lisp basics

I have never delved into lisp. But I want to, badly! Can anyone recommend a website that can give me the very basics? it is embarrassing to admit, but I am talking really basic...like, if I get a script from the discussion groups, how do I utilize it?

I do want to learn a lot more, but it is hard to get past just understanding how to utilize a script if you don't know how to do so and dont have anyone to ask...so any good sites on learning lisp would be welcome as well!

-Laura

 

www.afralisp.com is good

 

looks like just the ticket...Thanks a bunch!

 

Hi Laura,

Before getting into Lisp I would suggest you read the many discussions in
this and other Autodesk Newsgroups on the desirability of programming in
Lisp compared with programming in other languages.

Autodesk are not keeping Lisp up to date with their improvements in the
basic software and are not doing anything make make Lisp a serious
alternative to other languages for the new features.

If you programing ambitions are simple - like change all the text heights in
the drawing by a scale factor and that type of thing - inevitably you will
find someone has already done it and posted a freeware version on the web.

Hence for that, the best option is to learn web searching and the optimum
menu methods of allowing the user to run the program.

--

Regards,


Laurie Comerford
www.cadapps.com.au

 

Ideally, I would like to know how to utilize these freeware scripts, but also I would like to understand what they are doing so that if what they offer is close to what I want, but not exactly, I would know enough about what I was doing to make a stab at changing it to my needs.

Eventually it would be great to be able to be proficient enough to do something creative with it as well...and if a different type of programming would be better, I am certainly open at this point to my options.

so webpages on the basics of the other programming languages would also be quite welcome!

 

try getting a detailed acad-lisp programming manual, I still have one that came with release 11. for the very basics (variables, basic functions, syntactic of lisp-programming etc.) it is good detailed. I started with this too, the built-in visuallisp help in acad (from 2k) is very good as well.
As a next step you can already start something by yourself maybe with the help from these acad discussion groups.

 

I have resisted replying - not wanting to sound stupid. But what-the-heck.
AutoLISP can be easier to learn than VB because you can learn by typing
right on the command line (flip the screen to see what you are doing). Use
the help - it can be helpful.
Learn some math.
Like (+ 5 5), then look up (sqrt), (expt) and others.
Learn the "get" functions.
Like (getreal "Enter a number to add: "), then look up (getint),
(getstring), (getpoint) and others.
Learn how to work with variables.
Like (setq MYVARIABLE 7.5), hint: to see a variable's value type an
exclamation point followed by the variable's name, thus !MYVARIABLE.
Then (more or less) you will want to learn about creating your own
functions.
Learn (defun). You will need to learn the difference between the following
(the answers are in the AutoLISP help):
(defun MYFUNCTION () ...)
(defun MYFUNCTION (A) ...)
(defun MYFUNCTION ( / A) ...)
Finally, you want to use better variable and function names than
MYTHISISSTUPID! <g>
From there you can start building the AutoLISP functions together. There is
much more.
Bob

 

Thanks for not resisting!
That is kinda my attitude about asking the question to begin with...what the heck. If I look ignorant, then so-be-it, but dammit, I'm gonna learn.

Laura

 

Use the VLIDE help files, there is a lot of usefull information there.
If you don't know where it is
Tools
AutoLISP
Visual LISP Editor
or type "vlide" at the command prompt

Have fun and try to learn something new everyday.