Unlike Lisp the quote (') is not used. Entering hello returns hello, so symbols are implicitly quoted.

Each input is numbered starting with 0.

An input is repeated by typing !n where n is a natural number. Shen will print the nth input of the session and evaluate it. Typing !s where s is any series of symbols, will cause Shen to print and then evaluate the last input whose main function symbol begins with s. % works as ! except that the previous input(s) are printed off without being evaluated.

Functions are applied in prefix form just like Lisp. Unlike Lisp, Shen is case-sensitive, so b and B are not treated as the same. = is the general equality relation (unlike Lisp where it is used for only numbers). Unlike Lisp, Shen uses true and false as booleans. ^ breaks off input.

Shen permits currying, and also partial applications, which both generate closures.

In lambda calculus, the identity function is (l x x). In Shen it is written (/. X X), and evaluates to a closure. (/. X Y X) is acceptable shorthand for (l x (l y x)). In Shen an abstraction can always be used in place of a function.

A list begins with a [ and ends with a ]. Spaces seperate items. cons, head and tail are standard. Note that Shen includes an infix | that works as Prolog. [1 2 | [3]] = [1 2 3].

Suppose we have to define a function f that, if it receives 1 returns 0 and if it returns 0 returns 1. In Shen this appears as a series of rewrite rules. If all rules fail an error is raised.

Now lets look at an example using variables. We define factorial, this requires a variable, which in Shen is any symbol beginning in uppercase.

Here are two list processing functions in Shen; one that totals a list and the other that splits a lists into triples.

Patterns can be non-left linear; repeated variables require equality. Shen supports guards.

Here is foldl in Shen. Note that if Shen is not running on a Lisp platform, then 'function' may be needed to disambiguate those symbol arguments that denote functions.

load will load a Shen program. Shen uses a C++ convention for comments.

So far Shen looks like an untyped language (e.g. like SASL). Actually Shen does have type checking, but you have to switch it on. (tc +) does it. The + shows that you are now working in a statically typed environment. Shen will typecheck everything that is loaded or entered into the image. Like ML, mixed lists will not now be accepted.(tc -) switches the typechecker back off.

The pair <1,2> is represented as (@p 1 2) in Shen. The functions fst and snd select the first and second elements of a pair. (@p 1 2 3) is just shorthand for (@p 1 (@p 2 3)).

Shen is like Hope in requiring explicit types to be attached to functions. It supports polymorphism and variables are allowed in types. You can use @p in a pattern-directed manner in function definitions.

---- Here ends the 15 minute introduction ----