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suggestion: a shorter convenience form

This page is part of the web mail archives of SRFI 93 from before July 7th, 2015. The new archives for SRFI 93 contain all messages, not just those from before July 7th, 2015.



A problem with define-syntax+syntax-case is that you
get very verbose syntax definitions, with lots of
standard boiler-plate.  This makes syntax definitions
needlessly hard to read and (less important) more tedious to
write.  This has tempted some of my Kawa users to use the "legacy"
non-hygienic define-macro form, even though I discourage it.
Even plain R5RS define-syntax+syntax-rules is
ridiculously verbose.

One idea I had has this little conveniece macro:

(define-syntax define-syntax-case
   (syntax-rules ()
     ((define-syntax-case name literals . parts)
      (define-syntax name
        (lambda form
         (syntax-case form literals . parts))))))

Typical use - especially nice if #` is availiable:

(define-syntax-case NAME ()
  ((_ PVAR ...)
  #`(... PVAR ...))

Of course people can define this themselves, but
it is nicer if it is standard, because then people
get used to reading it.
--
	--Per Bothner
per@xxxxxxxxxxx   http://per.bothner.com/