Compiling in SBCL

[hemml]

I'm trying to generate JS on the host (SBCL) with JSCL:

The following code causes Bad function designator error:

(load "jscl.lisp")
(in-package :jscl-xc)
(setq *environment* (make-lexenv))
(with-compilation-environment 
  (compile-toplevel 
    '(let ((x 'a)) `(,x))))

And the following causes Lock on package violation:

(load "jscl.lisp")
(in-package :jscl-xc)
(setq *environment* (make-lexenv))
(with-compilation-environment 
  (compile-toplevel 
    '(let ((x 'a)) `(a ,x))))

Is this a bug or I'm doing something wrong?

[vlad-km]

Compiling in target

@davazp

(setq jscl::*environment* (jscl::make-lexenv))
(jscl::with-compilation-environment
  (jscl::compile-toplevel
   '(let ((x 'a)) `(,x))))

repl - jscl-project.github.io browser chrome

Welcome to JSCL (version 0.9.0-alpha.0 built on 17 February 2026)

JSCL is a Common Lisp implementation on Javascript.
For more information, visit the project page at https://github.com/jscl-project/jscl.

CL-USER> (progn (setq jscl::*environment* (jscl::make-lexenv)) 
... (jscl::with-compilation-environment 
...   (jscl::compile-toplevel 
...    '(let ((x 'a)) `(,x)))))
SIMPLE-ERROR: UNBOUND-VARIABLE: ...... UNBOUND-VARIABLE:
ERROR[!]: Maximum call stack size exceeded
RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded
    at JSCL_USER_FIND (https://jscl-project.github.io/jscl.js:12209:58)
    at internals.mvcall (https://jscl-project.github.io/jscl.js:73:10)
    at https://jscl-project.github.io/jscl.js:30959:37
    at internals.Symbol.JSCL_USER_LOOKUPINLEXENV [as fvalue] (https://jscl-project.github.io/jscl.js:30962:3)
    at https://jscl-project.github.io/jscl.js:36476:10
    at internals.bindSpecialBindings (https://jscl-project.github.io/jscl.js:542:12)
    at https://jscl-project.github.io/jscl.js:36475:62
    at https://jscl-project.github.io/jscl.js:36481:3
    at JSCL_USER_MACROEXPAND (https://jscl-project.github.io/jscl.js:36483:3)
    at internals.mvcall (https://jscl-project.github.io/jscl.js:73:10)

repl node/electron - jscl.js & web-repl.js from jscl-project.github.io

CL-USER> (jscl::with-compilation-environment 
...   (jscl::compile-toplevel 
...    '(let ((x 'a)) `(,x))))
SIMPLE-ERROR: UNBOUND-VARIABLE: Unbound variable &OPTIONAL
SIMPLE-ERROR: UNBOUND-VARIABLE: Unbound variable &OPTIONAL
    at jscl.js:43039:7
    at jscl.js:43042:3
    at internals.Symbol.JSCL_USER_ERROR [as fvalue] (jscl.js:43043:3)
    at internals.error (jscl.js:83:12)
    at internals.symbolValue (jscl.js:503:15)
    at eval (eval at internals.globalEval (jscl.js:44:12), <anonymous>:18:57)
    at internals.globalEval (jscl.js:47:10)
    at jscl.js:36970:69
    at internals.withMV (jscl.js:78:16)
    at jscl.js:36970:14
    at jscl.js:36975:3
    at jscl.js:36978:4
    at JSCL_USER_NIL (jscl.js:36979:3)
    at internals.mvcall (jscl.js:73:10)
    at jscl.js:36903:254
    at jscl.js:36911:3
    at internals.bindSpecialBindings (jscl.js:542:12)
    at jscl.js:36903:64
    at JSCL_USER_NIL (jscl.js:36982:3)
    at internals.mvcall (jscl.js:73:10)
... 217 more frames, increase JSCL::*BACKTRACE-LIMIT* to view more

[vlad-km]

Re: Compiling in target

@hemml

Is this a bug or I'm doing something wrong?

yes
you doing something wrong

(setq environment (make-lexenv))

if we reset environment, what do we want?

Welcome to JSCL (version 0.9.0-alpha.0 built on 17 February 2026)



For more information, visit the project page at https://github.com/jscl-project/jscl.

CL-USER> (jscl::with-compilation-environment 
...   (jscl::compile-toplevel 
...    '(let ((x 'a)) `(,x))))

"var l1=internals.intern('A','COMMON-LISP-USER');\nvar l2=internals.intern('LIST','COMMON-LISP');\n(function(v1){return l2.fvalue(v1);\n})(l1);\n"
CL-USER> 
CL-USER> (let ((x 'a)) `(,x)))
(A)
CL-USER> 
CL-USER> (length (jscl::lexenv-variable jscl::*environment*))
174
CL-USER> (length (jscl::lexenv-function jscl::*environment*))
146
CL-USER> (length (jscl::lexenv-block jscl::*environment*))
0
CL-USER> (length (jscl::lexenv-gotag jscl::*environment*))
0
CL-USER>

[davazp]

I thought I replied to this but, I guess I lost it.

Isn't this just that the input has sbcl specific internals that jscl can't compile?

(write-to-string '(let ((x 'a)) `(,x)) :pretty nil)
"(LET ((X (QUOTE A))) (SB-INT:QUASIQUOTE (#S(SB-IMPL::COMMA :EXPR X :KIND 0))))"

[hemml]

Is this a bug or I'm doing something wrong?

yes you doing something wrong

(setq environment (make-lexenv))

if we reset environment, what do we want?

Ok, but how now can I convert CL to JS on the host? Can you provide an example?

The code is just a minimal one, I have tested it with the environment, generated by compiling full JSCL sources, with the same result (the same errors).

[hemml]

Isn't this just that the input has sbcl specific internals that jscl can't compile?

Here at least two problems, I believe.
The first one is interning DUMP-symbols for structures, they cannot be interned into locked SBCL packages, like internal ones.
The second one is in the compiler itself, causing Bad function designator error in the first case.

[hemml]

I found a temporary workaround: convert lisp code to string, read the string with jscl::ls-read and send the result into compile-toplevel.

[davazp]

Good idea with the workaround.
The DUMP-symbols is limited and needs some care for bootstrapping indeed.

So I don't think these are bugs.

Is there anything we can provide to make it a bit easier to use? we could export some macro-character or something but I don't think it's worthy much. Kind of easier to just use read-from-string or even read it from a file if backquote is needed.

If there is no ideas to make it more convenient, we should probably close the issue.