Lisp - Applications and Best Practices

In LISP, we can define basic structures using defstruct. In this chapter, we'll explore applications of using LISP Structures and best practices.

Applications of LISP Structures

Data Representation

We can use LISP Structures to represent complex data records. A LISP structure provides a very clear and concise way to group related elements. For example, we can create structure to represent the following −

• Configuration Files

• Records of Database

• Network Packets

Symbolic Computation

LISP uses symbols heavily. We can use structure to represent symbolic data which is heavily used in following areas −

• AI, Artificial Intelligence

• NLP, Natural Language Processing

• Knowledge representation

Domain Specific Language, DSL

We can use LISP structure to define domain specific custom data types to represent syntax and symantics of DSL. For example, for Bank domain, we can define data types like SavingsAccount, CurrentAccount and so on.

Game Development

We can define game entities using LISP Structures like −

• Characters of Game

• Artifacts/items used in Game

• Objects of Gaming World

Scientic Computation

LISP Structure can be used to represent complex scientific models and simulation data.

Web Development

LISP Structure can be used to model the API calls data as incoming requests or outgoing responses.

Best Practices while using LISP Structure

• Use Structure for simple data grouping − As LISP structure is a lightweight and efficient for simple data representation, in case of simple data container with named slots, use defstruct to define a relevant structure.

• Use description names − Names of slots should be description enough to clearly state the purpose of each element to improve code readability and maintainability.

• Declare types − Use type declaration of each slot to improve performance and handle type errors.

• Document Structure − It is always good to put a clear and concise documentation for the structure defined. Good documentation helps developers to understand the code easily.

• Use Naming Conventions − A good naming convention helps developers to understand the code and increases maintainability of the code.

• Testing − Create test cases for all possible scenaris of the structure. This will help in reducing errors and ensures the code is working as expected.