Topic: Coverting LISP Code to Visual Lisp

[ML]

Does anyone happen to know how to cleanly and simply convert LISP routines into Visual LISP without re wriiting all the code?
Is there a clean coversion method?

Also, it would be great if I could convert LISP to VBA but I don't think that is possible; may be someone can proove me wrong?

Thank you

Mark

[Tramber]

There is no more convertion tool between Kant philosophy and Pascals than between Autolisp and Vlisp. 

You need to know them both in order to re-write a code.
Unless you use ENT... functions, Autolisp sends commands to AutoCAD while Vlisp transforms entities through their properties.
The grammar is not the same.

[JohnK]

*click*
I found this one in my doc's. Although its a conversion from lisp -> c it might help.

Code: [Select]

(defun convert2C (/ fname nfile fn nf char)
  (cond ((setq fname (getfiled "Convert file" "" "lsp" 0))
         (setq nfile (strcat (vl-filename-directory fname)
                             "\\"
                             (vl-filename-base fname)
                             ".cpp"))
         (cond ((and (setq nf (open nfile "w"))
                     (setq fn (open fname "r"))
                )
                (while (setq char (read-char fn))
                  (cond ((= char 10)
                         (princ (chr char) nf)
                        )
                        (T (princ "C" nf))
                  )
                )
                (princ (strcat "\nNew file: " nfile))
                (close nf)
                (close fn)
               ))
        )
  )
  (princ)
)
*Se8en: sits back to watch the show*

[ML]

Thanks man; well it was worth a try  

[ML]

Thanks Seven

I will take a look

Mark   

[Kerry]

........ how to cleanly and simply convert LISP routines into Visual LISP without re wriiting all the code?
Is there a clean coversion method?

Mark, what do you see that needs converting ?

[Kerry]

Just to clarify something ..

Do you mean convert AutoLisp  or one of the mainline Lisp dialects ?? 

You do know that Autolisp code written before VisualLisp inception will still run in VisualLisp ? yes ?

[daron]

Mark, there isn't too much to converting from one language to another and as Kerry is inquiring, if the code works, there's no need to convert from autolisp to visualisp. In many cases we've run test earlier on in the beginnings of this forum where we found that some of the autolisp functions worked better than their newer counterparts.

I get the impression that you are still of the mindset that lisp is nothing more than a scripting language and doesn't even have an if/then/else function. Well, if it ever didn't have it, it has had it for a long time.

[ML]

Hey Kerry

I didn't know that, that is interesting. Actually I prefer program in VBA because it is basically what got me into programming and I saw the obvious benefits of VBA over LISP, however, it is also obvious to me that there seems to be so much more coding to necessary in VBA to get the same results you would get from LISP. Having said that, my boss has done amazing things with LISP, thing I never knew were possible with LISP but I just thought it would be cool if we could modernize his routines a bit by using VLISP.

I am not sure what I need to do to run an asci file LISP routine in VLISP but may be you could give me a brief explanation? I would really appreciate it

Mark

[Kerry]

...  saw the obvious benefits of VBA over LISP....

Really ?

... I am not sure what I need to do to run an asci file LISP routine in VLISP but may be you could give me a brief explanation? I would really appreciate it

Type APPLOAD at the command line.

[ML]

Kerry

You sound surprised about VBA   
They both serve a valuble purpose however VBA is built into all Microsoft products which is major benefit right there. I don't know very much about LISP but can you get ACAD to work with Excel using LISP? Also can you access type libraries of other programs using LISP?

Mark

[Kerry]

don't get into a pissing contest you can't win.

did you get the lisp loaded ?

[ML]

Yeah you're right; who really cares. As long as the results are the same.
No I didn't try it yet but my boss said you can run you can copy an older LISP routine into VLISP no problem.
May be I will try it tomorrow. The extent of my LISP usag is maybe a few commandsin a menu macro; that is a definite benefit with LISP.

[Jeff_M]

I don't know very much about LISP but can you get ACAD to work with Excel using LISP? Also can you access type libraries of other programs using LISP?

No, you can't use lisp from Excel....but you CAN use lisp to work within Excel FROM Acad.

Yes, you can access most any ActiveX library wth lisp. I have lisp routines I wrote back in AcadR9 that I still use today in R2007.

[JohnK]

VisualLisp has an IDE (Just like VBA has an IDE) Its called the VLIDE. I think that is what he means; You cant ``copy an older LISP routine into VLISP'' (That just doesn't make sense.) but you can copy--open--a lisp in the VLIDE (which isnt ``VLISP'').

Dont worry, we will have you Lisp-ing soon enough. (We can get the terms down later).