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7.7.24 with-slots [Macro]

with-slots ({slot-entry}*) instance-form {declaration}* {form}*
{result}*

slot-entry ::=slot-name | (variable-name slot-name)

Arguments and Values::

slot-name—a slot name; not evaluated.

variable-name—a variable name; not evaluated.

instance-form—a form; evaluted to produce instance.

instance—an object.

declaration—a declare expression; not evaluated.

forms—an implicit progn.

results—the values returned by the forms.

Description::

The macro with-slots establishes a lexical environment for referring to the slots in the instance named by the given slot-names as though they were variables. Within such a context the value of the slot can be specified by using its slot name, as if it were a lexically bound variable. Both setf and setq can be used to set the value of the slot.

The macro with-slots translates an appearance of the slot name as a variable into a call to slot-value.

Examples::
      (defclass thing ()
                ((x :initarg :x :accessor thing-x)
                 (y :initarg :y :accessor thing-y)))
     ⇒  #<STANDARD-CLASS THING 250020173>
      (defmethod (setf thing-x) :before (new-x (thing thing))
        (format t "~&Changing X from ~D to ~D in ~S.~
                (thing-x thing) new-x thing))
      (setq thing (make-instance 'thing :x 0 :y 1)) ⇒  #<THING 62310540>
      (with-slots (x y) thing (incf x) (incf y)) ⇒  2
      (values (thing-x thing) (thing-y thing)) ⇒  1, 2
      (setq thing1 (make-instance 'thing :x 1 :y 2)) ⇒  #<THING 43135676>
      (setq thing2 (make-instance 'thing :x 7 :y 8)) ⇒  #<THING 43147374>
      (with-slots ((x1 x) (y1 y))
                  thing1
        (with-slots ((x2 x) (y2 y))
                    thing2
          (list (list x1 (thing-x thing1) y1 (thing-y thing1)
                      x2 (thing-x thing2) y2 (thing-y thing2))
                (setq x1 (+ y1 x2))
                (list x1 (thing-x thing1) y1 (thing-y thing1)
                      x2 (thing-x thing2) y2 (thing-y thing2))
                (setf (thing-x thing2) (list x1))
                (list x1 (thing-x thing1) y1 (thing-y thing1)
                      x2 (thing-x thing2) y2 (thing-y thing2)))))
      |>  Changing X from 7 to (9) in #<THING 43147374>.
     ⇒  ((1 1 2 2 7 7 8 8)
          9
          (9 9 2 2 7 7 8 8)
          (9)
          (9 9 2 2 (9) (9) 8 8))
Affected By::

defclass

Exceptional Situations::

The consequences are undefined if any slot-name is not the name of a slot in the instance.

See Also::

with-accessors , slot-value , symbol-macrolet

Notes::

A with-slots expression of the form:

     
     (with-slots (slot-entry_1 ...slot-entry_n) instance-form form_1 ...form_k)

expands into the equivalent of

     
     (let ((in instance-form))
 (symbol-macrolet (Q_1... Q_n) form_1 ...form_k))

where Q_i is

     (slot-entry_i ()
     (slot-value in 'slot-entry_i))

if slot-entry_i is a symbol and is

     (variable-name_i ()
     (slot-value in 'slot-name_i))

if slot-entry_i is of the form

     (variable-name_i
     slot-name_i)