Emacs / Slime Key Binding / Sending command to Swank Server

Question

I'm familiar with scheme, but new to emacs (switching over from VIM) and elisp.

I know how to do the following:

• make a simple key binding
  • C-c iwb = indent whole buffer
  • F2 = turns folding on/off
• use slime from emacs
• some basic keys, like C-x 2, paredit keys, some basic movement keys

I need help doing something a bit more advanced:

I want F3 to equal:

• put emacs into C-x 2 mode
• in bottom window, switch to "slime-repl" buffer
• in the "slime-repl" buffer, send the command "(test/run)" <-- note, this is meant to be sent to the swank server, NOT to elisp

I realize it's terrible form to ask people to write a script for me; however, if anyone could do that, I would learn rather quickly from it. [And it would allow me to do more complicated types of scripting through studying your example.]

Thanks!

Answer 1

This is not exactly what you want, but should be a good starting point for further tweaking:

(defun slime-run-test ()
  (interactive)
  (slime-interactive-eval "(test/run)")
  (slime-pop-to-buffer (slime-output-buffer) t))

(global-set-key (kbd "<f3>") 'slime-run-test)

Answer 2

I don't use slime, but assuming it uses comint-mode then I would think the following might do the trick:

(defun my-slime-test-run ()
  (interactive)
  (delete-other-windows)
  (split-window-below)
  (with-selected-window (next-window)
    (switch-to-buffer "slime-repl")
    (goto-char (point-max))
    (insert "(test-run)")
    (comint-send-input)))

(global-set-key (kbd "<f3>") 'my-slime-test-run)

There is probably a better way to do this, but hopefully that gives you a little insight into how you can write elisp functions to carry out tasks in the editor (and note how the function reads very much like a set of editor instructions -- you can do a lot simply by converting the keystrokes you would use into equivalent code -- or even not writing code at all, and simply recording & saving keyboard macros).

Use C-hf name-of-the-function RET to get documentation on any of the function/macro calls in that function.

For the keybinding, I used C-hkF3 to check how Emacs referred to that key, and then used that string as the argument to kbd (and note how you can use that sequence to find the name of the function bound to any given key sequence, which you can then utilise in code if desired).

Many things are far less obvious if you don't already know them, but that's only to be expected with a code base as large as this (and dating back as long as this).

The great thing is that if you don't know what you're looking for, you can always search for function names matching patterns with C-uC-ha (and similarly for variables, values, libraries, and documentation; see M-: (info "(emacs) Apropos") RET for more about this facility). Plus the info manuals (complete with indexes -- press I or i within any particular manual, or use the info-apropos command to search all info manuals at once).

Truly one of the very best things you can do is to learn how to use the self-documenting nature of Emacs to find answers to the things you don't already know.