@node  Beyond the ANSI Standard
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter Beyond the ANSI Standard

SBCL is derived from CMUCL, which implements many extensions to the
ANSI standard. SBCL doesn't support as many extensions as CMUCL, but
it still has quite a few.  @xref{Contributed Modules}.

@menu
* Reader Extensions::
* Package-Local Nicknames::
* Package Variance::
* Garbage Collection::
* Generic Function Dispatch::
* Slot Access::
* Metaobject Protocol::
* Extensible Sequences::
* Support For Unix::
* Unicode Support::
* Customization Hooks for Users::
* Tools To Help Developers::
* Resolution of Name Conflicts::
* Hash Table Extensions::
* Random Number Generation::
* Timeouts and Deadlines::
* Miscellaneous Extensions::
* Stale Extensions::
* Efficiency Hacks::
@end menu

@node Reader Extensions
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Reader Extensions
@cindex Reader Extensions

@subsection Extended Package Prefix Syntax
@cindex Extended Package Prefix Syntax
@cindex Package Prefix Syntax, extended

@vindex @cl{@earmuffs{package}}
@cindex Interning Symbols
@cindex Symbols, interning
@findex @cl{intern}
SBCL supports extended package prefix syntax, which allows specifying
an alternate package instead of @code{*package*} for the reader to use
as the default package for interning symbols:

@lisp
@var{package-name}::@var{form-with-interning-into-package}
@end lisp

Example:

@lisp
  'foo::(bar quux zot) == '(foo::bar foo::quux foo::zot)
@end lisp

@cindex Package Locks
@vindex @cl{@earmuffs{package}}
@code{*package*} is not rebound during the course of reading a form
with extended package prefix syntax; if @code{foo::bar} would cause a
read-time package lock violation, so does @code{foo::(bar)}.

@subsection Symbol Name Normalization
@cindex Symbol Name Normalization
@cindex Normalization, Symbol Name
@cindex Unicode
@cindex NFKC

SBCL also extends the reader to normalize all symbols to Normalization
Form KC in builds with Unicode enabled. Whether symbols are normalized
is controlled by

@include fun-sb-ext-readtable-normalization.texinfo

Symbols created by
@findex @cl{intern}
@code{intern} and similar functions are not affected by this setting. If
@code{sb-ext:readtable-normalization} is @code{t}, symbols that are not
normalized are escaped during printing.

@subsection Decimal Syntax for Rationals
@cindex Decimal Syntax for Rationals
@cindex Rational, decimal syntax for
@tindex @cl{float}

SBCL supports a decimal syntax for rationals, modelled after the
standard syntax for floating-point numbers.  If a number with
floating-point syntax has an exponent marker of @code{r} or @code{R}
(rather than one of the standard exponent markers), it is read as the
rational with the exact value of the decimal number expressed as a
float.

@vindex @cl{@earmuffs{read-default-float-format}}
@tindex @cl{rational}
@findex @cl{read}
@findex @cl{read-from-string}
In addition, setting or binding the value of
@code{*read-default-float-format*} to @code{rational} around a call to
@code{read} or @code{read-from-string} has the effect that
floating-point numbers without exponent markers are read as rational
numbers, as if there had been an explicit @code{r} or @code{R} marker.

@vindex @cl{@earmuffs{read-default-float-format}}
@tindex @cl{rational}
Floating point numbers of all types are printed with an exponent
marker while the value of @code{*read-default-float-format*} is
@code{rational}; however, rational numbers are printed in their
standard syntax, irrespective of the value of
@code{*read-default-float-format*}.

@node  Package-Local Nicknames
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Package-Local Nicknames
@cindex Package-Local Nicknames
@cindex Nicknames, Package-local

SBCL allows giving packages local nicknames: they allow short and
easy-to-use names to be used without fear of name conflict associated
with normal nicknames.

A local nickname is valid only when inside the package for which it
has been specified. Different packages can use same local nickname for
different global names, or different local nickname for same global
name.

@vindex @cl{@earmuffs{features}}
Symbol @code{:package-local-nicknames} in @code{*features*} denotes
the support for this feature.

@findex @cl{defpackage}
@defmac @cl{defpackage} name [[option]]* @result{} package

Options are extended to include

@itemize
@item
@code{:local-nicknames (@var{local-nickname} @var{actual-package-name})*}

The package has the specified local nicknames for the corresponding
actual packages.
@end itemize

Example:

@findex @cl{find-symbol}
@findex @cl{find-package}
@vindex @cl{@earmuffs{package}}
@lisp
(defpackage :bar (:intern "X"))
(defpackage :foo (:intern "X"))
(defpackage :quux (:use :cl) (:local-nicknames (:bar :foo) (:foo :bar)))
(find-symbol "X" :foo) ; => FOO::X
(find-symbol "X" :bar) ; => BAR::X
(let ((*package* (find-package :quux)))
  (find-symbol "X" :foo))               ; => BAR::X
(let ((*package* (find-package :quux)))
  (find-symbol "X" :bar))               ; => FOO::X
@end lisp
@end defmac

@include fun-sb-ext-package-local-nicknames.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-package-locally-nicknamed-by-list.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-add-package-local-nickname.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-remove-package-local-nickname.texinfo

@node  Package Variance
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Package Variance

Common Lisp standard specifies that ``If the new definition is at
variance with the current state of that package, the consequences are
undefined;'' SBCL by default signals a full warning and retains as
much of the package state as possible.

This can be adjusted using @code{sb-ext:*on-package-variance*}:

@include var-sb-ext-star-on-package-variance-star.texinfo

@node  Garbage Collection
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Garbage Collection
@cindex Garbage collection

SBCL provides additional garbage collection functionality not
specified by ANSI.

@include var-sb-ext-star-after-gc-hooks-star.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-gc.texinfo

@subsection Finalization
@cindex Finalization

Finalization allows code to be executed after an object has been
garbage collected. This is useful for example for releasing foreign
memory associated with a Lisp object.

@include fun-sb-ext-finalize.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-cancel-finalization.texinfo

@subsection Weak Pointers
@cindex Weak pointers

Weak pointers allow references to objects to be maintained without
keeping them from being garbage collected: useful for building caches
among other things.

Hash tables can also have weak keys and values: @pxref{Hash Table
Extensions}.

