[plt-scheme] Using DrScheme as editor for an external Scheme system

This is definitely doable. As a matter of fact, DrScheme started that  
way. For the first year, we had the option of running Chez Scheme or  
PLT Scheme as the REPL language. But this is ancient history and I  
doubt that any of the code from back then still exists.

In the meantime, the Brown crew has embedded OCAML in this style and  
Dracula does communicate with the ACL2 theorem prover in this manner.  
(The language semantics, however, is implemented via macros and PLT  
Scheme.) I suspect that Dracula is a better model for a starting  
point but I am not sure.

-- Matthias






On Dec 28, 2007, at 6:57 AM, Derick Eddington wrote:

> [I tried finding info about this specifically but was  
> unsuccessful.  I'd
> be thankful to anyone for pointing me to relevant info.]
>
> What I'd like to do is make a new DrScheme langauge for an external
> Scheme system running as a separate OS process that allows me to use
> DrScheme's (very nice :-) editing of the "definitions window" and
> "interactions window" and have those windows' contents sent to the
> external process and have the external process's output shown  
> (probably
> after I've parsed and filtered it a little) in DrScheme.
>
> I already know how to use PLT Scheme's functionality to run the  
> process
> and communicate with it and all that, but how would I make a DrScheme
> language for this integrated with DrScheme's editing of buffers and
> REPL?
>
> I'm wondering how practical it is to attempt this?
>
> PLT Tools: DrScheme Extension Manual, 2.1.2 says: "With some  
> additional
> work, any language that can be compiled to MzScheme's language is
> supported by the tools interface, not just those that use standard
> configurations and module."
>
> Should I keep digging into this document and review the DrScheme
> languages others have made, or should I take a different approach?   
> Do I
> need to be aware of any caveats for what I'm attempting?
>
> Should I look at what's coming in version 400+ which might change  
> how my
> idea would be done?
>
> Thank you very much for any help on how I could do this.
>
> -- 
> : Derick
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
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