README.md

This is a simple and easy to use Actor system in Common Lisp.

Set-Up

Requires Bordeaux threads. http://common-lisp.net/project/bordeaux-threads/ 2. Just load actors.lisp and start using it. If you have Quicklisp, (ql:quickload "cl-actors")

Usage

An small manual can be found at : http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~govinn/actors.pdf

• Creating an actor class or template

    (defactor Actor-Class
            (state)
        (message-vars)
        behavior)

• Creating an actor instance

       (setq my-actor (Actor-Class (:state-var_1 value_1 ...
  	 	  	        :state-var_n value_n)))

• Sending a message

     (send my-actor message_args)

Features

1. Concurrency using the actors model.
2. Dynamic behavior change of actors.

Examples

• A ticker: Keeps printing out a count every 2 seconds, starting from 0 and incrementing it every 2 seconds.

;create the ticker template (defactor ticker ((counter 0)) (m) (sleep 2) (pr counter) (incf counter) (send self nil) next) ; Create an instance (setf t1 (ticker)) ; send a message (async) (send t1 nil) ; to stop use (stop-actor t1)

- A print actor: Prints the message which was sent to it. A very useful utility actor. 

  ```lisp
	;create the actor template
(defactor print-actor () (val) (pr val) next)
; initialize a new instance
(setf printer (print-actor))
;send values for printing
(send printer "hello, world")

• A factorial computing actor : The name says it all :)

;create the template (defactor fact ((temp 1)) (n cust) (if (equal 1 n) (progn (send cust (* temp 1)) (setf temp 1) next) (progn (setf temp (* n temp)) (send self (- n 1) cust) next))) ;create a new instance (setf f (fact)) ; send a value (send f 4 print-actor)

- A nagger for fun : Works only in Mac OS X. Keeps saying out aloud "please work" every 10 seconds :)

   ```lisp
(defactor nagger () () 
    (sleep 10)
       (trivial-shell:shell-command "say please work")
          (send self) next)
; anonymous actor , no way to stop the nagging 
(send (nagger))
	```


## More Resources

1. [Meta-Circular Adventures in Functional Abstraction –Challenging Clojure in Common Lisp] (http://chriskohlhepp.wordpress.com/metacircular-adventures-in-functional-abstraction-challenging-clojure-in-common-lisp/)