racket/collects/scribblings/guide/keywords.scrbl
Matthew Flatt 71268dd76e delete temporary stuff.txt
svn: r10020
2008-05-29 18:58:41 +00:00

50 lines
1.8 KiB
Racket

#lang scribble/doc
@(require scribble/manual
scribble/eval
"guide-utils.ss")
@title[#:tag "keywords"]{Keywords}
A @defterm{keyword} value is similar to a symbol (see
@secref["symbols"]), but its printed form is prefixed with
@litchar{#:}.
@refdetails/gory["parse-keyword"]{the syntax of keywords}
@examples[
(string->keyword "apple")
'#:apple
(eq? '#:apple (string->keyword "apple"))
]
More precisely, a keyword is analogous to an identifier; in the same
way that an identifier can be quoted to produce a symbol, a keyword
can be quoted to produce a value. The same term ``keyword'' is used in
both cases, but we sometimes use @defterm{keyword value} to refer more
specifically to the result of a quote-keyword expression or of
@scheme[string->keyword]. An unquoted keyword is not an expression,
just as an unquoted identifier does not produce a symbol:
@examples[
not-a-symbol-expression
#:not-a-keyword-expression
]
Despite their similarities, keywords are used in a different way than
identifiers or symbols. Keywords are intended for use (unquoted) as
special markers in argument lists and in certain syntactic forms. For
run-time flags and enumerations, use symbols instead of keywords. The
example below illustrates the distinct roles of keywords and symbols.
@examples[
(code:line (define dir (find-system-path 'temp-dir)) (code:comment #, @t{not @scheme['#:temp-dir]}))
(with-output-to-file (build-path dir "stuff.txt")
(lambda () (printf "example\n"))
(code:comment #, @t{optional @scheme[#:mode] argument can be @scheme['text] or @scheme['binary]})
#:mode 'text
(code:comment #, @t{optional @scheme[#:exists] argument can be @scheme['replace], @scheme['truncate], ...})
#:exists 'replace)
]
@interaction-eval[(delete-file (build-path (find-system-path 'temp-dir) "stuff.txt"))]