write-to-string (ANSI and GNU Common Lisp Document)

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#### 22.4.15 write-to-string, prin1-to-string, princ-to-string [Function]

`write-to-string` object &key \writekeys
⇒ string

`prin` 1 ⇒ -to-string object string

`princ-to-string` object ⇒ string

#### Arguments and Values::

object—an object.

\writekeydescriptions

string—a string.

#### Description::

write-to-string, prin1-to-string, and princ-to-string are used to create a string consisting of the printed representation of object. Object is effectively printed as if by write, prin1, or princ, respectively, and the characters that would be output are made into a string.

write-to-string is the general output function. It has the ability to specify all the parameters applicable to the printing of object.

prin1-to-string acts like write-to-string with `:escape t`, that is, escape characters are written where appropriate.

princ-to-string acts like write-to-string with

`:escape nil :readably nil`.

Thus no escape characters are written.

All other keywords that would be specified to write-to-string are default values when prin1-to-string or princ-to-string is invoked.

The meanings and defaults for the keyword arguments to write-to-string are the same as those for write.

#### Examples::

     (prin1-to-string "abc") ⇒  "\"abc\""
     (princ-to-string "abc") ⇒  "abc"

#### Affected By::

*print-escape*, *print-radix*, *print-base*, *print-circle*, *print-pretty*, *print-level*, *print-length*, *print-case*, *print-gensym*, *print-array*, *read-default-float-format*.

#### See Also::

write

#### Notes::

     (write-to-string object {key argument}*)
    ≡ (with-output-to-string (#1=#:string-stream)
         (write object :stream #1# {key argument}*))

     (princ-to-string object)
    ≡ (with-output-to-string (string-stream)
         (princ object string-stream))

     (prin1-to-string object)
    ≡ (with-output-to-string (string-stream)
         (prin1 object string-stream))