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emacs/doc/lispref/records.texi
Paul Eggert a2b3fea957 Deprecate copy-record in favor of copy-sequence
Since copy-sequence seems to be needed anyway for records, have it
work on records, and remove copy-record as being superfluous.
* doc/lispref/records.texi (Records, Record Functions):
* lisp/emacs-lisp/cl-macs.el (cl-defstruct):
* lisp/emacs-lisp/eieio.el (make-instance, clone):
* test/src/alloc-tests.el (record-3):
Use copy-sequence, not copy-record, to copy records.
* doc/lispref/sequences.texi (Sequence Functions)
(Array Functions): Document that aref and copy-sequence
work on records.
* etc/NEWS: Omit copy-record.
* src/alloc.c (Fcopy_record): Remove.
* src/data.c (Faref): Document that arg can be a record.
* src/fns.c (Fcopy_sequence): Copy records, too.
2017-04-07 18:54:40 -07:00

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@c -*-texinfo-*-
@c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.
@c Copyright (C) 2017 Free Software
@c Foundation, Inc.
@c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions.
@node Records
@chapter Records
@cindex record
The purpose of records is to allow programmers to create objects
with new types that are not built into Emacs. They are used as the
underlying representation of @code{cl-defstruct} and @code{defclass}
instances.
Internally, a record object is much like a vector; its slots can be
accessed using @code{aref} and it can be copied using
@code{copy-sequence}. However, the first slot is used to hold its
type as returned by @code{type-of}. Also, in the current
implementation records can have at most 4096 slots, whereas vectors
can be much larger. Like arrays, records use zero-origin indexing:
the first slot has index 0.
The type slot should be a symbol or a type descriptor. If it's a
type descriptor, the symbol naming its type will be returned;
@ref{Type Descriptors}. Any other kind of object is returned as-is.
The printed representation of records is @samp{#s} followed by a
list specifying the contents. The first list element must be the
record type. The following elements are the record slots.
A record is considered a constant for evaluation: the result of
evaluating it is the same record. This does not evaluate or even
examine the slots. @xref{Self-Evaluating Forms}.
@menu
* Record Functions:: Functions for records.
* Backward Compatibility:: Compatibility for cl-defstruct.
@end menu
@node Record Functions
@section Record Functions
@defun recordp object
This function returns @code{t} if @var{object} is a record.
@example
@group
(recordp #s(a))
@result{} t
@end group
@end example
@end defun
@defun record type &rest objects
This function creates and returns a record whose type is @var{type}
and remaining slots are the rest of the arguments, @var{objects}.
@example
@group
(record 'foo 23 [bar baz] "rats")
@result{} #s(foo 23 [bar baz] "rats")
@end group
@end example
@end defun
@defun make-record type length object
This function returns a new record with type @var{type} and
@var{length} more slots, each initialized to @var{object}.
@example
@group
(setq sleepy (make-record 'foo 9 'Z))
@result{} #s(foo Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z)
@end group
@end example
@end defun
@node Backward Compatibility
@section Backward Compatibility
Code compiled with older versions of @code{cl-defstruct} that
doesn't use records may run into problems when used in a new Emacs.
To alleviate this, Emacs detects when an old @code{cl-defstruct} is
used, and enables a mode in which @code{type-of} handles old struct
objects as if they were records.
@defun cl-old-struct-compat-mode arg
If @var{arg} is positive, enable backward compatibility with old-style
structs.
@end defun