4. R7RS/R6RS Libraries

The R6RS standard added a library mechanism for batch programs. The R7RS standard added a similar define-library syntax with several new features, and allowed libraries to be used within interactive read/eval/print loops as well as batch programs.

The libraries discussed within this chapter cannot be used in Larceny's R5RS mode.

4.1. Interactive computing

Larceny's -r7rs command-line option automatically imports the (scheme base) library. The -r7r6 command-line option imports all of the R7RS and R6RS standard libraries, including those deprecated by Larceny.

4.2. Automatic loading

As an extension to the R7RS and R6RS, Larceny attempts to load libraries automatically when they are first imported. Autoloading makes interactive development and separate compilation much more convenient.

All of Larceny's predefined libraries can be autoloaded.

To enable autoloading of other R7RS/R6RS libraries, including libraries you've written yourself, you can:

4.3. Explicit loading

Larceny automatically loads R7RS/R6RS libraries when they are first imported. This is usually the most convenient way to load a library, but autoloading can't be used to load a top-level program into an interactive session. Explicit loading is needed for top-level programs, for libraries that don't reside in Larceny's current-require-path, and for libraries that are defined in files whose names do not follow Larceny's standard naming conventions.

In theory, explicit loading is the only portable way for R7RS programs to load a library. There is no portable way for R6RS programs to load or import libraries, so R6RS programs must rely upon implementation-specific mechanisms such as Larceny's autoloading.

For explicit loading of nonstandard libraries, top-level programs, or unadorned R5RS-style code from a file, you must first import a suitable load procedure:

    > (import (scheme load))

Loading a library does not automatically import it. To use the variables and syntax that are exported by a library, you must import that library explicitly:

    > (load "lib/R6RS/larceny/benchmarking.sls")
    > (import (larceny benchmarking))
    > (time (vector-for-each + (make-vector 1000000 0)))
    Words allocated: 3053286
    Elapsed time...: 25 ms (User: 25 ms; System: 0 ms)
    Elapsed GC time: 3 ms (CPU: 2 in 2 collections (1 minor).)

In Larceny, you may omit the call to load because the (larceny benchmarking) library will be autoloaded when it is imported. In other implementations of the R7RS, you may have to load all of the nonstandard libraries that will be imported by a top-level program or library before you load that top-level program or library.

4.4. Predefined libraries

Larceny predefines several nonstandard libraries in addition to the standard R7RS and R6RS libraries, and autoloads them for your convenience. The predefined, autoloadable libraries include:

Composite library:

(larceny r7r6)                         ; all R7RS/R6RS standard libraries

R7RS standard libraries:

(scheme base)
(scheme case-lambda)
(scheme char)
(scheme complex)
(scheme cxr)
(scheme eval)
(scheme file)
(scheme inexact)
(scheme lazy)
(scheme load)
(scheme process-context)
(scheme r5rs)
(scheme read)
(scheme repl)
(scheme time)
(scheme write)

R6RS standard libraries:

(rnrs base (6))                        ; R6RS chapter 9
(rnrs unicode (6))                     ; R6RS library chapter 1
(rnrs bytevectors (6))                 ; R6RS library chapter 2
(rnrs lists (6))                       ; R6RS library chapter 3
(rnrs sorting (6))                     ; R6RS library chapter 4
(rnrs control (6))                     ; R6RS library chapter 5
(rnrs exceptions (6))                  ; R6RS library section 7.1
(rnrs conditions (6))                  ; R6RS library sections 7.2 and 7.3
(rnrs io ports (6))                    ; R6RS library sections 8.1 and 8.2
(rnrs io simple (6))                   ; R6RS library sections 8.1 and 8.3
(rnrs files (6))                       ; R6RS library chapter 9
(rnrs programs (6))                    ; R6RS library chapter 10
(rnrs arithmetic fixnums (6))          ; R6RS library section 11.2
(rnrs arithmetic flonums (6))          ; R6RS library section 11.3
(rnrs arithmetic bitwise (6))          ; R6RS library section 11.4
(rnrs syntax-case (6))                 ; R6RS library chapter 12
(rnrs hashtables (6))                  ; R6RS library chapter 13
(rnrs enums)                           ; R6RS library chapter 14
(rnrs (6))                             ; R6RS library chapter 15
(rnrs eval (6))                        ; R6RS library chapter 16
(rnrs mutable-pairs (6))               ; R6RS library chapter 17
(rnrs mutable-strings (6))             ; R6RS library chapter 18
(rnrs r5rs (6))                        ; R6RS library chapter 19

