From fc44a670c11fb653b3600327082eeb8df8b82563 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com>
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2019 07:12:24 -0700
Subject: new functions: find-symbol and find-symbol-fb.

Turns out, there is already a find_symbol in lib.c, completely
unused.

* eval.c (eval_init): Register find-symbol and find-symbol-fb
intrinsics.

* lib.c (find_symbol): Fix this hitherto unused function to do
correct defaulting of the package argument and, to accept an
additional argument specifying the not-found value.
(find_symbol_fb): New function.

* lib.c (find_symbol): Declaration updated.
(find_symbol_fb): Declared.

* txr.1: Documented.
---
 txr.1 | 58 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 58 insertions(+)

(limited to 'txr.1')

diff --git a/txr.1 b/txr.1
index 06cb8305..edf1beab 100644
--- a/txr.1
+++ b/txr.1
@@ -51096,6 +51096,64 @@ is not found in the package as either an interned or hidden
 symbol, then the function has no effect and returns
 .codn nil .
 
+.coNP Functions @ find-symbol and @ find-symbol-fb
+.synb
+.mets (find-symbol < name >> [ package <> [ notfound-val ]])
+.mets (find-symbol-fb < name >> [ package <> [ notfound-val ]])
+.syne
+.desc
+The
+.code find-symbol
+and
+.code find-symbol-fb
+functions search
+.meta package
+for a symbol called
+.metn name .
+That argument must be a character string.
+
+If the
+.meta package
+argument is omitted, the parameter defaults to the
+current value of
+.codn *package* .
+
+If the symbol is found in
+.meta package
+then it is returned.
+
+If the symbol is not found in
+.metn package ,
+then the function
+.code find-symbol-fb
+also searches the packages listed in the fallback list of
+.meta package
+are searched, in order. Only these packages themselves are searched,
+not their own fallback lists. If a symbol called
+.meta name
+is found, the search terminates and that symbol is returned.
+
+The function
+.code find-symbol
+only searches
+.metn package ,
+ignoring its fallback list.
+
+If a symbol called
+.meta name
+isn't found, then these functions return
+.meta notfound-val
+is returned, which defaults to
+.codn nil .
+
+Note: an ambiguous situation exists when
+.meta notfound-val
+is a symbol, such as its default value
+.codn nil ,
+because if that symbol is successfully found,
+it is indistinguishable from
+.metn notfound-val .
+
 .coNP Function @ rehome-sym
 .synb
 .mets (rehome-sym < symbol <> [ package ])
-- 
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