@include fun-sb-ext-make-weak-pointer.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-weak-pointer-value.texinfo

@subsection Introspection and Tuning

@include var-sb-ext-star-gc-run-time-star.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-bytes-consed-between-gcs.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-dynamic-space-size.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-get-bytes-consed.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-gc-logfile.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-generation-average-age.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-generation-bytes-allocated.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-generation-bytes-consed-between-gcs.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-generation-minimum-age-before-gc.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-generation-number-of-gcs-before-promotion.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-generation-number-of-gcs.texinfo

@subsection Tracing Live Objects Back to Roots

@quotation note
This feature is intended to help expert users diagnose rare low-level
issues and should not be needed during normal usage.  On top of that,
the interface and implementation are experimental and may change at any
time without further notice.
@end quotation

It is sometimes important to understand why a given object is retained
in the Lisp image instead of being garbage collected.  To help with this
problem, SBCL provides a mechanism that searches through the different
memory spaces, builds a path of references from a root to the object in
question and finally reports this paths:

@include fun-sb-ext-search-roots.texinfo

An example of using this could look like this:

@lisp
* (defvar *my-string* (list 1 2 "my string"))
*MY-STRING*

* (sb-ext:search-roots (sb-ext:make-weak-pointer (third *my-string*)))
 -> ((SIMPLE-VECTOR 3)) #x10004E9EAF[2] -> (SYMBOL) #x5044100F[1] -> (CONS) #x100181FAE7[1] -> (CONS) #x100181FAF7[1] -> (CONS) #x100181FB07[0] -> #x100181F9AF
@end lisp

The single line of output on @code{cl:*standard-output*} shows the path
from a root to @t{"my string"}: the path starts with SBCL's internal
package system data structures followed by the symbol
(@t{cl-user:*my-string*}) followed the three cons cells of the list.

The @code{:print :verbose} argument produces similar behavior but
describe the path elements in more detail:

@lisp
* (sb-ext:search-roots (sb-ext:make-weak-pointer (third *my-string*)) :print :verbose)
Path to "my string":
 6       10004E9EAF [   2] a (simple-vector 3)
 0         5044100F [   1] COMMON-LISP-USER::*MY-STRING*
 0       100181FAE7 [   1] a cons
 0       100181FAF7 [   1] a cons
 0       100181FB07 [   0] a cons
@end lisp

The @code{:print nil} argument is a bit different:

@lisp
* (sb-ext:search-roots (sb-ext:make-weak-pointer (third *my-string*)) :print nil)
(("my string" :STATIC (#(*MY-STRING* 0 0) . 2) (*MY-STRING* . 1)
  ((1 2 "my string") . 1) ((2 "my string") . 1) (("my string") . 0)))
@end lisp

There is no output on @code{cl:*standard-output*} and the return value
is a single path for the target object @t{"my string"}. As before, the
path shows the symbol and the three cons cells.

@node Generic Function Dispatch
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Generic Function Dispatch

@findex @sbpcl{no-primary-method}
@findex @cl{no-applicable-method}
If a generic function with standard or short method combination is
called, and the set of applicable methods does not include any primary
methods, then the generic function @code{no-primary-method} will be
invoked, with the arguments to @code{no-primary-method} being the
invoked generic function and its arguments, similar to the standard
function @code{no-applicable-method}.  As with
@code{no-applicable-method}, the default method on
@code{no-primary-method} signals an error; programmers may define
methods on it.

@node Slot Access
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Slot Access

@findex @cl{slot-value}
@findex @setf{@cl{slot-value}}
@findex @cl{slot-boundp}
@findex @cl{slot-makunbound}
The slot access functions @code{slot-value}, @code{(setf slot-value)},
@code{slot-boundp} and @code{slot-makunbound} are defined to function
as expected on conditions (of metaclass @code{condition-class}) and,
with some limitations, on structures (of metaclass
@code{structure-class}).

For structures:

@itemize
@item
@findex @cl{defstruct}
The name of a slot for the purposes of the slot access functions is
the symbol used as the slot-name in the slot-description in the
@code{defstruct} form;

@item
@findex @cl{slot-unbound}
@findex @cl{slot-value}
@findex @cl{slot-boundp}
@cindex Unbound slots
@code{slot-value} and @code{slot-boundp} function as expected,
including (for @code{slot-value}) calling and respecting the return
value of @code{slot-unbound} if the slot is unbound;

@item
@findex @setf{@cl{slot-value}}
@code{(setf slot-value)} functions as expected, including performing
type checks to verify that the new value is of an appropriate type for
the slot;

@item
@findex @cl{slot-makunbound}
@cindex Unbound slots
@code{slot-makunbound} makes the slot be unbound only when the slot
corresponds to an @code{&aux} argument with no default in a
by-order-of-arguments (BOA) constructor.  In all other cases calling
@code{slot-makunbound} on a structure signals an error.

@item
@findex @cl{slot-missing}
If any of the slot access functions is called with a structure
instance which does not have a slot of the given name,
@code{slot-missing} is called and the return value of the effective
method, if any, is respected.

@end itemize

@node Metaobject Protocol
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Metaobject Protocol

@subsection AMOP Compatibility of Metaobject Protocol

SBCL supports a metaobject protocol which is intended to be compatible
with AMOP; present exceptions to this (as distinct from current bugs)
are:

@itemize

@item
@findex @sbmop{compute-effective-method}
@code{compute-effective-method} only returns one value, not two.

There is no record of what the second return value was meant to
indicate, and apparently no clients for it.

@item
@tindex @cl{generic-function}
@tindex @cl{standard-generic-function}
@tindex @sbmop{funcallable-standard-object}
@tindex @cl{standard-object}
@tindex @cl{function}
The direct superclasses of @code{funcallable-standard-object} are
@code{(function standard-object)}, not @code{(standard-object function)}.

This is to ensure that the @code{standard-object} class is the last of
the standardized classes before @code{t} appearing in the class
precedence list of @code{generic-function} and
@code{standard-generic-function}, as required by section 1.4.4.5 of the
ANSI specification.

@item
@findex @cl{ensure-generic-function}
@findex @sbmop{generic-function-declarations}
the arguments @code{:declare} and @code{:declarations} to
@code{ensure-generic-function} are both accepted, with the leftmost
argument defining the declarations to be stored and returned by
@code{generic-function-declarations}.

