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Info Node: (emacs)External Lisp

(emacs)External Lisp


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Running an External Lisp
========================

   Emacs has facilities for running programs in other Lisp systems.
You can run a Lisp process as an inferior of Emacs, and pass
expressions to it to be evaluated.  You can also pass changed function
definitions directly from the Emacs buffers in which you edit the Lisp
programs to the inferior Lisp process.

   To run an inferior Lisp process, type `M-x run-lisp'.  This runs the
program named `lisp', the same program you would run by typing `lisp'
as a shell command, with both input and output going through an Emacs
buffer named `*lisp*'.  That is to say, any "terminal output" from Lisp
will go into the buffer, advancing point, and any "terminal input" for
Lisp comes from text in the buffer.  (You can change the name of the
Lisp executable file by setting the variable `inferior-lisp-program'.)

   To give input to Lisp, go to the end of the buffer and type the
input, terminated by <RET>.  The `*lisp*' buffer is in Inferior Lisp
mode, which combines the special characteristics of Lisp mode with most
of the features of Shell mode (Note: Shell Mode).  The definition of
<RET> to send a line to a subprocess is one of the features of Shell
mode.

   For the source files of programs to run in external Lisps, use Lisp
mode.  This mode can be selected with `M-x lisp-mode', and is used
automatically for files whose names end in `.l', `.lsp', or `.lisp', as
most Lisp systems usually expect.

   When you edit a function in a Lisp program you are running, the
easiest way to send the changed definition to the inferior Lisp process
is the key `C-M-x'.  In Lisp mode, this runs the function
`lisp-eval-defun', which finds the defun around or following point and
sends it as input to the Lisp process.  (Emacs can send input to any
inferior process regardless of what buffer is current.)

   Contrast the meanings of `C-M-x' in Lisp mode (for editing programs
to be run in another Lisp system) and Emacs-Lisp mode (for editing Lisp
programs to be run in Emacs): in both modes it has the effect of
installing the function definition that point is in, but the way of
doing so is different according to where the relevant Lisp environment
is found.  Note: Executing Lisp.


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