Function Entry: CLAL-DRIBBLE

clal-dribble

clautolisp Extension Function

(clal-dribble [path [interactors]])

• path — optional string: the dribble file. When the file exists it is appended to. Without path, the call is a toggle: it starts a dribble on the default file (${XDG_STATE_HOME:-~/.local/state}/clautolisp/dribbles/YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS.log, the timestamp being the start of the dribble in ISO-8601 basic format) when dribbling is off, or stops the active dribble.
• interactors — optional: nil (consult *clal-dribble-interactors*), the symbol T (record every interactor), or a list of interactor names/aliases (strings or symbols) superseding *clal-dribble-interactors* for this dribble.

Record the REPL interactions into a log file. The file starts with a header line ;; H: clautolisp VERSION, followed by interaction blocks: the input line raw (unprefixed), each standard-output line prefixed ;; O:, each error-output line prefixed ;; E:, and, when an evaluation signals, the condition report on ;; C: lines (which may be redundant with the error report that follows on the output streams; that redundancy is intended). If output from one stream is interrupted by the other before its newline, the open line is terminated in the dribble first.

Recording is filtered by interactor: by default only the AUTOLISP (LISP) REPL is recorded, so entering the debugger, the inspector, navi or sedit pauses the dribble — their entry call and its result are still recorded — and returning to the REPL resumes it. The set of recorded interactors is the interactors argument when given, else the value of *clal-dribble-interactors*: nil for the default ("AUTOLISP"), a list of interactor names/aliases, or T for all of them. The set is captured when the dribble starts; changing *clal-dribble-interactors* while a dribble is active does not affect it (stop and restart to apply a new value).

With path, any active dribble is closed first and a new one is started appending to path. The CLI options --dribble, --dribble=FILE and --dribble-interactors=IS start a dribble from the command line (after the banner, before the first prompt); --dribble-interactors=IS also sets *clal-dribble-interactors* (IS is t or a comma-separated list of names).

The absolute path (a string) of the dribble file just opened, or nil when the call just stopped dribbling.

Opens/closes the dribble file (creating its directories as needed); subsequent REPL interactions are appended to it.

• *clal-dribble-interactors* — the interactor set used when the interactors argument is nil or omitted (read at start time only).
• XDG_STATE_HOME — the default dribble directory root.
• The --dribble / --dribble=FILE / --dribble-interactors=IS command-line options.

Signals an error when path is not a string or interactors is not nil, T, or a list; file errors propagate when the dribble file cannot be opened.

(clal-dribble)                          ; toggle on, default file
=> "/home/user/.local/state/clautolisp/dribbles/20260723T101500.log"
(clal-dribble)                          ; toggle off
=> nil
(clal-dribble "trace.sexp" 'T)          ; record every interactor
=> "/home/user/project/trace.sexp"
(setq *clal-dribble-interactors* '("AUTOLISP" "ALDO"))
(clal-dribble "trace.sexp")             ; REPL + debugger
=> "/home/user/project/trace.sexp"

• clautolisp: documented (this entry); implemented since clautolisp 1.5.11.
• AutoCAD: NOT present.
• BricsCAD: NOT present.

• clautolisp-only extension (issues/open/dribble.issue). The bare (dribble) alias seen in examples is user-defined (e.g. in ~/.autolisp); clautolisp registers only clal-dribble.