Re: Scheme Macros as Data (Not Program) Transformers

Sunnan,

On Friday 28 March 2008 11:47, Sunnan wrote:
> Hi, Randall,
> I've usually gone the other way around - I find Scheme to have many
> useful facilities (quasiquote among others) for data -> data
> transformation, and I then use that in macro definitions for when I
> need program -> program.
> Other than that, I find your question a bit unspecific. Maybe I
> misunderstood. Just use the quasiquote stuff outside a define-syntax
> context and you'll be fine.

Thanks.

I'll clarify my requirements a little more.

The reason I want to use Scheme macros is their declarative nature and 
Scheme's automatic pattern-directed application of such macros to the 
input. While I'll write many of the template / transforms myself, the 
facility will also be available to end users of my system, and I cannot 
expect them to be Scheme programmers. So the limitations of the Scheme 
macro system are actually an advantage for me.

Other background information is that currently I'm handling the 
rewriting requirements of my system (some of them—the most critical 
ones) with hand-written Java. This is an entirely inadequate situation 
that sharply limits evolvability and extensibility of my program.

Since it seems that were I to create a templating system of my own, it 
would either be a mere shadow Scheme's macros or would simply converge 
on Scheme's capabilities, so naturally I want to exploit Scheme macros 
directly.


Does that make sense?

Here's a toy example I'm using while I figure out how to use Scheme 
macros to achieve my transformatins:

(define-syntax define-object
  (syntax-rules (:name :properties)

    ((define-object :name object-name)
     `(object object-name))

    ((define-object :name object-name :properties object-property ...)
     `((object object-name)
       (object-property object-name) ...))
    ))



Randall Schulz

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