Where AMOP specifies @code{:declarations} as the keyword argument to
@code{ensure-generic-function}, the Common Lisp standard specifies
@code{:declare}.  Portable code should use @code{:declare}.

@item
@findex @sbmop{validate-superclass}
@findex @sbmop{finalize-inheritance}
@tindex @cl{standard-class}
@tindex @sbmop{funcallable-standard-class}
@tindex @cl{function}
@findex @sbmop{class-prototype}
although SBCL obeys the requirement in AMOP that
@code{validate-superclass} should treat @code{standard-class} and
@code{funcallable-standard-class} as compatible metaclasses, we
impose an additional requirement at class finalization time: a class
of metaclass @code{funcallable-standard-class} must have
@code{function} in its superclasses, and a class of metaclass
@code{standard-class} must not.

@findex @cl{typep}
@findex @cl{class-of}
@findex @cl{subtypep}
After a class has been finalized, it is associated with a class
prototype which is accessible by a standard mop function
@code{class-prototype}.  The user can then ask whether this object is a
@code{function} or not in several different ways: whether it is a
function according to @code{typep}; whether its @code{class-of} is
@code{subtypep} @code{function}, or whether @code{function} appears in
the superclasses of the class.  The additional consistency requirement
comes from the desire to make all of these answers the same.

The following class definitions are bad, and will lead to errors
either immediately or if an instance is created:
@lisp
(defclass bad-object (funcallable-standard-object)
  ()
  (:metaclass standard-class))
@end lisp
@lisp
(defclass bad-funcallable-object (standard-object)
  ()
  (:metaclass funcallable-standard-class))
@end lisp
The following definition is acceptable:
@lisp
(defclass mixin ()
  ((slot :initarg slot)))
(defclass funcallable-object (funcallable-standard-object mixin)
  ()
  (:metaclass funcallable-standard-class))
@end lisp
and leads to a class whose instances are funcallable and have one slot.

@tindex @sbmop{funcallable-standard-object}
Note that this requirement also applies to the class
@code{funcallable-standard-object}, which has metaclass
@code{funcallable-standard-class} rather than
@code{standard-class} as AMOP specifies.

@item
the requirement that ``No portable class @math{C_p} may inherit, by
virtue of being a direct or indirect subclass of a specified class, any
slot for which the name is a symbol accessible in the
@code{common-lisp-user} package or exported by any package defined in
the ANSI Common Lisp standard.'' is interpreted to mean that the
standardized classes themselves should not have slots named by external
symbols of public packages.

The rationale behind the restriction is likely to be similar to the ANSI
Common Lisp restriction on defining functions, variables and types named
by symbols in the Common Lisp package: preventing two independent pieces
of software from colliding with each other.

@item
@findex @sbmop{slot-value-using-class}
@findex @setf{@sbmop{slot-value-using-class}}
@findex @sbmop{slot-boundp-using-class}
specializations of the @code{new-value} argument to @code{(setf
slot-value-using-class)} are not allowed: all user-defined methods must
have a specializer of the class @code{t}.

This prohibition is motivated by a separation of layers: the
@code{slot-value-using-class} family of functions is intended for use in
implementing different and new slot allocation strategies, rather than
in performing application-level dispatching.  Additionally, with this
requirement, there is a one-to-one mapping between metaclass, class and
slot-definition-class tuples and effective methods of @code{(setf
slot-value-using-class)}, which permits optimization of @code{(setf
slot-value-using-class)}'s discriminating function in the same manner as
for @code{slot-value-using-class} and @code{slot-boundp-using-class}.

Note that application code may specialize on the @code{new-value}
argument of slot accessors.

@item
@findex @cl{defclass}
@findex @sbmop{ensure-class}
@findex @sbmop{ensure-class-using-class}
@findex @cl{find-class}
@findex @cl{class-name}
the class named by the @code{name} argument to @code{ensure-class}, if
any, is only redefined if it is the proper name of that class;
otherwise, a new class is created.

This is consistent with the description of @code{ensure-class} in AMOP
as the functional version of @code{defclass}, which has this behaviour;
however, it is not consistent with the weaker requirement in AMOP, which
states that any class found by @code{find-class}, no matter what its
@code{class-name}, is redefined.

@item
@findex @sbmop{slot-definition-name}
@tindex @cl{structure-class}
@findex @cl{defstruct}
an error is not signaled in the case of the @code{:name} initialization
argument for @code{slot-definition} objects being a constant, when the
slot definition is of type @code{structure-slot-definition} (i.e. it is
associated with a class of type @code{structure-class}).

This allows code which uses constant names for structure slots to
continue working as specified in ANSI, while enforcing the constraint
for all other types of slot.

@item
@tindex @cl{t}
@tindex @cl{built-in-class}
@findex @sbmop{validate-superclass}
@findex @cl{defclass}
the class named @code{t} is not an instance of the @code{built-in-class}
metaclass.

AMOP specifies, in the ``Inheritance Structure of Metaobject Classes''
section, that the class named @code{t} should be an instance of
@code{built-in-class}.  However, it also specifies that
@code{validate-superclass} should return true (indicating that a direct
superclass relationship is permissible) if the second argument is the
class named @code{t}.  Also, ANSI specifies that classes with metaclass
@code{built-in-class} may not be subclassed using @code{defclass}, and
also that the class named @code{t} is the universal superclass,
inconsistent with it being a @code{built-in-class}.

@item
@findex @cl{change-class}
@findex @cl{defclass}
@findex @sbmop{ensure-class}
@findex @sbmop{ensure-class-using-class}
@findex @sbmop{slot-value-using-class}
@findex @setf{@sbmop{slot-value-using-class}}
@findex @sbmop{slot-boundp-using-class}
@findex @sbmop{slot-definition-allocation}
uses of @code{change-class} and redefinitions of classes with
@code{defclass} (or the functional interfaces @code{ensure-class} or
@code{ensure-class-using-class}) must ensure that for each slot with
allocation @code{:instance} or @code{:class}, the set of applicable
methods on the @code{slot-value-using-class} family of generic
functions is the same before and after the change.

This is required for correct operation of the protocol to update
instances for the new or redefined class, and can be seen as part of
the contract of the @code{:instance} or @code{:class} allocations.

