1 Introduction

This manual gives you a complete guide to the LispWorks IDE development environment. This environment comprises a large number of window-based tools which have been designed with the Common Lisp developer in mind. The following are among the features provided by the environment:

• A fully functional code Editor specifically designed to make writing Common Lisp source code as swift as possible, emulating Emacs or Microsoft Windows key styles.
• A Common Lisp Listener for evaluating Common Lisp forms interactively.
• A range of debugging tools including a graphical Debugger, source code Stepper, code Profiler, Tracer, and the Inspector.
• A range of browsers for examining different objects in your Lisp image, such as the generic functions or CLOS classes that have been defined.
• A tool for simplifying source code management; vital if you are involved in developing large applications.
• (Microsoft Windows, Linux, x86/x64 Solaris and FreeBSD platforms only) A tool for designing window-based interfaces to your applications. A point-and-click interface is used to design the interface, and Lisp code is generated for you.
• A Shell window that lets you run system utilities (DOS commands on Windows, shell commands on non-Windows systems) inside LispWorks. Remote shells are also supported on non-Windows systems.
• A Search Files tool that allows you to find text matching a regular expression in files.
• An Object Clipboard that allows you to manage selected and copied objects.
• Saved sessions which can be restarted at a later date, allowing you to resume work after restarting your computer.

Because of the large number of tools available, consistency is a vital theme in the environment; each tool has a similar look and feel so that you need only spend a minimum amount of time learning how to use the environment.

In addition, there is a high degree of integration between the tools available. This means that it is possible to transfer pieces of information throughout the environment in a logical fashion; if you create an object in the Listener, you can examine it by transferring it directly to the Inspector. The class of objects that it belongs to can be examined by transferring it to a Class Browser, and from there, the generic functions which have methods defined on it can be browsed.

To reflect these themes of consistency and integration, the earlier chapters in this manual deal with the generic aspects of the environment, while at the same time introducing you to the more important tools.

1.1 Major tools