Generic Function

Summary

Returns the documentation string if available.

Package

common-lisp

Signature

documentation x doc-type => documentation

(setf documentation) new-value x doc-type => new-value

Description

The generic function documentation operates as specified in the ANSI Common Lisp standard. Additional methods with signatures:

documentation (dspec t) (doc-type (eql 'dspec:dspec))

(setf documentation) new-value (dspec t) (doc-type (eql 'dspec:dspec))

are provided.

This method allows finding or setting the documentation string when you know the dspec. See Dspecs: Tools for Handling Definitions for information about dspecs.

dspec must be a dspec, but it can be non-canonical. This method canonicalizes dspec and then calls documentation with the name as the first argument and the appropriate dspec class name as the second, thereby calling a standard documentation method.

If you define your own type of definitions (def-saved-value for example) with define-dspec-class you can add methods on documentation for your dspec class:

(documentation (dspec t) (doc-type (eql 'def-saved-value))

This allows commands in the LispWorks IDE such as Expression > Documentation to display the documentation.