Using (eql eql-specializer-form) in defmethod

[wvxvw]

Hi. I'm trying to come up with something like this (which doesn't work):

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(defmethod write-int-to-string ((x (eql (mod x #x7FFFFFFF))))
  (write-to-string x))

but I think it illustrates the problem. It wouldn't work because it doesn't know what `x' is in the mod application. How would I write that in a general case? That is when I needed an eql-specializer-form to know / use the argument.
Thanks in advance.

[ramarren]

This would be equivalent to predicate dispatch, which is problematic because there is no general way to create a deterministic ordering for method application.

One way to solve this is to use something like filtered-dispatch, but I have never used that in practice. The simpler solution is to just use a single function/method with a COND. This will provide explicit ordering at the cost of extensibility.

[nuntius]

It can be useful to write generic functions that dispatch to other generic functions. (looks similar to the filtered-dispatch library, but not hard to hand-roll many uses)

Example from some simple computer algebra code:

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(defgeneric simplify (form))
(defgeneric simplify-list (car cdr))

(defmethod simplify ((form list))
  (simplify-list (car form) (cdr form)))
(defmethod simplify ((form array))
  ...)

(defmethod simplify-list ((car (eql '+)) cdr)
  ...)
(defmethod simplify-list ((car (eql '*)) cdr)
  ...)


[wvxvw]

Aha, thank you. So it's not supposed to be possible that way I wasn't after a complicated solution, I think the simple cond will do just fine in my case.
Also, it's a nice example, I wouldn't work out on my own, nuntius.