AutoLISP is a programming language, a dialect of Lisp included with the CAD program AutoCAD to allow the user to add functionality to the software. It is not included with the AutoCAD LT product line. A programming language or computer language is a standardized communication technique for expressing instructions to a computer. ... Lisp is a reflective, multi-paradigm programming language with a long history. ... This article is about computer-aided design. ... A snapshot taken in AutoCAD 2005 while transcribing a curve. ...

It was derived from the XLISP dialect of Lisp, which was created by David Betz. It is a small language compared to Common Lisp, and lacks some of the modern features of Scheme; it is dynamically scoped and does not have a macro system. It has extensions that support the manipulation of graphical entities. The properties of these graphical entities are revealed to AutoLISP as association lists in which AutoCAD "group codes" are paired with values that indicate properties such as points, radii, colors, layers, linetypes, etc. XLISP is a dialect of Lisp created by David Betz. ... Common Lisp, commonly abbreviated CL, is a dialect of the Lisp programming language, standardised by ANSI X3. ... Scheme is a functional programming language and a dialect of Lisp. ... In computer programming in general, a scope is an enclosing context. ... A macro in computer science is an abstraction, whereby a certain textual pattern is replaced according to a defined set of rules. ... In computing, an associative array, also known as a map, lookup table, or dictionary, is an abstract data type very closely related to the mathematical concept of a function with a finite domain. ...

The language was added to AutoCAD in Version 2.18 in January 1986, and continued to be enhanced in successive releases up to Release 12 in June 1992. After that, its development was neglected by Autodesk in favor of more fashionable development environments. However, it has stubbornly remained AutoCAD's primary user customization language. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Autodesk, Inc. ...

The hold it has is so strong that other CAD applications have implemented their own versions of it. FelixCAD, BricsCad, IntelliCAD and others have also enabled AutoLISP, such that users may consider using an alternative, cheaper CAD software.

Vital-LISP, a considerably enhanced version of AutoLISP including an IDE, debugger, and compiler, was developed and sold by third party developer Basis Software. Autodesk purchased this, renamed it Visual LISP, and briefly sold it as an add-on. It was incorporated into AutoCAD as a replacement for AutoLISP in AutoCAD 2000, released in March 1999. Visual LISP actually represents a superset of AutoLISP, including all the old AutoLISP functionality, but also providing VBA-like access to the AutoCAD object model. In some ways, it even exceeds the AutoCAD object model: the use of reactors enables the programmer to respond to the AutoCAD events. See Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Integrated_development_environment Binomial name Leuciscus idus Linnaeus, 1758 The ide or orfe, Leuciscus idus, is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae found across northern Europe and Asia. ... A debugger is a computer program that is used to debug (and sometimes test or optimize) other programs which might be running on the same computer (host computer) as the debugger is running, might be running on the target hardware, or might be running on the ISS. When the program... A diagram of the operation of a typical multi-language compiler. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... VBA can mean different things: Visual Basic for Applications is Microsofts version of the BASIC programming language. ...

External links

• LISP and Visual LISP forums on CADxp