@item
@findex @cl{no-applicable-method}
@findex @sbpcl{no-primary-method}
@findex @sbmop{compute-discriminating-function}
@findex @cl{compute-applicable-methods}
@findex @sbmop{compute-effective-method}
Metaobject protocol users may wish to override
@code{compute-discriminating-function} for their own generic function
classes.  Overriding implementations of
@code{compute-discriminating-function} must, in order to participate
in the @code{no-applicable-method} and @code{no-primary-method}
protocols, perform appropriate checks on the return value of
@code{compute-applicable-methods} before processing the effective
method; the standard effective method contains error-invoking forms,
but those forms have no access to the generic function invocation's
arguments.

@end itemize

@subsection Metaobject Protocol Extensions

In addition, SBCL supports extensions to the Metaobject protocol from
AMOP; at present, they are:

@itemize

@item
@findex @cl{defmethod}
@findex @cl{find-class}
@findex @sbmop{intern-eql-specializer}
@findex @sbpcl{make-method-specializers-form}
@findex @sbmop{make-method-lambda}
compile-time support for generating specializer metaobjects from
specializer names in @code{defmethod} forms is provided by the
@code{make-method-specializers-form} function, which returns a form
which, when evaluated in the lexical environment of the
@code{defmethod}, returns a list of specializer metaobjects.  This
operator suffers from similar restrictions to those affecting
@code{make-method-lambda}, namely that the generic function must be
defined when the @code{defmethod} form is expanded, so that the
correct method of @code{make-method-specializers-form} is invoked.
The system-provided method on @code{make-method-specializers-form}
generates a call to @code{find-class} for each symbol specializer
name, and a call to @code{intern-eql-specializer} for each @code{(eql
@var{x})} specializer name.

@item
@findex @cl{find-method}
@findex @sbpcl{parse-specializer-using-class}
@findex @sbpcl{unparse-specializer-using-class}
run-time support for converting between specializer names and
specializer metaobjects, mostly for the purposes of
@code{find-method}, is provided by
@code{parse-specializer-using-class} and
@code{unparse-specializer-using-class}, which dispatch on their first
argument, the generic function associated with a method with the given
specializer.  The system-provided methods on those methods convert
between classes and proper names and between lists of the form
@code{(eql @var{x})} and interned eql specializer objects.

@item
@vindex @sbpcl{@earstuds{slot-unbound}}
@findex @sbmop{standard-instance-access}
@findex @sbmop{funcallable-standard-instance-access}
@cindex Unbound slots
distinguishing unbound instance allocated slots from bound ones when
using @code{standard-instance-access} and
@code{funcallable-standard-instance-access} is possible by comparison
to the symbol-macro @code{+slot-unbound+}.

@end itemize

@node Extensible Sequences
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Extensible Sequences

@menu
* Iterator Protocol::
* Simple Iterator Protocol::
@end menu

@tindex @cl{sequence}
@tindex @cl{vector}
@findex @cl{find}
@findex @cl{subseq}
ANSI Common Lisp has a class @code{sequence} with subclasses @code{list} and
@code{vector} on which the ``sequence functions'' like @code{find},
@code{subseq}, etc. operate. As an extension to the ANSI specification,
SBCL allows additional subclasses of @code{sequence} to be defined
@footnote{A motivation, rationale and additional examples for the design
of this extension can be found in the paper @cite{Rhodes, Christophe
(2007): User-extensible sequences in Common Lisp} available for download
at
@url{http://www.doc.gold.ac.uk/~mas01cr/papers/ilc2007/sequences-20070301.pdf}.}.

@findex @cl{coerce}
@findex @cl{subseq}
@findex @cl{make-instance}
@tindex @cl{list}
Users of this extension just make instances of @code{sequence} subclasses
and transparently operate on them using sequence functions:
@lisp
(coerce (subseq (make-instance 'my-sequence) 5 10) 'list)
@end lisp
From this perspective, no distinction between builtin and user-defined
@code{sequence} subclasses should be necessary.

Providers of the extension, that is of user-defined @code{sequence}
subclasses, have to adhere to a ``sequence protocol'' which consists of
a set of generic functions in the @code{sequence} package.

@tindex @cl{sequence}
@tindex @cl{standard-object}
A minimal @code{sequence} subclass has to specify @code{standard-object} and
@code{sequence} as its superclasses and has to be the specializer of the
@code{sequence} parameter of methods on at least the following generic
functions:

@include fun-sb-sequence-length.texinfo
@include fun-sb-sequence-elt.texinfo
@include fun-sb-sequence-setf-elt.texinfo
@include fun-sb-sequence-adjust-sequence.texinfo
@include fun-sb-sequence-make-sequence-like.texinfo

@tindex @cl{sequence}
@findex @sequence{make-sequence-like}
@findex @cl{subseq}
@findex @cl{copy-seq}
@findex @sequence{adjust-sequence}
@code{make-sequence-like} is needed for functions returning
freshly-allocated sequences such as @code{subseq} or
@code{copy-seq}. @code{adjust-sequence} is needed for functions which
destructively modify their arguments such as @code{delete}. In fact, all
other sequence functions can be implemented in terms of the above
functions and actually are, if no additional methods are
defined. However, relying on these generic implementations, in
particular not implementing the iterator protocol can incur a high
performance penalty @xref{Iterator Protocol}.

When the sequence protocol is only partially implemented for a given
@code{sequence} subclass, an attempt to apply one of the missing
operations to instances of that class signals the following condition:

@include condition-sb-sequence-protocol-unimplemented.texinfo

In addition to the mandatory functions above, methods on the sequence
functions listed below can be defined.

There are two noteworthy irregularities:
@itemize
@item
The function @code{sb-sequence:emptyp} does not have a counterpart in
the @code{cl} package. It is intended to be used instead of
@code{length} when working with lazy or infinite sequences.

