Swindle

This is Swindle, written by Eli Barzilay (eli@barzilay.org)

Note: The information on this page is outdated! Swindle is now part of PLT Scheme.

Swindle is a collection of modules that extend PLT Scheme (www.plt-scheme.org) with many additional features. The main feature which started this project is a CLOS-like object system based on Tiny-CLOS from Xerox, but there is a lot more -- see the feature list below for a rough picture. The latest version of Swindle is available at http://www.barzilay.org/Swindle/. There is also a low volume mailing list, mail me to register. Comments, bugs, or whatever are welcome.

Downloading Swindle

To download Swindle for PLT v209, get swindle.plt and install it with the PLT setup tool. (Older version files: 103, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208)

The current version of Swindle is 20050206, it should be used with PLT version 209. (You can always find this information in version.txt). A brief overview can be found in readme.txt (also below), and a more extensive documentation can be found in doc.txt. Swindle is distributed under the terms of the LGPL.

Feature List

The following is a high-level description of major features provided by Swindle. For every feature, the file that provides it is specified, if only a subset of the system is needed.

• Some basic syntax extensions, including lambda &-keywords, and improved 'define' and 'let' forms. (Available separately using "base.ss".)
• Generic setters with 'set!', more useful side effect forms: 'pset!', 'shift!', 'rotate!', and some simple ones like 'inc!', and 'push!'. (Available separately using "setf.ss", where the names 'setf!' and 'psetf!' are used to avoid changing the Scheme form.)
• Convenient syntax for 'provide' forms. ("misc.ss")
• Easy macro-defining macros -- simple syntax-rules macros with 'defsubst', and a generic 'defmacro' utility, all with a local 'let...' form, and extended to easily create symbol macros. ("misc.ss")
• An 'collect' macro that provides very sophisticated list comprehensions and much more. ("misc.ss")
• An 'echo' mechanism which is an alternative to using format strings, and contains many useful features including a list iteration construct, and easy to extend. ("misc.ss")
• A 'regexper' syntax which is similar to a 'case' on strings with easy access to submatches. ("misc.ss")
• A hash table that is suitable for memoization (works on identities of elements of a list). ("misc.ss")
• A CLOS-like object system -- based on Tiny CLOS, but with many extensions that bring it much closer to CLOS, and heavily optimized. Some added features include singleton and struct classes, applicable stand-alone methods, method-combination, and some MOP extensions. (Available without syntax bindings in "tiny-clos.ss")
• Good integration with the Scheme implementation: primitive values have corresponding Swindle classes, and struct types can also be used as type specializers. A Swindle class will be made when needed, and it will reflect the struct hierarchy. In addition, structs can be defined with a Swindle-line 'defstruct' syntax which will also make it possible to create these structs with 'make' using keyword arguments. ("tiny-clos.ss" and "extra.ss")
• Many hairy macros that make the object system much more convenient (CLOS has also a lot of macro code). Some of the macros (especially 'defclass') can be customized. ("clos.ss")
• Useful generic functions, including 'print-object' which is used to display all objects. ("extra.ss")
• A 'match' mechanism with a generic-like interface. ("extra.ss")
• The fun 'amb' toy. ("extra.ss")
• A language that can easily create HTML, where the result is human-editable. ("html.ss")
• Plays well with DrScheme. ("tool.ss")
• Some customizable syntax features. ("custom.ss")
• Easy to add customized languages to DrScheme. ("custom.ss")

Source Files and On-Line Documentation

A list of files in this distribution follows. Files marked with "module" provide a module by the same name, files marked with "language module" modify the language and should be used as an initial import for other modules. Most files (and especially all language modules) are useful by themselves, even without using the whole Swindle environment. The documentation file ("doc.txt") contains more explanations on all Scheme files in a Help-Desk usable format, and the same information is layed out better in the HTML documentation pages below. On-line documentation is available when there's a "DOC" link, and as an index page.

• readme.txt
  This file.
• version.txt
  A file that contains the version of this Swindle distribution, and the PLT version it was compiled for.
• doc.txt
  Descriptions of user-level functions, macros, generic functions and variables, in a format that help-desk can use.
• base.ss (language module)   [DOC]
  Basic syntax extensions, mainly Lisp-like lambda argument &-keywords.
• setf.ss (module)   [DOC]
  Generic setters similar to `setf' in Lisp, and a few more useful macros.
• misc.ss (module)   [DOC]
  Lots of useful functionality bits, including everything from frequently useful MzScheme standard libraries (`list.ss', `etc.ss', and `string.ss').
• turbo.ss (language module)   [DOC]
  A module that packages functionality from `base', `setf' (overriding `set!' with `setf!'), and `misc'.
• tiny-clos.ss (module)   [DOC]
  The core object system, based on Tiny CLOS from Xerox, but heavily modified, optimized and extended.
• clos.ss (module)   [DOC]
  Convenient macro wrappers for "tiny-clos.ss".
• extra.ss (module)   [DOC]
  Extra functionality on top of clos.
• swindle.ss (language module)   [DOC]
  The main Swindle environment module: packages `tiny-clos', `clos', and `extra' on top of `turbo', and some more general definitions.
• html.ss (module)
  A language for creating HTML.
• html-doc.txt
  Documentation file for "html.ss".
• info.ss (module)
  Compilation definitions.
• tool.ss (module)
  Setup for Swindle in DrScheme -- makes some languages available in DrScheme, including custom Swindle-based languages.
• custom.ss (module)
  A sample file that demonstrates how to create a Swindle-based customized language -- see the source for instructions.
• swindle.el
  Emacs Lisp file defining a mode for Swindle files (can also be used for generic MzScheme code).
• copying.txt
  Full copyright text (LGPL).
• patterns.ss
• swindle-icon.png
• swindle-logo.png

About this page

This page was made using html.ss which is described separately in html-doc.txt. The script that uses this to make this whole thing (including compiling, packaging, and creating documentation files) is make, which uses documentation.txt as its input.