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authorEuAndreh <eu@euandre.org>2025-04-18 02:17:12 -0300
committerEuAndreh <eu@euandre.org>2025-04-18 02:48:42 -0300
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+= Clojure auto curry
+:sort: 1
+:updatedat: 2021-04-27
+
+:defcurry-orig: https://lorettahe.github.io/clojure/2016/09/22/clojure-auto-curry
+
+Here's a simple macro defined by {defcurry-orig}[Loretta He] to create Clojure
+functions that are curried on all arguments, relying on Clojure's multi-arity
+support:
+
+[source,clojure]
+----
+(defmacro defcurry
+ [name args & body]
+ (let [partials (map (fn [n]
+ `(~(subvec args 0 n) (partial ~name ~@(take n args))))
+ (range 1 (count args)))]
+ `(defn ~name
+ (~args ~@body)
+ ~@partials)))
+----
+
+A naive `add` definition, alongside its usage and macroexpansion:
+
+[source,clojure]
+----
+user=> (defcurry add
+ [a b c d e]
+ (+ 1 2 3 4 5))
+#'user/add
+
+user=> (add 1)
+#object[clojure.core$partial$fn__5857 0x2c708440 "clojure.core$partial$fn__5857@2c708440"]
+
+user=> (add 1 2 3 4)
+#object[clojure.core$partial$fn__5863 0xf4c0e4e "clojure.core$partial$fn__5863@f4c0e4e"]
+
+user=> ((add 1) 2 3 4 5)
+15
+
+user=> (((add 1) 2 3) 4 5)
+15
+
+user=> (use 'clojure.pprint)
+nil
+
+user=> (pprint
+ (macroexpand
+ '(defcurry add
+ [a b c d e]
+ (+ 1 2 3 4 5))))
+(def
+ add
+ (clojure.core/fn
+ ([a b c d e] (+ 1 2 3 4 5))
+ ([a] (clojure.core/partial add a))
+ ([a b] (clojure.core/partial add a b))
+ ([a b c] (clojure.core/partial add a b c))
+ ([a b c d] (clojure.core/partial add a b c d))))
+nil
+----
+
+This simplistic `defcurry` definition doesn't support optional parameters,
+multi-arity, `&` rest arguments, docstrings, etc., but it could certainly evolve
+to do so.
+
+I like how `defcurry` is so short, and abdicates the responsability of doing the
+multi-arity logic to Clojure's built-in multi-arity support. Simple and
+elegant.
+
+Same Clojure as before, now with auto-currying via macros.
+
+== Comparison with Common Lisp
+
+My attempt at writing an equivalent for Common Lisp gives me:
+
+[source,lisp]
+----
+(defun partial (fn &rest args)
+ (lambda (&rest args2)
+ (apply fn (append args args2))))
+
+(defun curry-n (n func)
+ (cond ((< n 0) (error "Too many arguments"))
+ ((zerop n) (funcall func))
+ (t (lambda (&rest rest)
+ (curry-n (- n (length rest))
+ (apply #'partial func rest))))))
+
+(defmacro defcurry (name args &body body)
+ `(defun ,name (&rest rest)
+ (let ((func (lambda ,args ,@body)))
+ (curry-n (- ,(length args) (length rest))
+ (apply #'partial func rest)))))
+----
+
+Without built-in multi-arity support, we have to do more work, like tracking the
+number of arguments consumed so far. We also have to write `#'partial`
+ourselves. That is, without dependending on any library, sticking to ANSI
+Common Lisp.
+
+The usage is pretty similar:
+
+[source,lisp]
+----
+* (defcurry add (a b c d e)
+ (+ a b c d e))
+ADD
+
+* (add 1)
+#<FUNCTION (LAMBDA (&REST REST) :IN CURRY-N) {100216419B}>
+
+* (funcall (add 1) 2 3 4)
+#<FUNCTION (LAMBDA (&REST REST) :IN CURRY-N) {100216537B}>
+
+* (funcall (add 1) 2 3 4 5)
+15
+
+* (funcall (funcall (add 1) 2 3) 4 5)
+15
+
+* (macroexpand-1
+ '(defcurry add (a b c d e)
+ (+ a b c d e)))
+(DEFUN ADD (&REST REST)
+ (LET ((FUNC (LAMBDA (A B C D E) (+ A B C D E))))
+ (CURRY-N (- 5 (LENGTH REST)) (APPLY #'PARTIAL FUNC REST))))
+T
+----
+
+This also require `funcall`s, since we return a `lambda` that doesn't live in
+the function namespace.
+
+Like the Clojure one, it doesn't support optional parameters, `&rest` rest
+arguments, docstrings, etc., but it also could evolve to do so.