4.5 Definitions: define

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▼ | 4 | Expressions and Definitions

4.1 | Notation
4.2 | Identifiers and Binding
4.3 | Function Calls (Procedure Applications)
4.4 | Functions (Procedures): lambda
4.5 | Definitions: define
4.6 | Local Binding
4.7 | Conditionals
4.8 | Sequencing
4.9 | Assignment: set!
4.10 | Quoting: quote and '
4.11 | Quasiquoting: quasiquote and ‘
4.12 | Simple Dispatch: case
4.13 | Dynamic Binding: parameterize

► | 4.5 | Definitions: define

4.5.1 | Function Shorthand
4.5.2 | Curried Function Shorthand
4.5.3 | Multiple Values and define-values
4.5.4 | Internal Definitions

On this page:

4.5.1`` Function Shorthand
4.5.2`` Curried Function Shorthand
4.5.3`` Multiple Values and define-values
4.5.4`` Internal Definitions

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#### 4.5`` Definitions: define

A basic definition has the form

> > (define id expr)

in which case id is bound to the result of expr.

Examples:
> (define salutation (list-ref '("Hi" "Hello") (random 2)))
> > salutation
> "Hi"

##### 4.5.1`` Function Shorthand

The define form also supports a shorthand for function definitions:

> > (define (id arg ...) body ...+)

which is a shorthand for

> (define id (lambda (arg ...) body ...+))

Examples:
> (define (greet name)
> (string-append salutation ", " name))
> > (greet "John")
> "Hi, John"

> (define (greet first [surname "Smith"] #:hi [hi salutation])
> (string-append hi ", " first " " surname))
> > (greet "John")
> "Hi, John Smith"
> > (greet "John" #:hi "Hey")
> "Hey, John Smith"
> > (greet "John" "Doe")
> "Hi, John Doe"

The function shorthand via define also supports a rest argument (i.e., a final argument to collect extra arguments in a list):

> > (define (id arg ... . rest-id) body ...+)

which is a shorthand

> (define id (lambda (arg ... . rest-id) body ...+))

Examples:
> (define (avg . l)
> (/ (apply + l) (length l)))
> > (avg 1 2 3)
> 2

##### 4.5.2`` Curried Function Shorthand

Consider the following make-add-suffix function that takes a string and returns another function that takes a string:

> (define make-add-suffix
> (lambda (s2)
> (lambda (s) (string-append s s2))))

Although it’s not common, result of make-add-suffix could be called directly, like this:

> > ((make-add-suffix "!") "hello")
> "hello!"

In a sense, make-add-suffix is a function takes two arguments, but it takes them one at a time. A function that takes some of its arguments and returns a function to consume more is sometimes called a curried function.

Using the function-shorthand form of define, make-add-suffix can be written equivalently as

> (define (make-add-suffix s2)
> (lambda (s) (string-append s s2)))

This shorthand reflects the shape of the function call (make-add-suffix "!"). The define form further supports a shorthand for defining curried functions that reflects nested function calls:

> (define ((make-add-suffix s2) s)
> (string-append s s2))
> > ((make-add-suffix "!") "hello")
> "hello!"

> (define louder (make-add-suffix "!"))
> (define less-sure (make-add-suffix "?"))
> > (less-sure "really")
> "really?"
> > (louder "really")
> "really!"

The full syntax of the function shorthand for define is as follows:

> > (define (head args) body ...+)
> > head |  | = |  | id
> > |  | | |  | (head args)
> > args |  | = |  | arg ...
> > |  | | |  | arg ... . rest-id

The expansion of this shorthand has one nested lambda form for each head in the definition, where the innermost head corresponds to the outermost lambda.

##### 4.5.3`` Multiple Values and define-values

A Racket expression normally produces a single result, but some expressions can produce multiple results. For example, quotient and remainder each produce a single value, but quotient/remainder produces the same two values at once:

> > (quotient 13 3)
> 4
> > (remainder 13 3)
> 1
> > (quotient/remainder 13 3)
> 4
> 1

As shown above, the REPL prints each result value on its own line.

Multiple-valued functions can be implemented in terms of the values function, which takes any number of values and returns them as the results:

> > (values 1 2 3)
> 1
> 2
> 3

> (define (split-name name)
> (let ([parts (regexp-split " " name)])
> (if (= (length parts) 2)
> (values (list-ref parts 0) (list-ref parts 1))
> (error "not a <first> <last> name"))))
> > (split-name "Adam Smith")
> "Adam"
> "Smith"

The define-values form binds multiple identifiers at once to multiple results produced from a single expression:

> > (define-values (id ...) expr)

The number of results produced by the expr must match the number of ids.

Examples:
> (define-values (given surname) (split-name "Adam Smith"))
> > given
> "Adam"
> > surname
> "Smith"

A define form (that is not a function shorthand) is equivalent to a define-values form with a single id.

> > > Definitions: define, define-syntax, ... in The Racket Reference provides more on definitions.

##### 4.5.4`` Internal Definitions

When the grammar for a syntactic form specifies body, then the corresponding form can be either a definition or an expression. A definition as a body is an internal definition.

Expressions and internal definitions in a body sequence can be mixed, as long as the last body is an expression.

For example, the syntax of lambda is

> > (lambda gen-formals
> > body ...+)

so the following are valid instances of the grammar:

> (lambda (f) ; no definitions
> (printf "running\n")
> (f 0))
> (lambda (f) ; one definition
> (define (log-it what)
> (printf "~a\n" what))
> (log-it "running")
> (f 0)
> (log-it "done"))
> (lambda (f n) ; two definitions
> (define (call n)
> (if (zero? n)
> (log-it "done")
> (begin
> (log-it "running")
> (f n)
> (call (- n 1)))))
> (define (log-it what)
> (printf "~a\n" what))
> (call n))

Internal definitions in a particular body sequence are mutually recursive; that is, any definition can refer to any other definition—as long as the reference isn’t actually evaluated before its definition takes place. If a definition is referenced too early, the result is a special value #<undefined>.

Examples:
> (define (weird)
> (define x x)
> x)
> > (weird)
> #<undefined>

A sequence of internal definitions using just define is easily translated to an equivalent letrec form (as introduced in the next section). However, other definition forms can appear as a body, including define-values, struct (see Programmer-Defined Datatypes) or define-syntax (see Macros).

> > > Internal Definitions in The Racket Reference documents the fine points of internal definitions.

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