Can clojure convert string representing a sequence back to a sequence?

Question

I can convert a string to a sequence, and then convert that sequence to a string representing the sequence.

user=> (str (first (list (seq "(xy)z"))))
"(\\( \\x \\y \\) \\z)"

I can also insert apply into the above form to get the original string back

user=> (apply str (first (list (seq "(xy)z"))))
"(xy)z"

but is there a way to convert a string representing a sequence, to the sequence that the string represents? such as:

"(\\( \\x \\y \\) \\z)"
user=> (some-fn2 "(\\( \\x \\y \\) \\z)")
(\( \x \y \) \z \))

Arthur Ulfeldt · Accepted Answer · 2012-08-20 21:35:45Z

8

The read-string function reads a string into a Clojure expression.

(read-string "(\\( \\x \\y \\) \\z)")
(\( \x \y \) \z)

The read family of functions are a big part of what makes Clojure a lisp and the whole "everything is data" mindset. You can read any form with them:

(read-string "{:a 1 :b 3 :c (1 2 3)}")
{:a 1, :b 3, :c (1 2 3)}

answered Aug 20, 2012 at 21:35

Arthur Ulfeldt

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1 Comment

dansalmo Over a year ago

Thank you for the fast answer. I feel like a guy who was given a fish, but knows he needs to learn to fish. I am still struggling with how to find the clojure functions I know must exist by searching various clojure resources. read-string was nowhere on my radar.

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