get value from dynamic key in clojure map

Question

I have a clojure map

+  69 (def names {:production "prayag"                                                                     
+  70             :staging    "upd"})  

I need to get a value from a key variable environment that would be dynamic.

Something like below throws Exception,

+  72 (defn get-name [environment]                                                                                   
+  73   (let [ 
+  74        name (:(environment) names)]                                                                 
+  75        println name                                                                           
+  76     ))    

Stacktrace

Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: Invalid token: :
    at clojure.lang.Util.runtimeException(Util.java:219)
    at clojure.lang.LispReader.interpretToken(LispReader.java:326)
    at clojure.lang.LispReader.read(LispReader.java:211)
    at clojure.lang.LispReader.readDelimitedList(LispReader.java:1157)
    at clojure.lang.LispReader$ListReader.invoke(LispReader.java:982)
    at clojure.lang.LispReader.readDelimitedList(LispReader.java:1148)
    at clojure.lang.LispReader$VectorReader.invoke(LispReader.java:1083)
    at clojure.lang.LispReader.readDelimitedList(LispReader.java:1148)
    at clojure.lang.LispReader$ListReader.invoke(LispReader.java:982)
    at clojure.lang.LispReader.readDelimitedList(LispReader.java:1148)
    at clojure.lang.LispReader$ListReader.invoke(LispReader.java:982)
    at clojure.lang.LispReader.read(LispReader.java:185)
    at clojure.lang.Compiler.load(Compiler.java:7060)
    ... 55 more

While following code,

+  72 (defn get-name [env]                                                                                    
+  73   (let [                                                                               
+  74        name (keyword(":" env) names)]                                                                                                   
+  75        println name                                                                           
+  76     ))  

gives

Caused by: java.lang.ClassCastException: java.lang.String cannot be cast to clojure.lang.IFn
    at nepleaks_engine.util.utility$fn__3885.invoke(utility.clj:74)
    at clojure.lang.AFn.applyToHelper(AFn.java:159)
    at clojure.lang.AFn.applyTo(AFn.java:151)
    at clojure.lang.Compiler$InvokeExpr.eval(Compiler.java:3458)
    ... 58 more

And

+  72 (defn get-name [env]                                                                                    
+  73   (let [                                                                              
+  74        name (.get names env)]                                                               
+  75        println name                                                                           
+  76     ))  

gives

java.lang.NullPointerException
    at nepleaks_engine.util.utility$util.invoke(utility.clj:81)
    at nepleaks_engine.core$_main.invoke(core.clj:14)
    at clojure.lang.Var.invoke(Var.java:411)
    at user$eval5$fn__7.invoke(form-init336568295343421746.clj:1)
    at user$eval5.invoke(form-init336568295343421746.clj:1)
    at clojure.lang.Compiler.eval(Compiler.java:6619)
    at clojure.lang.Compiler.eval(Compiler.java:6609)
    at clojure.lang.Compiler.load(Compiler.java:7064)
    at clojure.lang.Compiler.loadFile(Compiler.java:7020)
    at clojure.main$load_script.invoke(main.clj:294)
    at clojure.main$init_opt.invoke(main.clj:299)
    at clojure.main$initialize.invoke(main.clj:327)
    at clojure.main$null_opt.invoke(main.clj:362)
    at clojure.main$main.doInvoke(main.clj:440)
    at clojure.lang.RestFn.invoke(RestFn.java:421)
    at clojure.lang.Var.invoke(Var.java:419)
    at clojure.lang.AFn.applyToHelper(AFn.java:163)
    at clojure.lang.Var.applyTo(Var.java:532)
    at clojure.main.main(main.java:37)

Answer 1

(:(environment) names) is not a valid form. Unless environment is a function of no arguments, you will get an error from wrapping it in parens. usage of : to create keywords is done at read time, before (environment) is evaluated, so you do not see the previous error, and the reader attempts to resolve : on its own, which is not a valid input to the reader.

(keyword(":" env) names) attempts to call the string ":" as if it were a function. It is not one. Also the spacing leads me to beleive that you expect keyword(arg) to work as it would in an Algol family language. It will not. The proper usage is (keyword arg).

here is what works, with a few equivalent syntaxes avaliable for convenience (they all do the same thing):

user> (def names {:production "prayag" :staging    "upd"})
#'user/names
user> (def environment "staging")
#'user/environment
user> (names (keyword environment))
"upd"
user> ((keyword environment) names)
"upd"
user> (get names (keyword environment))
"upd"