Arguments: &optional prefix directory
Returns a pathname to a non-existent file in
directory. The filename will begin with
prefix (and additional characters added after
prefix will ensure the file does not exist). The value of
directory, if specified, should be a pathname or
a string coerceable to a pathname. The directory component of the
pathname is used, merged with *default-pathname-defaults* if it is
relative. prefix should be a string. The
resulting filename will have no type.
This function does not create the file named by the returned value
(that is, probe-file applied
to the filename will return nil unless something other
than the current Lisp process has created it). Neither will Lisp
remove the file or ensure that the file is removed when Lisp
exits. This function is for use by programs to determine suitable
`filenames for temporary use, but the program must take responsibility
for creating and later deleting the file.
Filenames returned by this function should actually be created before this function is called again with the same arguments. Subsequent calls to this function with the same arguments are not guaranteed to be different unless the files named by earlier calls to this function are in fact created. (That is, this function simply looks at the existing files in directory and returns a filename that does not name an existing file.)
This function is used internally by Allegro CL.
The documentation is described in introduction.htm and the index is in index.htm.
Copyright (c) 1998-2000, Franz Inc. Berkeley, CA., USA. All rights reserved.
Created 2000.10.5.