how to edit and run PLAI code in Emacs with DrRacket 5.2.1

Question

I am studying PLAI, Now I have already run chapter 3's code in DrRacket (with #lang plai), but I am a newbie in DrRacket. Can I edit and run the code only in Emacs?

Answer 1

The #lang plai directive will work in ordinary Racket files outside of DrRacket. There should be a racket executable in your installation of Racket that you can use to run these. Try geiser if you want an emacs package that makes it easier to run Racket programs. Quack is also helpful.

More generally, see the guide entry on using emacs with Racket. You might also want to start reading the guide from the beginning where it starts out by explaining how to run Racket.

Answer 2

A problem you'll run in with Geiser is that "C-x C-b" (geiser-eval-buffer) won't work when you have a #lang directive in your code.

This question has a couple of workarounds for Geiser. Alternatively, you could use racket-mode, which aims to replicate in Emacs the DrRacket experience, where the focus is on (re)running the code or tests from a clean slate, rather than incrementally in REPL. (For the philosophy behind this, see Matthias Felleisen's blog post.)

(Note: racket-mode still includes bindings for sending the current buffer's region or sexps to the REPL, it's just that there is no special support for switching modules and namespaces. Which, especially at the beginning end, many people won't miss anyways.)