisp         # Radiance module definition
├── pages.lisp          # Page definitions and routing
├── static/
│   └── parenworks.css  # Stylesheet
└── template/
    ├── home.ctml       # Home page template
    ├── about.ctml      # About page template
    ├── services.ctml   # Services page template
    └── contact.ctml    # Contact page template

Pages

• Home (/) - Landing page with hero section and feature highlights
• About (/about) - Company information and philosophy
• Services (/services) - Detailed service offerings
• Contact (/contact) - Contact form and information

Customisation

Styling

Edit static/parenworks.css to modify the visual appearance. The site uses CSS custom properties (variables) for easy theming:

:root {
  --color-primary: #8b5cf6;
  --color-accent: #22d3ee;
  /* ... */
}

Templates

Templates use Clip templating with XHTML5. Edit files in the template/ directory.

Adding New Pages

1. Add a new template file in template/
2. Define a new page in pages.lisp:

(define-page my-page "parenworks/my-page" (:clip "my-page.ctml")
  (r-clip:process T))

Server Options

Radiance supports multiple server backends through its interface system:

Server	Package	Notes
Hunchentoot	r-simple-server	Default, pure CL
Woo	r-woo	High performance, requires libev
Clack	r-clack	Flexible, multiple backends

To change the server, modify the interface mapping in your Radiance environment configuration.

Development Tips

Enable Debugger

(setf radiance:*debugger* T)

Reload Templates

Templates are cached. To reload after changes:

(asdf:load-system :parenworks :force t)

Interactive Development

Use SLIME/SLY for REPL-driven development. Changes to page definitions take effect immediately after recompilation.

License

Copyright © 2026 ParenWorks Systems. All rights reserved.

Contact

• Website: parenworks.systems
• Email: hello@parenworks.systems