[plt-scheme] redefinition with #lang scheme

2010/4/2 Skeptic . <skeptic2000 at hotmail.com>:
>
> Hi,
> I know that the following code works on the REPL, but why/how it should be
> done to work with #lang scheme ?
> (define old-car car)
> (define car
>  (λ (lst)
>   (if (null? lst)
>   '()
>   (old-car lst))))
> (car '())
> (car '(a b  c))
> Thanks.

It doesn't work as you've written it, and this is intentional.
Changing the behavior of functions used ubiquitously throughout the
PLT Scheme libraries may break lots of existing code in unpredictable
ways.  Changes like this are not necessarily compositional, either: if
two different libraries try to change the behavior of car on null,
only one will ultimately have effect.

Instead of changing the way the existing "car" works, the way of
changing car in PLT Scheme is to make a module that provides a new
language with the new "car":

#lang scheme
(define (my-car x)
  (if (null? x) '() (car x)))
(provide
  (except-out (all-from-out scheme))
  (rename-out [my-car car]))

Then save that as "my-lang.ss" write your new programs in your new language:

#lang s-exp "my-lang.ss"
(car '()) ;; should produce '()

Now you have a language like Scheme, but with your favorite behavior
for "car", and existing libraries will continue to use the "car" they
know and love, too.

--Carl