@item
The functions @code{map}, @code{concatenate} and @code{merge} receive a
type designator specifying the type of the constructed sequence as their
first argument. However, the corresponding generic functions
@code{sb-sequence:map}, @code{sb-sequence:concatenate} and
@code{sb-sequence:merge} receive a prototype instance of the requested
@code{sequence} subclass instead.
@end itemize

@include fun-sb-sequence-emptyp.texinfo

@itemize
@item
@code{sb-sequence:count}, @code{sb-sequence:count-if}, @code{sb-sequence:count-if-not}

@item
@code{sb-sequence:find}, @code{sb-sequence:find-if}, @code{sb-sequence:find-if-not}

@item
@code{sb-sequence:position}, @code{sb-sequence:position-if}, @code{sb-sequence:position-if-not}

@item
@code{sb-sequence:subseq}

@item
@code{sb-sequence:copy-seq}

@item
@code{sb-sequence:fill}

@item
@include fun-sb-sequence-map.texinfo

@item
@code{sb-sequence:nsubstitute}, @code{sb-sequence:nsubstitute-if},
@code{sb-sequence:nsubstitute-if-not}, @code{sb-sequence:substitute},
@code{sb-sequence:substitute-if}, @code{sb-sequence:substitute-if-not}

@item
@code{sb-sequence:replace}

@item
@code{sb-sequence:nreverse}, @code{sb-sequence:reverse}

@item
@include fun-sb-sequence-concatenate.texinfo

@item
@code{sb-sequence:reduce}

@item
@code{sb-sequence:mismatch}

@item
@code{sb-sequence:search}

@item
@code{sb-sequence:delete}, @code{sb-sequence:delete-if}, @code{sb-sequence:delete-if-not},
@code{sb-sequence:remove}, @code{sb-sequence:remove-if}, @code{sb-sequence:remove-if-not},

@item
@code{sb-sequence:delete-duplicates}, @code{sb-sequence:remove-duplicates}

@item
@code{sb-sequence:sort}, @code{sb-sequence:stable-sort}

@item
@include fun-sb-sequence-merge.texinfo
@end itemize

@findex @cl{dolist}
In the spirit of @code{dolist}, generic sequences can be traversed using
the macro

@include macro-sb-sequence-dosequence.texinfo

@node Iterator Protocol
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@subsection Iterator Protocol

The iterator protocol allows subsequently accessing some or all elements
of a sequence in forward or reverse direction. Users first call
@code{make-sequence-iterator} to create an iteration state and
receive functions to query and mutate it. These functions allow, among
other things, moving to, retrieving or modifying elements of the
sequence. An iteration state consists of a state object, a limit object,
a from-end indicator and the following six functions to query or mutate
this state:
@findex @sequence{make-sequence-iterator}
@deffn {Function} @code{step function} sequence iterator from-end
Moves the iterator one position forward or backward in the associated
sequence depending on the iteration direction.
@end deffn
@deffn {Function} @code{endp function} sequence iterator limit from-end
Returns non-@code{nil} when the iterator has reached the end of the
associated sequence with respect to the iteration direction.
@end deffn
@deffn {Function} @code{element function} sequence iterator
Returns the sequence element associated to the current position of the
iteration.
@end deffn
@deffn {Function} @code{setf element function} new-value sequence iterator
Destructively modifies the associates sequence by replacing the sequence
element associated to the current iteration position with a new value.
@end deffn
@deffn {Function} @code{index function} sequence iterator
Returns the position of the iteration in the associated sequence.
@end deffn
@deffn {Function} @code{copy function} sequence iterator
Returns a copy of the iteration state which can be mutated independently
of the copied iteration state.
@end deffn

An iterator is created by calling:

@include fun-sb-sequence-make-sequence-iterator.texinfo

@findex @sequence{make-sequence-iterator}
@findex @sequence{make-simple-sequence-iterator}
@tindex @cl{sequence}
Note that @code{make-sequence-iterator} calls
@code{make-simple-sequence-iterator} when there is no specialized
method for a particular @code{sequence} subclass. @xref{Simple Iterator
Protocol}.

The following convenience macros simplify traversing sequences using
iterators:

@include macro-sb-sequence-with-sequence-iterator.texinfo
@include macro-sb-sequence-with-sequence-iterator-functions.texinfo

@node Simple Iterator Protocol
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@subsection Simple Iterator Protocol

For cases in which the full flexibility and performance of the general
sequence iterator protocol is not required, there is a simplified
sequence iterator protocol consisting of a few generic functions which
can be specialized for iterator classes:

@include fun-sb-sequence-iterator-step.texinfo
@include fun-sb-sequence-iterator-endp.texinfo
@include fun-sb-sequence-iterator-element.texinfo
@include fun-sb-sequence-setf-iterator-element.texinfo
@include fun-sb-sequence-iterator-index.texinfo
@include fun-sb-sequence-iterator-copy.texinfo

Iterator objects implementing the above simple iteration protocol are
created by calling the following generic function:

@include fun-sb-sequence-make-simple-sequence-iterator.texinfo

@node  Support For Unix
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Support For Unix

@menu
* Command-line arguments::
* Querying the process environment::
* Running external programs::
@end menu

@node Command-line arguments
@subsection Command-line arguments
@vindex @sbext{@earmuffs{posix-argv}}

The UNIX command line can be read from the variable
@code{sb-ext:*posix-argv*}.

@node Querying the process environment
@subsection Querying the process environment

The UNIX environment can be queried with the
@code{sb-ext:posix-getenv} function.

@include fun-sb-ext-posix-getenv.texinfo

@node Running external programs
@subsection Running external programs

External programs can be run with @code{sb-ext:run-program}.
@footnote{In SBCL versions prior to 1.0.13, @code{sb-ext:run-program}
searched for executables in a manner somewhat incompatible with other
languages.  As of this version, SBCL uses the system library routine
@code{execvp(3)}, and no longer contains the function,
@code{find-executable-in-search-path}, which implemented the old
search.  Users who need this function may find it
in @file{run-program.lisp} versions 1.67 and earlier in SBCL's CVS
repository here
@url{http://sbcl.cvs.sourceforge.net/sbcl/sbcl/src/code/run-program.lisp?view=log}. However,
we caution such users that this search routine finds executables that
system library routines do not.}

@include fun-sb-ext-run-program.texinfo

When @code{sb-ext:run-program} is called with @code{wait} equal to
NIL, an instance of class @var{sb-ext:process} is returned.  The
following functions are available for use with processes:

@include fun-sb-ext-process-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-ext-process-input.texinfo

@include fun-sb-ext-process-output.texinfo

@include fun-sb-ext-process-error.texinfo

@include fun-sb-ext-process-alive-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-ext-process-status.texinfo

@include fun-sb-ext-process-wait.texinfo

@include fun-sb-ext-process-exit-code.texinfo

@include fun-sb-ext-process-core-dumped.texinfo

@include fun-sb-ext-process-close.texinfo

@include fun-sb-ext-process-kill.texinfo

@node  Unicode Support
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Unicode Support
@cindex Unicode

SBCL provides support for working with Unicode text and querying the
standard Unicode database for information about individual codepoints.
Unicode-related functions are located in the @code{sb-unicode} package.

