common-lisp

Working with SLIME

Installation

It is best to use latest SLIME from Emacs MELPA repository: the packages may be a bit unstable, but you get the latest features.

Portale and multiplatform Emacs, Slime, Quicklisp, SBCL and Git

You can download a portable and multiplatform version of Emacs25 already configured with Slime, SBCL, Quicklisp and Git: Portacle. It’s a quick and easy way to get going. If you want to learn how to install everything yourself, read on.

Manual install

In GNU Emacs (>= 24.5) initialization file (~/.emacs or ~/.emacs.d/init.el) add the following:

;; Use Emacs package system
(require 'package)
;; Add MELPA repository
(add-to-list 'package-archives
             '("melpa" . "https://melpa.milkbox.net/packages/") t)
;; Reload package list
(package-initialize)
(unless package-archive-contents
  (package-refresh-contents))
;; List of packages to install:
(setq package-list
      '(magit                    ; git interface (OPTIONAL)
        auto-complete            ; auto complete (RECOMMENDED)
        auto-complete-pcmp       ; programmable completion
        idle-highlight-mode      ; highlight words in programming buffer (OPTIONAL)
        rainbow-delimiters       ; highlight parenthesis (OPTIONAL)
        ac-slime                 ; auto-complete for SLIME
        slime                    ; SLIME itself
        eval-sexp-fu             ; Highlight evaluated form (OPTIONAL)
        smartparens              ; Help with many parentheses (OPTIONAL)
        ))

;; Install if are not installed
(dolist (package package-list)
  (unless (package-installed-p package)
    (package-install package)))

;; Parenthesis - OPTIONAL but recommended
(show-paren-mode t)
(require 'smartparens-config)
(sp-use-paredit-bindings)
(sp-pair "(" ")" :wrap "M-(")
(define-key smartparens-mode-map (kbd "C-<right>") 'sp-forward-slurp-sexp)
(define-key smartparens-mode-map (kbd "C-<left>") 'sp-backward-slurp-sexp)
(define-key smartparens-mode-map (kbd "C-S-<right>") 'sp-forward-barf-sexp)
(define-key smartparens-mode-map (kbd "C-S-<left>") 'sp-backward-barf-sexp)

(define-key smartparens-mode-map (kbd "C-)") 'sp-forward-slurp-sexp)
(define-key smartparens-mode-map (kbd "C-(") 'sp-backward-slurp-sexp)
(define-key smartparens-mode-map (kbd "C-}") 'sp-forward-barf-sexp)
(define-key smartparens-mode-map (kbd "C-{") 'sp-backward-barf-sexp)

(sp-pair "(" ")" :wrap "M-(")
(sp-pair "[" "]" :wrap "M-[")
(sp-pair "{" "}" :wrap "M-{")

;; MAIN Slime setup
;; Choose lisp implementation:
;; The first option uses roswell with default sbcl
;; the second option - uses ccl directly
(setq slime-lisp-implementations
      '((roswell ("ros" "-L" "sbcl-bin" "run"))
        (ccl ("ccl64"
              "-K" "utf-8"))))
;; Other settings...

SLIME on its own is OK, but it works better with Quicklisp package manager. To install Quicklisp, follow the instruction on the website (if you use roswell, follow roswell instructions). Once installed, in your lisp invoke:

(ql:quickload :quicklisp-slime-helper)

and add the following lines to Emacs init file:

;; Find where quicklisp is installed to
;; Add your own location if quicklisp is installed somewhere else
(defvar quicklisp-directories
  '("~/.roswell/lisp/quicklisp/"           ;; default roswell location for quicklisp
    "~/quicklisp/")                        ;; default quicklisp location
  "Possible locations of QUICKLISP")

;; Load slime-helper
(let ((continue-p t)
      (dirs quicklisp-directories))
  (while continue-p
    (cond ((null dirs) (message "Cannot find slime-helper.el"))
          ((file-directory-p (expand-file-name (car dirs)))
           (message "Loading slime-helper.el from %s" (car dirs))
           (load (expand-file-name "slime-helper.el" (car dirs)))
           (setq continue-p nil))
          (t (setq dirs (cdr dirs))))))

;; Autocomplete in SLIME
(require 'slime-autoloads)
(slime-setup '(slime-fancy))

;; (require 'ac-slime)
 (add-hook 'slime-mode-hook 'set-up-slime-ac)
 (add-hook 'slime-repl-mode-hook 'set-up-slime-ac)
 (eval-after-load "auto-complete"
   '(add-to-list 'ac-modes 'slime-repl-mode))

