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copy-symbol

copy-symbol Function

Syntax:

copy-symbol symbol &optional copy-properties → new-symbol

Arguments and Values:

symbol—a symbol.

copy-properties—a generalized boolean. The default is false.

new-symbol—a fresh, uninterned symbol.

Description:

copy-symbol returns a fresh, uninterned symbol, the name of which is string= to and possibly the same as the name of the given symbol.

If copy-properties is false, the new-symbol is neither bound nor fbound and has a null property list. If copy-properties is true, then the initial value of new-symbol is the value of symbol, the initial function definition of new-symbol is the functional value of symbol, and the property list of new-symbol is a copy2 of the property list of symbol.

Examples:

(setq fred ’fred-smith) → FRED-SMITH 
(setf (symbol-value fred) 3) → 3 
(setq fred-clone-1a (copy-symbol fred nil)) → #:FRED-SMITH 
(setq fred-clone-1b (copy-symbol fred nil)) → #:FRED-SMITH 
(setq fred-clone-2a (copy-symbol fred t)) → #:FRED-SMITH 
(setq fred-clone-2b (copy-symbol fred t)) → #:FRED-SMITH 
(eq fred fred-clone-1a) → false 
(eq fred-clone-1a fred-clone-1b) → false 
(eq fred-clone-2a fred-clone-2b) → false 
(eq fred-clone-1a fred-clone-2a) → false 
(symbol-value fred) → 3 
(boundp fred-clone-1a) → false 
(symbol-value fred-clone-2a) → 3 
(setf (symbol-value fred-clone-2a) 4) → 4 
(symbol-value fred) → 3 
(symbol-value fred-clone-2a) → 4 
(symbol-value fred-clone-2b) → 3 
(boundp fred-clone-1a) → false 
(setf (symbol-function fred) #’(lambda (x) x)) → #<FUNCTION anonymous> 
(fboundp fred) → true 
(fboundp fred-clone-1a) → false 
(fboundp fred-clone-2a) → false


Exceptional Situations:

Should signal an error of type type-error if symbol is not a symbol.

See Also:

make-symbol

Notes:

Implementors are encouraged not to copy the string which is the symbol’s name unnecessarily. Unless there is a good reason to do so, the normal implementation strategy is for the new-symbol’s name to be identical to the given symbol’s name.

Expanded Reference: copy-symbol​

tip

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(copy-symbol )