How is the `*var-name*` naming-convention used in clojure?

Question

As a non-lisper coming to clojure how should I best understand the naming convention where vars get a name like *var-name*?

This appears to be a lisp convention indicating a global variable. But in clojure such vars appear in namespaces as far as I can tell.

I would really appreciate a brief explanation of what I should expect when an author has used such vars in their code, ideally with a example of how and why such a var would be used and changed in a clojure library.

Answer 1

It's a convention used in other Lisps, such as Common Lisp, to distinguish between special variables, as distinct from lexical variables. A special or dynamic variable has its binding stored in a dynamic environment, meaning that its current value as visible to any point in the code depends upon how it may have been bound higher up the call stack, as opposed to being dependent only on the most local lexical binding form (such as let or defn).

Note that in his book Let Over Lambda, Doug Hoyte argues against the "earmuffs" asterix convention for naming special variables. He uses an unusual macro style that makes reference to free variables, and he prefers not to commit to or distinguish whether those symbols will eventually refer to lexical or dynamic variables.

Though targeted specifically at Common Lisp, you might enjoy Ron Garret's essay The Idiot's Guide to Special Variables. Much of it can still apply to Clojure.