R6RS standard libraries that are autoloadable but deprecated in Larceny because they have been superseded by the R7RS and SRFI 99 record facilities:

(rnrs records procedural (6))          ; R6RS library section 6.3
(rnrs records inspection (6))          ; R6RS library section 6.4
(rnrs records syntactic (6))           ; R6RS library section 6.2

SRFI libraries:

(srfi 1 lists)                         ; list library
(srfi 2 and-let*)                      ; extended `and` and `let*`
(srfi 5 let)                           ; extended version of `let`
(srfi 6 basic-string-ports)            ; basic string ports
(srfi 8 receive)                       ; binding to multiple values
(srfi 9 records)                       ; defining record types
(srfi 11 let-values)                   ; syntax for multiple values
(srfi 13 strings)                      ; string libraries
(srfi 14 char-sets)                    ; character-set library (default)
(srfi 14 unicode)                      ;   for all Unicode characters
(srfi 14 bmp)                          ;   for the Basic Multilingual Plane
(srfi 14 latin-1)                      ;   for ISO 8859-1 (Latin-1)
(srfi 16 case-lambda)                  ; syntax for variable arity
(srfi 17 generalized-set!)             ; generalized set!
(srfi 19 time)                         ; time data types and procedures
(srfi 23 error)                        ; error reporting mechanism
(srfi 25 multi-dimensional-arrays)     ; multi-dimensional array primitives
(srfi 26 cut)                          ; specializing without currying
(srfi 27 random-bits)                  ; sources of random bits
(srfi 28 basic-format-strings)         ; basic format strings
(srfi 29 localization)                 ; localization
(srfi 31 rec)                          ; `rec` syntax
(srfi 37)                              ; program argument processor
(srfi 38 with-shared-structure)        ; i/o for data with shared structure
(srfi 39 parameters)                   ; parameter objects
(srfi 41 streams)                      ; streams
(srfi 42 eager-comprehensions)         ; eager comprehensions
(srfi 45 lazy)                         ; iterative lazy algorithms
(srfi 48 intermediate-format-strings)  ; format
(srfi 51 rest-values)                  ; rest values hackery
(srfi 54 cat)                          ; still more formatting
(srfi 59 vicinities)                   ; vicinity
(srfi 61 cond)                         ; a more general cond clause
(srfi 63 arrays)                       ; homogeneous, heterogeneous arrays
(srfi 64 testing)                      ; an API for test suites
(srfi 67 compare-procedures)           ; three-way comparison procedures
(srfi 78 lightweight-testing)          ; lightweight testing
(srfi 87 case)                         ; a more general case clause
(srfi 98 os-environment-variables)     ; environment variables
(srfi 99 records)                      ; (composite library)
(srfi 99 records procedural)           ; (procedural API)
(srfi 99 records inspection)           ; (inspection API)
(srfi 99 records syntactic)            ; (syntactic API)
(srfi 101 random-access-lists)         ; fast and purely functional lists
(srfi 111 boxes)                       ; boxes
(srfi 112)                             ; environment inquiry
(srfi 113 sets)                        ; sets and bags
(srfi 114 comparators)                 ; comparators
(srfi 115 regexp)                      ; regular expressions
(srfi 116 ilists)                      ; immutable lists
(srfi 117)                             ; queues based on lists
(srfi 121)                             ; generators
(srfi 123)                             ; generic accessor/modifier operators
(srfi 124)                             ; ephemerons
(srfi 125)                             ; hash tables
(srfi 126)                             ; R6RS-based hashtables
(srfi 127)                             ; lazy sequences
(srfi 128)                             ; comparators (reduced)
(srfi 129)                             ; titlecase procedures
(srfi 130)                             ; cursor-based string library
(srfi 131)                             ; ERR5RS record syntax (reduced)
(srfi 132)                             ; sort libraries
(srfi 133)                             ; vector library
(srfi 134)                             ; immutable deques

Note

For backward compatibility, (srfi 1 lists) through (srfi 101 random-access-lists) are also available with the SRFI 97 naming convention in which the number is preceded by a colon, as in (srfi :1 lists). With the more liberal R7RS syntax, that SRFI 97 naming convention is now unnecessary. Larceny has extended the R6RS library syntax to allow R6RS libraries to import R7RS libraries that follow the R7RS naming convention shown in the list above.

