CSCE476/876: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Instructions on using xemacs and Allegro Common Lisp





Instructions for getting acquainted with Emacs.

  1. Start a PC under Linux
  2. Choose localhost
  3. Start xemacs by typing "xemacs &" in  a xterm/console (or through the dinosaur). The on-line tutorial can be obtained by typing "ESC-x help-with-tutorial" or by printing the same file stored for your convenience.
  4. Go through the entire tutorial of Emacs,  and execute it step by step.
Instructions for starting Allegro Common Lisp on the PCs under Linux.
  1. Add the following line to your .cshrc file:  set path=( $path /usr/dist/pkgs/acl501 )

    2. Alternatively: Create a .emacs file in your home directory on the PCs, and include the following lines:
    ;; Save the following in your home directory as ".emacs"
    (load "/usr/dist/pkgs/acl501/eli/fi-site-init")
    (setq fi:common-lisp-image-name "/usr/dist/pkgs/acl501/lisp")
  2. Start xemacs by typing "xemacs &" in  a xterm/console
  3. Start ACL by typing "ESC-x fi:common-lisp"
Warning about X:
Sometimes, especially when you are working remotely, you need to tell Xwindows to allow Lisp to open new windows and to tell the computer running your Lisp where to open up a window.  The following two commands (respectively) may be handy/necessary:
  1. From the machine you are sitting on: xhost +  (or xhost <the name of the machine where Lisp is running>)
  2. From the machine running the Lisp image: setenv DISPLAY  <the name of the specific station you are working on>.<domain-name>.<extension>:0.0.  For example: setenv DISPLAY tonfano.unl.edu:0.0
Some help from a student, now RA, who took the course last year:
      Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2000 14:30:02 -0600
      From: talitha <abeckwit@cse.unl.edu>
      Subject: How to start ACL inside emacs

      The complications in starting ACL in xemacs seem to stem from the
      interaction between cse and the localhost.  Here's my attempt to explain
      how to make it work. First, log in to the localhost (your cse logon will
      work).  Then, copy the .emacs file from the website to your home
      directory*, then start xemacs from the KDE bar (it's under the dinosaur,
      then the top choice, then editors, then text, then emacs clones, then
      xemacs).  After that is done, you should be able to type ESC-x
      fi:common-lisp and it should work.  If it doesn't, then make sure the
      .emacs is in your home directory, restart it, make sure you have the path
      line (in one of the emails sent out) in your .cshrc file and things like
      that.  Good luck...

      *Your home directory is the same as your cse home directory, strangely
      enough.  You can copy this file just using any text editor and pasting the
      text in, then saving it as .emacs.  If you do this in emacs, then restart
      emacs afterwards, of course.  Also, don't start emacs from the terminal
      window in the KDE screen.  Use the dinosaur.  If you start it from the
      terminal, it will run the CSE emacs, and will not be able to find lisp. To
      make sure you're in the right place, you can call up the KDE file manager
      (it's about 2 buttons away from the dinosaur), and go to /usr/dist/pkgs
      and see if the acl150 is there.  Also note, in the path to put in the
      .cshrc file, it's an L, not a 1.

      Amy

                             O
               __            ||
             /    \_ CH2 -O- C - CH2 - CH2 - CH3
             \ __ /
                      Stop and smell the Roses!

Using composer:

ACL has a great interactive development environement with a graphical inspector, debugger, profiler (time and space), etc. etc.  To use, you hsould first type in the lisp environment:

(require 'composer)
then
(composer:start-composer) alternatively choose "Start composer" from the menu buttons of emacs/.
Warning:   you may need to tell X to allow composer to open up windows.  For this purpose, you need to type "xhost +" before you start xemacs, then ACL, then composer...
 

Berthe Y. Choueiry

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