[alicebot-archcomm] [VOTE] Attribute var

[John Foderaro]

 I'll vote  NO 


 reason:

    you want to change
	<set name="name">Dorothy</set>.
    to
        <set var="name">Dorothy</set> 

    but what you really want is this:

        <set-var name="name">Dorothy</set-var>.

    this says: set the value of the variable named "name" to "Dorothy".

    I see this:

      <set var="name">Dorothy</set> 

    as saying: set the variable that is the value of the variable "name"    
    to Dorothy. 

    In Lisp <set> is the function set and <set-var> is called setq.


    setq says: quote the first argument (quoting prevents evaluation)

cl-user(10): (setq a 3)
3
cl-user(11): a
3
    
    If you use set you have to do the quoting youself


cl-user(12): (set 'a 4)
4
cl-user(13): a
4


        so here we set one symbol to have as its value another:

cl-user(14): (setq fred 'brother)
brother
cl-user(15): fred
brother

        this is <set var="fred">joe</set>	

cl-user(16): (set fred 'joe)
joe

        note that it doesn't change the value of fred
cl-user(17): fred
brother


        but it does change the value of the symbol that's the
	value of fred:

cl-user(18): brother
joe
cl-user(19):