CLHS: Function ENSURE-GENERIC-FUNCTION

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Function ENSURE-GENERIC-FUNCTION

Syntax:

ensure-generic-function function-name `&key` argument-precedence-order declare documentation environment generic-function-class lambda-list method-class method-combination

=> generic-function

Arguments and Values:

function-name---a function name.

The keyword arguments correspond to the option arguments of defgeneric, except that the `:method-class` and `:generic-function-class` arguments can be class objects as well as names.

`Method-combination` -- method combination object.

`Environment` -- the same as the `&environment` argument to macro expansion functions and is used to distinguish between compile-time and run-time environments.

generic-function---a generic function object.

Description:

The function ensure-generic-function is used to define a globally named generic function with no methods or to specify or modify options and declarations that pertain to a globally named generic function as a whole.

If function-name is not fbound in the global environment, a new generic function is created. If `(fdefinition` function-name`)` is an ordinary function, a macro, or a special operator, an error is signaled.

If function-name is a list, it must be of the form `(setf` symbol`)`. If function-name specifies a generic function that has a different value for any of the following arguments, the generic function is modified to have the new value: `:argument-precedence-order`, `:declare`, `:documentation`, `:method-combination`.

If function-name specifies a generic function that has a different value for the `:lambda-list` argument, and the new value is congruent with the lambda lists of all existing methods or there are no methods, the value is changed; otherwise an error is signaled.

If function-name specifies a generic function that has a different value for the `:generic-function-class` argument and if the new generic function class is compatible with the old, change-class is called to change the class of the generic function; otherwise an error is signaled.

If function-name specifies a generic function that has a different value for the `:method-class` argument, the value is changed, but any existing methods are not changed.

Examples: None.

Affected By:

Existing function binding of function-name.

Exceptional Situations:

If `(fdefinition` function-name`)` is an ordinary function, a macro, or a special operator, an error of type error is signaled.

If function-name specifies a generic function that has a different value for the `:lambda-list` argument, and the new value is not congruent with the lambda list of any existing method, an error of type error is signaled.

If function-name specifies a generic function that has a different value for the `:generic-function-class` argument and if the new generic function class not is compatible with the old, an error of type error is signaled.

See Also:

defgeneric

Notes: None.

The following X3J13 cleanup issue, not part of the specification, applies to this section:

- FUNCTION-NAME:LARGE

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