PREV UP NEXT GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual

Chapter 11: Functions

A Lisp program is composed mainly of Lisp functions. This chapter explains what functions are, how they accept arguments, and how to define them.

  • What Is a Function Lisp functions vs. primitives; terminology.
  • Lambda Expressions How functions are expressed as Lisp objects.
  • Function Names A symbol can serve as the name of a function.
  • Defining Functions Lisp expressions for defining functions.
  • Calling Functions How to use an existing function.
  • Mapping Functions Applying a function to each element of a list, etc.
  • Anonymous Functions Lambda expressions are functions with no names.
  • Function Cells Accessing or setting the function definition of a symbol.
  • Inline Functions Defining functions that the compiler will open code.
  • Related Topics Cross-references to specific Lisp primitives that have a special bearing on how functions work.