[racket] tutorial: exploring the boundaries of outer space

On 04/10/2012 03:33 PM, Danny Yoo wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> Here's a tutorial that shows how to use Racket macros to create a
> lexical-scoping hole.
>
>      http://hashcollision.org/outer-tutorial/index.html
>
> The tutorial is intended to be an introduction to Racket's macro system as well.
>
>
> Any suggestions and comments would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

I find it interesting that you used a separate syntax parameter instead 
of just making `outer' the syntax parameter. I think that the semantics 
are the same with either strategy, but for some reason the latter seems 
more obvious to me - perhaps because it's closest to the 
non-syntax-parameterized version of this macro, and avoids the need for 
`syntax-parameter-value' entirely.

Can you elaborate on why you used `syntax-e' instead of `syntax->datum'? 
I would ordinarily expect something like (outer (add1 x)) to use the 
outer version of `x'.

Is there a way to make (outer (outer x)) do the right thing while still 
using syntax parameters?

Do you consider this behavior to be surprising? Would you expect as the 
author of `m' that your macro affects the behavior of `outer'?

(define-syntax m
   (syntax-rules ()
     ((_ val)
      ;; Helper function
      (let ()
        (def (h i) (* i val))
        (h 2)))))

(def (g x)
   (def (h x)
     (m (outer x)))
   (h 3))

-> "expand: unbound identifier in module in: x"

-- 
Brian Mastenbrook
brian at mastenbrook.net
http://brian.mastenbrook.net/