Documentation only - fix typo in flags reference
[ghc-hetmet.git] / docs / users_guide / ghci.xml
index 28e9972..bac55ed 100644 (file)
@@ -368,7 +368,6 @@ hello
       <literal>IO</literal> monad.
 <screen>
 Prelude> x &lt;- return 42
-42
 Prelude> print x
 42
 Prelude>
@@ -380,7 +379,8 @@ Prelude>
       <literal>x</literal> in future statements, for example to print
       it as we did above.</para>
 
-      <para>GHCi will print the result of a statement if and only if: 
+      <para>If <option>-fprint-bind-result</option> is set then
+      GHCi will print the result of a statement if and only if: 
        <itemizedlist>
          <listitem>
            <para>The statement is not a binding, or it is a monadic binding 
@@ -393,13 +393,8 @@ Prelude>
              <literal>Show</literal></para>
          </listitem>
        </itemizedlist>
-      The automatic printing of binding results can be suppressed with
-      <option>:set -fno-print-bind-result</option> (this does not
-      suppress printing the result of non-binding statements).
-      <indexterm><primary><option>-fno-print-bind-result</option></primary></indexterm><indexterm><primary><option>-fprint-bind-result</option></primary></indexterm>.
-      You might want to do this to prevent the result of binding
-      statements from being fully evaluated by the act of printing
-      them, for example.</para>
+      <indexterm><primary><option>-fprint-bind-result</option></primary></indexterm><indexterm><primary><option>-fno-print-bind-result</option></primary></indexterm>.
+      </para>
 
       <para>Of course, you can also bind normal non-IO expressions
       using the <literal>let</literal>-statement:</para>
@@ -1817,26 +1812,27 @@ $ ghci -lm
 
       <varlistentry>
        <term>
-          <literal>:def</literal> <replaceable>name</replaceable> <replaceable>expr</replaceable>
+          <literal>:def<optional>!</optional> <optional><replaceable>name</replaceable> <replaceable>expr</replaceable></optional></literal>
           <indexterm><primary><literal>:def</literal></primary></indexterm>
         </term>
        <listitem>
-         <para>The command <literal>:def</literal>
-         <replaceable>name</replaceable>
-         <replaceable>expr</replaceable> defines a new GHCi command
-         <literal>:<replaceable>name</replaceable></literal>,
-         implemented by the Haskell expression
-         <replaceable>expr</replaceable>, which must have type
-         <literal>String -> IO String</literal>.  When
-         <literal>:<replaceable>name</replaceable>
-         <replaceable>args</replaceable></literal> is typed at the
-         prompt, GHCi will run the expression
-         <literal>(<replaceable>name</replaceable>
-         <replaceable>args</replaceable>)</literal>, take the
-         resulting <literal>String</literal>, and feed it back into
-         GHCi as a new sequence of commands.  Separate commands in
-         the result must be separated by
-         &lsquo;<literal>\n</literal>&rsquo;.</para>
+          <para><literal>:def</literal> is used to define new
+          commands, or macros, in GHCi.  The command
+          <literal>:def</literal> <replaceable>name</replaceable>
+          <replaceable>expr</replaceable> defines a new GHCi command
+          <literal>:<replaceable>name</replaceable></literal>,
+          implemented by the Haskell expression
+          <replaceable>expr</replaceable>, which must have type
+          <literal>String -> IO String</literal>.  When
+          <literal>:<replaceable>name</replaceable>
+          <replaceable>args</replaceable></literal> is typed at the
+          prompt, GHCi will run the expression
+          <literal>(<replaceable>name</replaceable>
+          <replaceable>args</replaceable>)</literal>, take the
+          resulting <literal>String</literal>, and feed it back into
+          GHCi as a new sequence of commands.  Separate commands in
+          the result must be separated by
+          &lsquo;<literal>\n</literal>&rsquo;.</para>
 
          <para>That's all a little confusing, so here's a few
          examples.  To start with, here's a new GHCi command which
@@ -1880,6 +1876,12 @@ Prelude> :. cmds.ghci
           <literal>:.</literal>, by analogy with the
           &lsquo;<literal>.</literal>&rsquo; Unix shell command that
           does the same thing.</para>
+
+          <para>Typing <literal>:def</literal> on its own lists the
+          currently-defined macros.  Attempting to redefine an
+          existing command name results in an error unless the
+          <literal>:def!</literal> form is used, in which case the old
+          command with that name is silently overwritten.</para>
        </listitem>
       </varlistentry>