8.5.10 Process Type

The word process usually means a running program. SXEmacs itself runs in a process of this sort. However, in SXEmacs Lisp, a process is a Lisp object that designates a subprocess created by the SXEmacs process. Programs such as shells, GDB, ftp, and compilers, running in subprocesses of SXEmacs, extend the capabilities of SXEmacs.

A SXEmacs subprocess takes textual input from SXEmacs and returns textual output to SXEmacs for further manipulation. SXEmacs can also send signals to the subprocess.

Process objects have no read syntax. They print in hash notation, giving the name of the process, its associated process ID, and the current state of the process:

(process-list)
     ⇒ (#<process "shell" pid 2909 state:run>)

See Processes, for information about functions that create, delete, return information about, send input or signals to, and receive output from processes.