(eval-after-load "auto-complete"
  '(add-to-list 'ac-modes 'slime-repl-mode))

;; Hooks
(add-hook 'lisp-mode-hook (lambda ()
                            (rainbow-delimiters-mode t)
                            (smartparens-strict-mode t)
                            (idle-highlight-mode t)
                            (auto-complete-mode)))

(add-hook 'slime-mode-hook (lambda ()
                             (set-up-slime-ac)
                             (auto-complete-mode)))

(add-hook 'slime-repl-mode-hook (lambda ()
                                  (rainbow-delimiters-mode t)
                                  (smartparens-strict-mode t)
                                  (set-up-slime-ac)
                                  (auto-complete-mode)))

After the restart, GNU Emacs will install and set up all the necessary packages.

Starting and finishing SLIME, special (comma) REPL commands

In Emacs M-x slime will start slime with the default (first) Common Lisp implementation. If there are multiple implementations provided (via variable slime-lisp-implementations), other implementations can be accessed via M-- M-x slime, which will offer the choice of available implementations in mini-buffer.

M-x slime will open REPL buffer which will look as follows:

; SLIME 2016-04-19
CL-USER>

SLIME REPL buffer accepts a few special commands. All of them start with ,. Once , is typed, the list of options will be shown in mini-buffer. They include:

  • ,quit
  • ,restart-inferior-lisp
  • ,pwd - prints current directory from where Lisp is running
  • ,cd - will change current directory

Using REPL

CL-USER> (+ 2 3)
5
CL-USER> (sin 1.5)
0.997495
CL-USER> (mapcar (lambda (x) (+ x 2)) '(1 2 3))
(3 4 5)

The result that is printed after evaluation is not only a string: there is full-on Lisp object behind it which can be inspected by right-clicking on it and choosing Inspect.

Multi-line input is also possible: use C-j to put new line. Enter-key will cause the entered form to be evaluated and if the form is not finished, will likely cause an error:

CL-USER> (mapcar (lambda (x y)
                   (declare (ignore y))
                   (* x 2))
                 '(1 2 3)
                 '(:a :b :c))
(2 4 6)

Error handling

If evaluation causes an error:

CL-USER> (/ 3 0)

This will pop up a debugger buffer with the following content (in SBCL lisp):

arithmetic error DIVISION-BY-ZERO signalled
Operation was /, operands (3 0).
   [Condition of type DIVISION-BY-ZERO]

Restarts:
 0: [RETRY] Retry SLIME REPL evaluation request.
 1: [*ABORT] Return to SLIME's top level.
 2: [ABORT] abort thread (#<THREAD "repl-thread" RUNNING {1004FA8033}>)

Backtrace:
  0: (SB-KERNEL::INTEGER-/-INTEGER 3 0)
  1: (/ 3 0)
  2: (SB-INT:SIMPLE-EVAL-IN-LEXENV (/ 3 0) #<NULL-LEXENV>)
  3: (EVAL (/ 3 0))
  4: (SWANK::EVAL-REGION "(/ 3 0) ..)
  5: ((LAMBDA NIL :IN SWANK-REPL::REPL-EVAL))
--- more ---

Moving cursor down passed --- more --- will cause the backtrace to expand further.

At each line of the backtrace pressing Enter will show more information about a particular call (if available).

Pressing Enter on the line of restarts will cause a particular restart to be invoked. Alternatively, the restart can be chosen by number 0, 1 or 2 (press corresponding key anywhere in the buffer). The default restart is marked by a star and can be invoked by pressing key q (for “quit”). Pressing q will close the debugger and show the following in REPL

; Evaluation aborted on #<DIVISION-BY-ZERO {10064CCE43}>.
CL-USER>

Finally, quite rarely, but Lisp might encounter an error that cannot be handled by Lisp debugger, in which case it will drop into low-level debugger or finish abnormally. To see the cause of this kind of error, switch to *inferior-lisp* buffer.

Setting up a SWANK server over a SSH tunnel.

  1. Install a Common Lisp implementation on the server. (E.g. sbcl, clisp, etc…)
  2. Install quicklisp on the server.
  3. Load SWANK with (ql:quickload :swank)
  4. Start the server with (swank:create-server). The default port is 4005.
  5. [On your local machine] Create a SSH tunnel with ssh -L4005:127.0.0.1:4005 [remote machine]
  6. Connect to the running remote swank server with M-x slime-connect. The host should be 127.0.0.1 and the port 4005.
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