bug#12341: define does not support lambda shorthand notation, define-public does

[Ian Price]

David Kastrup <address@hidden> writes:

> I'd have expected a pointer at least somewhere (if not everywhere) among
> those links:
>
> <URL:http://www.gnu.org/software/guile/manual/html_node/Definition.html#Definition>
>
> <URL:http://www.gnu.org/software/guile/manual/html_node/Lambda-Alternatives.html#Lambda-Alternatives>

I agree, and have provided some documentation. I'm no texinfo expert so
it probably needs cleanup. In particular, I wasn't sure of how to markup
these curried forms.

Comments kindly requested,

-- 
Ian Price -- shift-reset.com

"Programming is like pinball. The reward for doing it well is
the opportunity to do it again" - from "The Wizardy Compiled"

>From 6addaedac96ffe919d1b0cb58ed9992fbd240bf7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ian Price <address@hidden>
Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2012 15:36:54 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] Document (ice-9 curried definitions)

* doc/ref/Makefile.am(guile_TEXINFOS): Add curried.texi to list
* doc/ref/curried.texi: New file.
* doc/ref/guile.texi(Guile Modules): Add "Curried Definitions" to menu.
* doc/ref/scheme-ideas.texi(Lambda Alternatives): Refer to "Curried Definitions"
  from the `define' section.
---
 doc/ref/Makefile.am       |    1 +
 doc/ref/curried.texi      |   53 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 doc/ref/guile.texi        |    2 +
 doc/ref/scheme-ideas.texi |    5 ++++
 4 files changed, 61 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 doc/ref/curried.texi

diff --git a/doc/ref/Makefile.am b/doc/ref/Makefile.am
index abe9cb9..201ab6b 100644
--- a/doc/ref/Makefile.am
+++ b/doc/ref/Makefile.am
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ guile_TEXINFOS = preface.texi                 \
                 web.texi                       \
                 expect.texi                    \
                 scsh.texi                      \
+                curried.texi                   \
                 sxml-match.texi                \
                 scheme-scripts.texi            \
                 api-overview.texi              \
diff --git a/doc/ref/curried.texi b/doc/ref/curried.texi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..05475bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/ref/curried.texi
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
address@hidden -*-texinfo-*-
address@hidden This is part of the GNU Guile Reference Manual.
address@hidden Copyright (C)  2012
address@hidden   Free Software Foundation, Inc.
address@hidden See the file guile.texi for copying conditions.
+
address@hidden Curried Definitions
address@hidden Curried Definitions
+
+The macros in this section are provided by
address@hidden
+(use-modules (ice-9 curried-definitions))
address@hidden lisp
address@hidden
+and replace those provided by default.
+
+Prior to guile 2, guile provided a type of definition known colloquially
+as a ``curried definition''. The idea is to extend the syntax of
address@hidden so that you can conveniently define procedures that return
+procedures, up to any desired depth.
+
+For example,
address@hidden
+(define ((foo x) y)
+  (list x y))
address@hidden example
+is a convenience form of
address@hidden
+(define foo
+  (lambda (x)
+    (lambda (y)
+      (list x y))))
address@hidden example
+
address@hidden {Syntax} define (@dots{} (name args @dots{}) @dots{}) expression 
@dots{}
+A curried version of the default @code{define}.
address@hidden deffn
+
address@hidden {Syntax} define* (@dots{} (name args @dots{}) @dots{}) 
expression @dots{}
+A curried version of the default @code{define*}. Accepts all the options
address@hidden does, for example,
address@hidden
+(define* ((foo #:keys (bar 'baz) (quux 'zot)) frotz #:rest rest)
+  (list bar quux frotz rest))
+
+((foo #:quux 'foo) 1 2 3 4 5)
address@hidden (baz foo 1 (2 3 4 5))
address@hidden example
address@hidden deffn
+
address@hidden {Syntax} define-public (@dots{} (name args @dots{}) @dots{}) 
expression @dots{}
+A curried version of the default @code{define-public}.
address@hidden deffn
diff --git a/doc/ref/guile.texi b/doc/ref/guile.texi
index c3da0c3..a1b3fe6 100644
--- a/doc/ref/guile.texi
+++ b/doc/ref/guile.texi
@@ -370,6 +370,7 @@ available through both Scheme and C interfaces.
 * Expect::                     Controlling interactive programs with Guile.
 * sxml-match::                  Pattern matching of SXML.
 * The Scheme shell (scsh)::     Using scsh interfaces in Guile.
+* Curried Definitions::         Extended @code{define} syntax.
 @end menu
 
 @include slib.texi
@@ -387,6 +388,7 @@ available through both Scheme and C interfaces.
 @include sxml-match.texi
 
 @include scsh.texi
address@hidden curried.texi
 
 @node Standard Library
 @chapter Standard Library
diff --git a/doc/ref/scheme-ideas.texi b/doc/ref/scheme-ideas.texi
index 53f7b61..49297fd 100644
--- a/doc/ref/scheme-ideas.texi
+++ b/doc/ref/scheme-ideas.texi
@@ -476,6 +476,11 @@ The corresponding forms of the alternative @code{define} 
syntax are:
 @noindent
 For details on how these forms work, see @xref{Lambda}.
 
+Prior to guile 2, guile provided an extension to @code{define} syntax
+that allowed you to nest the previous extension up to an arbitrary
+depth. These are no longer provided by default, and instead have been
+moved to @ref{Curried Definitions}
+
 (It could be argued that the alternative @code{define} forms are rather
 confusing, especially for newcomers to the Scheme language, as they hide
 both the role of @code{lambda} and the fact that procedures are values
-- 
1.7.7.6