@cindex Character Names
@cindex Name, of character
@findex @cl{name-char}
@findex @cl{char-name}
SBCL also extends ANSI character literal syntax to support Unicode
codepoints. You can either specify a character by its Unicode name, with
spaces replaced by underscores, if a unique name exists @footnote{Please
note that the codepoint U+1F5CF (PAGE) introduced in Unicode 7.0 is
named @code{UNICODE_PAGE}, since the name ``Page'' is required to be
assigned to form-feed (U+0C) by the ANSI standard.} or
by giving its hexadecimal codepoint preceded by a ``U'', an optional
``+'', and an arbitrary number of leading zeros. You may also input the
character directly into your source code if it can be encoded in your
file. If a character had an assigned name in Unicode 1.0 that was
distinct from its current name, you may also use that name (with spaces
replaced by underscores) to specify the character, unless the name is
already associated with a codepoint in the latest Unicode standard (such
as ``BELL'').

For example, you can specify the codepoint U+00E1 (``Latin
Small Letter A With Acute'') as
@itemize @bullet
@item
@code{#\LATIN_SMALL_LETTER_A_WITH_ACUTE}
@item
@code{#\LATIN_SMALL_LETTER_A_ACUTE}
@item
@code{#\á} assuming a Unicode source file
@item
@code{#\U00E1}
@item
@code{#\UE1}
@item
@code{#\U+00E1}
@end itemize

@subsection Unicode property access

The following functions can be used to find information about a Unicode
codepoint.

@include fun-sb-unicode-general-category.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-bidi-class.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-combining-class.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-decimal-value.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-digit-value.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-numeric-value.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-mirrored-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-bidi-mirroring-glyph.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-age.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-hangul-syllable-type.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-east-asian-width.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-script.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-char-block.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-unicode-1-name.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-proplist-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-uppercase-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-lowercase-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-cased-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-case-ignorable-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-alphabetic-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-ideographic-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-math-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-whitespace-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-soft-dotted-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-hex-digit-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-default-ignorable-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-grapheme-break-class.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-word-break-class.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-sentence-break-class.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-line-break-class.texinfo

@subsection String operations
@cindex Normalization, String

SBCL can normalize strings using:

@include fun-sb-unicode-normalize-string.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-normalized-p.texinfo

SBCL implements the full range of Unicode case operations with the
functions

@include fun-sb-unicode-uppercase.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-lowercase.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-titlecase.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-casefold.texinfo

@findex @cl{string-upcase}
@findex @cl{char-downcase}
@findex @cl{both-case-p}
It also extends standard Common Lisp case functions such as
@code{string-upcase} and @code{string-downcase} to support a subset of
Unicode's casing behavior.  Specifically, a character is
@code{both-case-p} if its case mapping in Unicode is one-to-one and
invertable.

The @code{sb-unicode} package also provides functions for
collating/sorting strings according to the Unicode Collation Algorithm.

@include fun-sb-unicode-unicode-lt.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-unicode=.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-unicode-equal.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-unicode-lt=.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-unicode-gt.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-unicode-gt=.texinfo

The following functions are provided for detecting visually confusable strings:

@include fun-sb-unicode-confusable-p.texinfo

@subsection Breaking strings

The @code{sb-unicode} package includes several functions for breaking a
Unicode string into useful parts.

@include fun-sb-unicode-graphemes.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-words.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-sentences.texinfo

@include fun-sb-unicode-lines.texinfo

@node  Customization Hooks for Users
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Customization Hooks for Users

The toplevel repl prompt may be customized, and the function
that reads user input may be replaced completely.
@c <!-- FIXME but I don't currently remember how -->

The behaviour of @code{require} when called with only one argument is
implementation-defined.  In SBCL, @code{require} behaves in the
following way:

@include fun-common-lisp-require.texinfo
@include var-sb-ext-star-module-provider-functions-star.texinfo

Although SBCL does not provide a resident editor, the @code{ed}
function can be customized to hook into user-provided editing
mechanisms as follows:

@include fun-common-lisp-ed.texinfo
@include var-sb-ext-star-ed-functions-star.texinfo

Conditions of type @code{warning} and @code{style-warning} are
sometimes signaled at runtime, especially during execution of Common
Lisp defining forms such as @code{defun}, @code{defmethod}, etc.  To
muffle these warnings at runtime, SBCL provides a variable
@code{sb-ext:*muffled-warnings*}:

@include var-sb-ext-star-muffled-warnings-star.texinfo

@node Tools To Help Developers
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Tools To Help Developers
@findex @cl{trace}
@findex @cl{inspect}

SBCL provides a profiler and other extensions to the ANSI @code{trace}
facility.  For more information, see @ref{Macro common-lisp trace}.

The debugger supports a number of options. Its documentation is
accessed by typing @kbd{help} at the debugger prompt. @xref{Debugger}.

Documentation for @code{inspect} is accessed by typing @kbd{help} at
the @code{inspect} prompt.

@node Resolution of Name Conflicts
@section Resolution of Name Conflicts
@tindex @sbext{name-conflict}
@findex @sbext{name-conflict-symbols}

The ANSI standard (section 11.1.1.2.5) requires that name conflicts in
packages be resolvable in favour of any of the conflicting symbols.  In
the interactive debugger, this is achieved by prompting for the symbol
in whose favour the conflict should be resolved; for programmatic use,
the @code{sb-ext:resolve-conflict} restart should be invoked with one
argument, which should be a member of the list returned by the condition
accessor @code{sb-ext:name-conflict-symbols}.

@node    Hash Table Extensions
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Hash Table Extensions
@cindex Hash tables

Hash table extensions supported by SBCL are all controlled by keyword
arguments to @code{make-hash-table}.

