Argument Lists

[MILNES%cgi.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA]

From: Brian Milnes @cgi.csnet.com

	We here at CGI have run into several cases where we would
like to be able to access the argument list format for functions and
macros in a system independent manner. The symbolics and the TI support
a function arglist which returns the lambda list for a function; we
are using this to provide a command like ctr-A, which describes a
functions argument list, in Knowledge Craft. 

	I also would like a Common Lisp way of determining the minimum
and maximum number of arguments taken by a given function; this would
allow the CRL-OPS compiler to determine a left hand side predicate
call has the correct number of arguments so that it does not cause
an error and leave the RETE pattern matching network in an inconsistent
state.

	Have we missed this functionality in CLtL ? Do others of you
out there miss this functionality ? Could it be simply and safely
added to CL ?

	-Brian