Generally the listener simply evaluates Lisp forms that you enter. However a few keywords, described in the this section, are specially recognized as shortcut for common listener operations.
:redo &optional command-identifier
This option repeats a previous input. The command-identifier is either a number in the listener's history list or a symbol or subform in the input to repeat. If command-identifier is not supplied, the last input is repeated.
:get name command-identifier
:get
retrieves a previously-entered input from the listener's history and places it in the variable name. The command-identifier is the history list number of the input to be retrieved.
:use new old &optional command-identifier
:use
does a variant of a previous input. old matches a symbol or subform in the previous input, and is replaced with new to construct the new input. If supplied, command-identifier is the history list number of the input you want to modify.
:his &optional n m
:his
produces a list of the input history. If n is supplied it should be a positive integer: the last n inputs are shown. If m is also supplied it should be a positive integer greater than n, when inputs numbered n through m in the history are shown.
:bug-form subject &key filename
:bug-form
prints a template bug report suitable for sending to Lisp Support. Supply a string subject. If you also supply filename, the report is printed to the file.
:help
:help
prints a brief listing of the available listener commands.
:?
CL-USER 4 > :redo
(MAKE-ANIMAL :SPECIES "Hippopotamus" :NAME ...)
#S(ANIMAL :SPECIES "Hippopotamus" :NAME "Hilda" :WEIGHT 42)
CL-USER 5 > :his
1: (PRINT 42)
2: (DEFSTRUCT ANIMAL SPECIES NAME ...)
3: (MAKE-ANIMAL :SPECIES "Hippopotamus" :NAME ...)
4: (MAKE-ANIMAL :SPECIES "Hippopotamus" :NAME ...)
CL-USER 5 > :get make-hilda 3
CL-USER 5 > make-hilda
(MAKE-ANIMAL :SPECIES "Hippopotamus" :NAME "Hilda" :WEIGHT 42)
CL-USER 6 > :use "Henry" "Hilda"
(MAKE-ANIMAL :SPECIES "Hippopotamus" :NAME ...)
#S(ANIMAL :SPECIES "Hippopotamus" :NAME "Henry" :WEIGHT 42)
CL-USER 7 > :bug-form "Too many hippos..." :filename "bug-report.txt"
LispWorks User Guide and Reference Manual - 13 Feb 2015