@include fun-common-lisp-make-hash-table.texinfo

@include macro-sb-ext-define-hash-table-test.texinfo

@include macro-sb-ext-with-locked-hash-table.texinfo

@include fun-sb-ext-hash-table-synchronized-p.texinfo

@include fun-sb-ext-hash-table-weakness.texinfo

@node    Random Number Generation
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Random Number Generation
@cindex Random Number Generation

@vindex @cl{@earmuffs{random-state}}
@findex @cl{make-random-state}
The initial value of @code{*random-state*} is the same each time SBCL
is started. This makes it possible for user code to obtain repeatable
pseudo random numbers using only standard-provided functionality. See
@code{seed-random-state} below for an SBCL extension that allows to
seed the random number generator from given data for an additional
possibility to achieve this. Non-repeatable random numbers can always
be obtained using @code{(make-random-state t)}.

@findex @cl{random}
The sequence of numbers produced by repeated calls to @code{random}
starting with the same random state and using the same sequence of
@code{limit} arguments is guaranteed to be reproducible only in the
same version of SBCL on the same platform, using the same code under
the same evaluator mode and compiler optimization qualities. Just two
examples of differences that may occur otherwise: calls to
@code{random} can be compiled differently depending on how much is
known about the @code{limit} argument at compile time, yielding
different results even if called with the same argument at run time,
and the results can differ depending on the machine's word size, for
example for limits that are fixnums under 64-bit word size but bignums
under 32-bit word size.

@include fun-sb-ext-seed-random-state.texinfo

@tindex @cl{float}
Some notes on random floats: The standard doesn't prescribe a specific
method of generating random floats. The following paragraph describes
SBCL's current implementation and should be taken as purely
informational, that is, user code should not depend on any of its
specific properties.  The method used has been chosen because it is
common, conceptually simple and fast.

@findex @cl{expt}
@findex @cl{random}
To generate random floats, SBCL evaluates code that has an equivalent
effect as
@lisp
(* limit
   (float (/ (random (expt 2 23)) (expt 2 23)) 1.0f0))
@end lisp
(for single-floats) and correspondingly (with @code{52} and
@code{1.0d0} instead of @code{23} and @code{1.0f0}) for double-floats.
Note especially that this means that zero is a possible return value
occurring with probability @code{(expt 2 -23)} respectively
@code{(expt 2 -52)}. Also note that there exist twice as many
equidistant floats between 0 and 1 as are generated. For example, the
largest number that @code{(random 1.0f0)} ever returns is
@code{(float (/ (1- (expt 2 23)) (expt 2 23)) 1.0f0)} while
@code{(float (/ (1- (expt 2 24)) (expt 2 24)) 1.0f0)} is the
largest single-float less than 1. This is a side effect of the fact
that the implementation uses the fastest possible conversion from bits
to floats.

SBCL currently uses the Mersenne Twister as its random number
generator, specifically the 32-bit version under both 32- and 64-bit
word size. The seeding algorithm has been improved several times by
the authors of the Mersenne Twister; SBCL uses the third version
(from 2002) which is still the most recent as of June 2012. The
implementation has been tested to provide output identical to the
recommended C implementation.

While the Mersenne Twister generates random numbers of much better
statistical quality than other widely used generators, it uses only
linear operations modulo 2 and thus fails some statistical
tests@footnote{See chapter 7 "Testing widely used RNGs" in
@cite{TestU01: A C Library for Empirical Testing of Random Number
Generators} by Pierre L'Ecuyer and Richard Simard, ACM Transactions on
Mathematical Software, Vol. 33, article 22, 2007.}.
For example, the distribution of ranks of (sufficiently large) random
binary matrices is much distorted compared to the theoretically
expected one when the matrices are generated by the Mersenne Twister.
Thus, applications that are sensitive to this aspect should use a
different type of generator.

@node   Timeouts and Deadlines
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Timeouts and Deadlines

SBCL supports three different ways of restricting the execution time
available to individual operations or parts of computations:

@table @strong

@item Timeout Parameters
Some operations such as thread synchronization primitives accept a
@code{:timeout} parameter. @xref{Timeout Parameters}.

@item Synchronous Timeouts (Deadlines)
@findex @cl{sleep}
Certain operations that may suspend execution for extended periods of
time such as @code{cl:sleep}, thread synchronization primitives, IO and
waiting for external processes respect deadlines established for a part
of a computation. @xref{Synchronous Timeouts (Deadlines)}.

@item Asynchronous Timeouts
Asynchronous timeouts can interrupt most computations at (almost) any
point. Thus, this kind of timeouts is the most versatile but it is also
somewhat unsafe. @xref{Asynchronous Timeouts}.

@end table

@menu
* Timeout Parameters::
* Synchronous Timeouts (Deadlines)::
* Asynchronous Timeouts::
* Operations Supporting Timeouts and Deadlines::
@end menu

@node Timeout Parameters
@subsection Timeout Parameters
@cindex Timeout

@tindex @sbthread{join-thread-error}
Certain operations accept @code{:timeout} keyword arguments. These
only affect the specific operation and must be specified at each call
site by passing a @code{:timeout} keyword argument and a corresponding
timeout value to the respective operation. Expiration of the timeout
before the operation completes results in either a normal return with
a return value indicating the timeout or in the signaling of a
specialized condition such as @code{sb-thread:join-thread-error}.

Example:

@lisp
(defun join-thread-within-5-seconds (thread)
  (multiple-value-bind (value result)
      (sb-thread:join-thread thread :default nil :timeout 5)
    (when (eq result :timeout)
      (error "Could not join ~A within 5 seconds" thread))
    value))
@end lisp

@findex @sbthread{join-thread}
The above code attempts to join the specified thread for up to five
seconds, returning its value in case of success. If the thread is
still running after the five seconds have elapsed,
@code{sb-thread:join-thread} indicates the timeout in its second
return value. If a @code{:default} value was not provided,
@code{sb-thread:join-thread} would signal a
@code{sb-thread:join-thread-error} instead.

To wait for an arbitrary condition, optionally with a timeout, the
@code{sb-ext:wait-for} macro can be used:

@include macro-sb-ext-wait-for.texinfo

@c @code{sb-sys:make-fd-stream} also takes a @code{:timeout} argument
@c resulting in @code{sb-sys:io-timeout}, but that seems to niche to
@c document here.

