(setq symbol1 statement1 [symbol2 statement2] ...)

Set the symbol to the statement.

This function is LISP's most commonly-used assignment function. This function assigns statement1 to symbol1. For example:

sets the value of 16 to the symbol x.

NOTE Don't confuse this with the equals function (=. The = function doesn't assign.

Symbol1 is the variable that receives the value, where as statement1 is the value that is assigned to symbol1. Statement1 can be a variable representing a value, a numeric value, or a string.

Examples

NOTE  You can set multiple variables at a time with the setq function. The [symbol2 stmt2]... is optional. When assigning multiple variables, the value returned is the last variable's assigned value.

To see the value of any variable, type ! before the variable name:

Tell me about...

(defun [c:] name ([arg1 arg2 ...] / [local-var1 local-var2 ...]) expression)

(lambda arguments expression ...)

(quote statement)

LISP Compatibility

Programming Overview of LISP (LISt Processing) Language