On this page:
4.5.1 Function Shorthand
4.5.2 Curried Function Shorthand
4.5.3 Multiple Values and define-values
4.5.4 Internal Definitions

4.5 Definitions: define

A basic definition has the form

(define id expr)

in which case id is bound to the result of expr.

Examples:

  (define salutation (list-ref '("Hi" "Hello") (random 2)))
  > salutation

  "Hello"

4.5.1 Function Shorthand

The define form also supports a shorthand for function definitions:

(define (id arg ...) body ...+)

which is a shorthand for

  (define id (lambda (arg ...) body ...+))

Examples:

  (define (greet name)
    (string-append salutation ", " name))
  > (greet "John")

  "Hello, John"

  (define (greet first [surname "Smith"] #:hi [hi salutation])
    (string-append hi ", " first " " surname))

 

  > (greet "John")

  "Hello, John Smith"

  > (greet "John" #:hi "Hey")

  "Hey, John Smith"

  > (greet "John" "Doe")

  "Hello, John Doe"

The function shorthand via define also supports a “rest” argument (i.e., a final argument to collect extra arguments in a list):

(define (id arg ... . rest-id) body ...+)

which is a shorthand

  (define id (lambda (arg ... . rest-id) body ...+))

Examples:

  (define (avg . l)
    (/ (apply + l) (length l)))
  > (avg 1 2 3)

  2

4.5.2 Curried Function Shorthand

Consider the following make-add-suffix function that takes a string and returns another function that takes a string:

  (define make-add-suffix
    (lambda (s2)
      (lambda (s) (string-append s s2))))

 

Although it’s not common, result of make-add-suffix could be called directly, like this:

  > ((make-add-suffix "!") "hello")

  "hello!"

In a sense, make-add-suffix is a function takes two arguments, but it takes them one at a time. A function that takes some of its arguments and returns a function to consume more is sometimes called a curried function.

Using the function-shorthand form of define, make-add-suffix can be written equivalently as

  (define (make-add-suffix s2)
    (lambda (s) (string-append s s2)))

This shorthand reflects the shape of the function call (make-add-suffix "!"). The define form further supports a shorthand for defining curried functions that reflects nested function calls:

  (define ((make-add-suffix s2) s)
    (string-append s s2))

 

  > ((make-add-suffix "!") "hello")

  "hello!"

  (define louder (make-add-suffix "!"))
  (define less-sure (make-add-suffix "?"))

 

  > (less-sure "really")

  "really?"

  > (louder "really")

  "really!"

The full syntax of the function shorthand for define is as follows:

(define (head args) body ...+)
 
head = id
  | (head args)
     
args = arg ...
  | arg ... . rest-id

The expansion of this shorthand has one nested lambda form for each head in the definition, where the innermost head corresponds to the outermost lambda.

4.5.3 Multiple Values and define-values

A Racket expression normally produces a single result, but some expressions can produce multiple results. For example, quotient and remainder each produce a single value, but quotient/remainder produces the same two values at once:

  > (quotient 13 3)

  4

  > (remainder 13 3)

  1

  > (quotient/remainder 13 3)

  4

  1

As shown above, the REPL prints each result value on its own line.

Multiple-valued functions can be implemented in terms of the values function, which takes any number of values and returns them as the results:

  > (values 1 2 3)

  1

  2

  3

  (define (split-name name)
    (let ([parts (regexp-split " " name)])
      (if (= (length parts) 2)
          (values (list-ref parts 0) (list-ref parts 1))
          (error "not a <first> <last> name"))))

 

  > (split-name "Adam Smith")

  "Adam"

  "Smith"

The define-values form binds multiple identifiers at once to multiple results produced from a single expression:

(define-values (id ...) expr)

The number of results produced by the expr must match the number of ids.

Examples:

  (define-values (given surname) (split-name "Adam Smith"))
  > given

  "Adam"

  > surname

  "Smith"

A define form (that is not a function shorthand) is equivalent to a define-values form with a single id.

+Definitions: define, define-syntax, ... in Reference: Racket provides more on definitions.

4.5.4 Internal Definitions

When the grammar for a syntactic form specifies body, then the corresponding form can be either a definition or an expression. A definition as a body is an internal definition.

Expressions and internal definitions in a body sequence can be mixed, as long as the last body is an expression.

For example, the syntax of lambda is

(lambda gen-formals
  body ...+)

so the following are valid instances of the grammar:

  (lambda (f)                ; no definitions
    (printf "running\n")
    (f 0))
  
  (lambda (f)                ; one definition
    (define (log-it what)
      (printf "~a\n"))
    (log-it "running")
    (f 0)
    (log-it "done"))
  
  (lambda (f n)              ; two definitions
    (define (call n)
      (if (zero? n)
          (log-it "done")
          (begin
            (log-it "running")
            (f 0)
            (call (- n 1)))))
    (define (log-it what)
      (printf "~a\n"))
    (call f n))

Internal definitions in a particular body sequence are mutually recursive; that is, any definition can refer to any other definition—as long as the reference isn’t actually evaluated before its definition takes place. If a definition is referenced too early, the result is a special value #<undefined>.

Examples:

  (define (weird)
    (define x x)
    x)
  > (weird)

  #<undefined>

A sequence of internal definitions using just define is easily translated to an equivalent letrec form (as introduced in the next section). However, other definition forms can appear as a body, including define-values, struct (see Programmer-Defined Datatypes) or define-syntax (see Macros).

+Internal Definitions in Reference: Racket documents the fine points of internal definitions.