How Lisp Distinguishes Between Code and Data
When we write our Lisp program, how does Lisp decide which parts of our program consist of code (stuff to be executed) and which parts are just data? The syntax of Lisp has a special way of distinguishing between the two.
Common Lisp uses two modes when it reads your code: a code mode and a data mode. You can switch between these two modes when writing Lisp code.
Code Mode
Whenever you type something into the Lisp REPL, the compiler assumes that you’re entering a command you want to execute. In other words, Lisp always assumes that you’re writing code and defaults to code mode.
As we’ve already discussed, Lisp will expect Lisp code to be entered as a list. However, the code should be in a special type of ...
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