Re: Printing Objects

[Jim Kempf <kempf%hplabsc@hplabs.HP.COM>]

>     Date: Wed, 6 May 87 09:34:12 pdt
>     From: Jim Kempf <kempf%hplabsc@hplabs.hp.com>
>     Subject: Printing Objects
>     
>     Looking through the PRINT-OBJECT specification, there is no read macro
>     specified for allowing an object printed out to be read back in. 
>     Since DEFSTRUCT has the #S read macro, it seems as if something similar
>     should be available for instances of classes of the default metaclass.
>     #O comes to mind first, but, of course, that is used by octal numbers.
>     
>     Why not #@? From CLTL, pg. 352, this one looks free. 
>     
>     		Jim Kempf	kempf@hplabs.hp.com
>
>I don't see why #S couldn't be extended to read instances. Since #S
>can only read "typed" structures (those that define a common lisp type),
>the semantics wouldn't get changed.
>

That would be OK too. Looking at the specification of #S, it could
be extended to anything with a constructor. The important point is
that the extension be noted in the CLOS specification, so it doesn't
get lost.

		Jim Kempf	kempf@hplabs.hp.com