Some aspects of the LispWorks editor behave differently depending on which "mode" the buffer is using (see the LispWorks Editor User Guide for information about editor modes). These include syntax coloring and parenthesis matching. which operate only in Lisp mode and are described in Setting the text style attributes. Also, certain commands such as those for indentation operate specially in Lisp mode.
To make a new buffer suitable for Lisp code, you can use the
New Buffer
command or the
File > New
menu item, both of which start the buffer in Lisp mode.
If your Lisp source files are saved with an extension
.lisp
or
.lsp
, then the editor will automatically open them in a Lisp mode buffer.