powerloom interface package in CL

Would it be possible for you to amplify on the powerloom interface and
its use from CL?

In particular, I was wondering about how the package system is
involved.

Some of the functions listed in the API part of the manual are
exported from PLI and usable simply.  E.g.,

CL-USER(6): (setf foo (pli:s-retrieve "all ?x (studied-by ?x tribe-b)" "EXPERTS" "NULL"))
|i|/PLI/@PL-ITERATOR

...but some of them don't seem as easily available:

CL-USER(7): (pli:empty? foo)
Error: attempt to call `PLI:EMPTY?' which is an undefined function.
  [condition type: UNDEFINED-FUNCTION]

Restart actions (select using :continue):
 0: Try calling PLI:EMPTY? again.
 1: Try calling STELLA::EMPTY? instead.
 2: Return a value instead of calling PLI:EMPTY?.
 3: Try calling a function other than PLI:EMPTY?.
 4: Setf the symbol-function of PLI:EMPTY? and call it again.
 5: Return to Top Level (an "abort" restart).
 6: Abort entirely from this (lisp) process.
[1] CL-USER(8): 
CL-USER(9): (stella::empty? foo)
()

Calling these unexported STELLA functions gives me the willies,
because I don't have a good way of telling when I'll get normal CL
values, and when the STELLA equivalents...

I do take the point that writing STELLA functions will be best, but at
some point I will need to cross the barrier to Common Lisp...

A second question --- does anyone have an s-retrieve-partial?  I
looked at the source and there was just a note in the comments under
s-retrieve which raises the question of whether to implement
s-retrieve-partial or not...

thanks again,
R

-- 
Robert P. Goldman
Senior Scientist
Smart Information Flow Technologies (d/b/a SIFT, LLC)

211 N. First St., Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55401

Voice:	(612) 384-3454
Email:    [email protected]