SRFI libraries that are autoloadable but deprecated in Larceny, usually because they have been superseded in whole or in part by R7RS or R6RS libraries or syntax (shown in parentheses):

(srfi 0)                               ; cond-expand (scheme base)
(srfi 30)                              ; nested multi-line comments (#| |#)
(srfi 34)                              ; exception handling (scheme base)
(srfi 43 vectors)                      ; vector library (srfi 133)
(srfi 55)                              ; require-extension (import)
(srfi 60 integer-bits)                 ; see (rnrs arithmetic bitwise)
(srfi 62)                              ; S-expression comments ( #; )
(srfi 66 octet-vectors)                ; octet vectors (scheme base)
(srfi 69 basic-hash-tables)            ; hash tables (srfi 125), (srfi 126)
(srfi 71 let)                          ; extensions of let, let*, letrec
(srfi 74 blobs)                        ; see (rnrs bytevectors)
(srfi 95 sorting-and-merging)          ; sorting and merging (srfi 132)

ERR5RS libraries that are autoloadable but deprecated in Larceny because they have been superseded by the R7RS, SRFI 99, and SRFI 131 record facilities:

(err5rs records procedural)            ; ERR5RS records (procedural API)
(err5rs records inspection)            ; ERR5RS records (inspection API)
(err5rs records syntactic)             ; ERR5RS records (syntactic API)
(err5rs load)                          ; ERR5RS load procedure

Other autoloadable libraries:

(larceny load)                         ; extension of (err5rs load)
(larceny compiler)                     ; separate compilation (R7RS/R6RS)
(larceny benchmarking)                 ; timing facilities
(larceny profiling)                    ; profiling of Scheme code
(larceny r7r6)                         ; all R7RS/R6RS standard libraries
(larceny records printer)              ; custom printing of records
(larceny shivers-syntax)               ; syntax favored by Olin Shivers
(r5rs)                                 ; approximates the R5RS top level
(explicit-renaming)                    ; macros with explicit renaming

4.5. Library path

Larceny's autoload feature locates R7RS/R6RS libraries by performing a depth-first search of the directories that belong to Larceny's current-require-path. Libraries will not be autoloaded unless they are defined in files whose names follow Larceny's standard conventions.

The current-require-path is initialized by the startup.sch file in Larceny's root directory.

Larceny's -path command-line option adds one or more directories to the directories in the current-require-path. On most systems, you can specify multiple directories by separating them with a colon; under Windows, use a semicolon as separator instead. The first directory listed will be searched first.

The LARCENY_LIBPATH environment variable can also be used to add one or more directories to the directories in the current-require-path. Multiple directories should be specified as with the -path option.

Tip

If you have a set of portable libraries that run under more than one implementation of the R7RS, and you want to have a special version of some of those libraries for Larceny, you can put all your portable versions in one directory and the Larceny-specific versions in another. When you run Larceny, use the -path option and specify the Larceny-specific directory first.

Note

The -path option cannot be used by Scheme scripts, because command-line options are passed along to the Scheme script without being interpreted by the scheme-script processor.

Warning

We emphasize that these extensions are non-portable. Other implementations of the R7RS or R6RS may not provide anything comparable to Larceny's -path option or LARCENY_LIBPATH environment variable. Even if they do, their mappings from library names to file names may be incompatible with Larceny's.

4.6. Defining libraries

As an extension to the R7RS and R6RS, Larceny allows a top-level program or Scheme script to define R7RS/R6RS libraries within the file that contains the top-level program or Scheme script, before the import form that begins the top-level program. These libraries must be arranged so that no library depends upon libraries that come later in the file.

Warning

We emphasize that this extension is non-portable.

4.7. Importing procedures from Larceny's underlying R5RS system

Any of Larceny's R5RS-mode top-level procedures can be imported into an R7RS or R6RS library or program by using an import declaration with a primitives clause that names the R5RS procedures to be imported. For example:

    (import (primitives random current-seconds
                        getenv setenv system
                        current-directory file-modification-time)
            (scheme time))

Warning

This feature is highly non-portable. Other implementations of the R7RS or R6RS may not even have an underlying implementation of the R5RS.