Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!bearcat.rutgers.edu!lou
From: lou@bearcat.rutgers.edu (Lou Steinberg)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Subject: Re: *readtable* and read macros
Message-ID: <Oct.18.15.14.17.1988.25594@bearcat.rutgers.edu>
Date: 18 Oct 88 19:14:22 GMT
References: <4400005@uicslsv>
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 30
To: bharat@uicslsv.cs.uiuc.edu

In article <4400005@uicslsv> bharat@uicslsv.cs.uiuc.edu writes:

> After reading the data file I want to restore the original readtable,
> and the following should work (if I'm understanding Steele correctly).
> 
> (setq *readtable* (copy-readtable nil)) -------1
> 
> But this doesn't [work]

To quote Steele (p. 361)

    (setq *readtable* (copy-readtable nil))
    will restore the input syntax to standard Common Lisp syntax

But do make sure it *really* isn't working before claiming a bug - I
would assume this sort of thing gets tested by major Lisp suppliers.

If it really doesn't work, I'd do

(let ((*read-table* (copy-readtable)))  ; rebind to copy of current one
     (load "read-macro-file.lisp")
     (load "data-file")
)

On exit from the let, the original binding is restored.
-- 
					Lou Steinberg

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