@node Synchronous Timeouts (Deadlines)
@subsection Synchronous Timeouts (Deadlines)
@cindex Timeout
@cindex Synchronous Timeout
@cindex Deadline

Deadlines, in contrast to timeout parameters, are established for a
dynamic scope using the @code{sb-sys:with-deadline} macro and indirectly
affect operations within that scope. In case of nested uses, the
effective deadline is the one that expires first unless an inner use
explicitly overrides outer deadlines.

@include macro-sb-sys-with-deadline.texinfo

Expiration of deadlines set up this way only has an effect when it
happens before or during the execution of a deadline-aware operation
(@pxref{Operations Supporting Timeouts and Deadlines}). In this case, a
@code{sb-sys:deadline-timeout} is signaled. A handler for this condition
type may use the @code{sb-sys:defer-deadline} or
@code{sb-sys:cancel-deadline} restarts to defer or cancel the deadline
respectively and resume execution of the interrupted operation.

@include condition-sb-sys-deadline-timeout.texinfo

When a thread is executing the debugger, signaling of
@code{sb-sys:deadline-timeout} conditions for that thread is deferred
until it exits the debugger.

Example:

@lisp
(defun read-input ()
  (list (read-line) (read-line)))

(defun do-it ()
  (sb-sys:with-deadline (:seconds 5))
    (read-input)
    (sleep 2)
    (sb-ext:run-program "my-program"))
@end lisp

@findex @cl{read-line}
@findex @cl{sleep}
@findex @sbext{run-program}
The above code establishes a deadline of five seconds within which the
body of the @code{do-it} function should execute. All calls of
deadline-aware functions in the dynamic scope, in this case two
@code{read-line} calls, a @code{sleep} call and a
@code{sb-ext:run-program} call, are affected by the deadline. If, for
example, the first @code{read-line} call completes in one second and the
second @code{read-line} call completes in three seconds, a
@code{sb-sys:deadline-timeout} condition will be signaled after the
@code{sleep} call has been executing for one second.

@node Asynchronous Timeouts
@subsection Asynchronous Timeouts
@cindex Timeout
@cindex Asynchronous Timeout

Asynchronous timeouts are established for a dynamic scope using the
@code{sb-sys:with-timeout} macro:

@include macro-sb-ext-with-timeout.texinfo

Expiration of the timeout will cause the operation being executed at
that moment to be interrupted by an asynchronously signaled
@code{sb-ext:timeout} condition, (almost) irregardless of the operation
and its context.

@include condition-sb-ext-timeout.texinfo

@node Operations Supporting Timeouts and Deadlines
@comment  node-name,
@subsection Operations Supporting Timeouts and Deadlines

@multitable @columnfractions .5 .25 .25
@headitem Operation                                            @tab Timeout Parameter @tab Affected by Deadlines
@item     @code{cl:sleep}                                      @tab -                 @tab since SBCL 1.4.3
@item     @code{cl:read-line}, etc.                            @tab no                @tab yes
@item     @ref{Macro sb-ext wait-for,,@code{wait-for}}@:  @tab yes               @tab yes
@item     @ref{Function sb-ext process-wait,,@code{process-wait}}@:                   @tab no                @tab yes
@item     @ref{Function sb-thread grab-mutex,,@code{grab-mutex}}@:                  @tab yes               @tab yes
@item     @ref{Function sb-thread condition-wait,,@code{condition-wait}}@:              @tab yes               @tab yes
@item     @ref{Function sb-thread wait-on-semaphore,,@code{wait-on-semaphore}}@:           @tab yes               @tab yes
@item     @ref{Function sb-thread join-thread,,@code{join-thread}}@:                 @tab yes               @tab yes
@item     @ref{Function sb-concurrency receive-message,,@code{receive-message}}@:        @tab yes               @tab yes?
@item     @ref{Function sb-concurrency wait-on-gate,,@code{wait-on-gate}}@:           @tab yes               @tab yes?
@item     @ref{Macro sb-concurrency frlock-write,,@code{frlock-write}}@:              @tab yes               @tab yes?
@item     @ref{Function sb-concurrency grab-frlock-write-lock,,@code{grab-frlock-write-lock}}@: @tab yes               @tab yes?
@end multitable

@node    Miscellaneous Extensions
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Miscellaneous Extensions

@include fun-sb-ext-array-storage-vector.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-delete-directory.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-get-time-of-day.texinfo
@include fun-sb-ext-assert-version-gt=.texinfo

@node Stale Extensions
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Stale Extensions

SBCL has inherited from CMUCL various hooks to allow the user to
tweak and monitor the garbage collection process. These are somewhat
stale code, and their interface might need to be cleaned up. If you
have urgent need of them, look at the code in @file{src/code/gc.lisp}
and bring it up on the developers' mailing list.

@findex @sbext{float-denormalized-p}
SBCL has various hooks inherited from CMUCL, like
@code{sb-ext:float-denormalized-p}, to allow a program to take
advantage of IEEE floating point arithmetic properties which aren't
conveniently or efficiently expressible using the ANSI standard. These
look good, and their interface looks good, but IEEE support is
slightly broken due to a stupid decision to remove some support for
infinities (because it wasn't in the ANSI spec and it didn't occur to
me that it was in the IEEE spec). If you need this stuff, take a look
at the code and bring it up on the developers' mailing
list.


@node  Efficiency Hacks
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Efficiency Hacks

@findex @sbext{purify}
The @code{sb-ext:purify} function causes SBCL first to collect all
garbage, then to mark all uncollected objects as permanent, never again
attempting to collect them as garbage. This can cause a large increase
in efficiency when using a primitive garbage collector, or a more
moderate increase in efficiency when using a more sophisticated garbage
collector which is well suited to the program's memory usage pattern. It
also allows permanent code to be frozen at fixed addresses, a
precondition for using copy-on-write to share code between multiple Lisp
processes.  This is less important with modern generational garbage
collectors, but not all SBCL platforms use such a garbage collector.

@comment @include fun-sb-ext-purify.texinfo

The @code{sb-ext:truly-the} special form declares the type of the
result of the operations, producing its argument; the declaration is
not checked. In short: don't use it.

@include special-operator-sb-ext-truly-the.texinfo

@cindex @code{freeze-type} declaration
@cindex Declaration, @code{freeze-type}
The @code{sb-ext:freeze-type} declaration declares that a
type will never change, which can make type testing
(@code{typep}, etc.) more efficient for structure types.
