How to become lisp-fluent?

[hcostanzo]

I'm posting this thread in the General Forum because I'm not sure where else to put it and being new to Cadtutor I'm still learning protocol. If I'm in the wrong area please let me know! Thank you!

 

On to my question then.

 

I've been reading through a large number of threads, not looking for anything in particular, just reading to learn new things (and learn I have!). I've noticed there almost always answers involving lisp routines. I understand what the lisp does but I know nothing about writing or launching them.

 

Can anyone give me a recommendation of where to go to begin reading up on them?

 

Please and thank you and much appreciation for any help.

[tzframpton]

I'm no programmer, but I do enjoy looking through the code and trying to see where things "add up" in my brain. Typing VLIDE at the command line opens the editor, which you can see the code much more clearly. I've become very accustommed to the VLIDE because I can adjust the code slightly and launch it directly into AutoCAD.

 

But if you're interested in LISP, AutoLISP, etc... all the guru's always point people to http://www.afralisp.net. Also, the Help file has a Developer section, with tutorials and everything.

[Dadgad]

If you have not yet visited Lee Mac's wonderful site, then you should, lots of fantastic lisps which Lee has very generously created and made available,

and some introductory information about lisp on the tutorials page http://www.lee-mac.com/tutorials.html

 

Thanks Lee!

[pBe]

How to become lisp-fluent?

 

Practice! Practice! Practice!

[fuccaro]

not looking for anything in particular, just reading to learn new things (and learn I have!).

So you search for a solution before you have any problems

Yes, I think you are on a good way. I learnt from a book -after I paid for it I realized that is the AutoLisp Help file printed along with some few comments. So I think that the Help file should be good enough for start.

[Bill Tillman]

Welcome to the forum and the the challenging world or LISP/VLISP programming. As someone who barely knew LISP only 10 months ago, I can share a little more light on this topic for you. You will need great motivation, endurance and patience to learn LISP. There is so much more to it than one can imagine when you start out. Yes, it will draw lines, arc, circles and such but it will also modify objects deep within the AutoCAD database...and dictionaries (a new topic I only recently learned about). You can stick with the simple stuff like "hello world" but if you're planning on doing any real work with LISP you will go far beyond this point. And the books available are usually out of date, the articles posted on the Internet are valuable sources of information, but you will encounter typos, misinformation, bad information, old obselete information, etc... and my favorite (only because it happens so much), you will do a search for a specific topic and find a search results which looks like it has exactly what you're looking for only to find some poor putz on the other side of the planet asked the same question 3 years ago and no one has ever replied to it.

 

Don't get discouraged. The journey is worth it if doing LISP programming is what you really want. And this forum and a few others out there are great places to start. But don't kid yourself. Learning LISP is not for the faint of heart and it does take endurance and commitment to reinforcing what you learn along the way.

 

Good luck on your journey and there are lots of ace programmers here who will try to help.

[hcostanzo]

Thank you for all the responses and the warm welcome!

 

I will look through Lee Mac's site & www.afralisp.net this evening and VLIDE command should be a great place to start!

 

This forum is fantastic!

[josvandoorn]

Becoming fluent in LISP. Or do you mean AutoLISP? Well.

You can find a lot of free tutorials on the Internet.

Or go to AfraLISP.

 

Reading and studying the tutorials you can learn all

the AutoLISP functions. But once you know them. You are

not a fluent AutoLISP programmer.

 

I talked about it in my blog. I asked the question.

Programming in AutoLISP. How is it done. And I gave an

answer.

 

If you want to read the article, go to my blog. You can

find it here:

 

http://tiny.cc/016lkw

 

But let me give you a short answer. If writing an

AutoLISP program or any program. Figure out what the

program must do.

 

Once you know, you can write the AutoLISP program or

any program. But that is important. Have a function do

the task.

 

I hope I was clear. I think I was. But if you feel I

was not. Come back to me. You can give a comment on my

blog.