Common Lisp the Language, 2nd Edition

28.1.9.2. Declaring the Validity of Initialization Arguments

Initialization arguments are checked for validity in each of the four situations that use them. An initialization argument may be valid in one situation and not another. For example, the system-supplied primary method for make-instance defined for the class standard-class checks the validity of its initialization arguments and signals an error if an initialization argument is supplied that is not declared valid in that situation.

There are two means of declaring initialization arguments valid.

• Initialization arguments that fill slots are declared valid by the :initarg slot option to defclass. The :initarg slot option is inherited from superclasses. Thus the set of valid initialization arguments that fill slots for a class is the union of the initialization arguments that fill slots declared valid by that class and its superclasses. Initialization arguments that fill slots are valid in all four contexts.

• Initialization arguments that supply arguments to methods are declared valid by defining those methods. The keyword name of each keyword parameter specified in the method's lambda-list becomes an initialization argument for all classes for which the method is applicable. Thus method inheritance controls the set of valid initialization arguments that supply arguments to methods. The generic functions for which method definitions serve to declare initialization arguments valid are as follows:
  • Making an instance of a class: allocate-instance, initialize-instance, and shared-initialize. Initialization arguments declared valid by these methods are valid when making an instance of a class.

  • Re-initializing an instance: the functions reinitialize-instance and shared-initialize. Initialization arguments declared valid by these methods are valid when re-initializing an instance.

  • Updating an instance to conform to a redefined class: update-instance-for-redefined-class and shared-initialize. Initialization arguments declared valid by these methods are valid when updating an instance to conform to a redefined class.

  • Updating an instance to conform to the definition of a different class: update-instance-for-different-class and shared-initialize. Initialization arguments declared valid by these methods are valid when updating an instance to conform to the definition of a different class.

The set of valid initialization arguments for a class is the set of valid initialization arguments that either fill slots or supply arguments to methods, along with the predefined initialization argument :allow-other-keys. The default value for :allow-other-keys is nil. The meaning of :allow-other-keys is the same here as when it is passed to an ordinary function.