9.2 Kinds of Forms

A Lisp object that is intended to be evaluated is called a form. How Emacs evaluates a form depends on its data type. Emacs has three different kinds of form that are evaluated differently: symbols, lists, and "all other types". This section describes all three kinds, one by one, starting with the "all other types" which are self-evaluating forms.

9.2.1 Self-Evaluating Forms		Forms that evaluate to themselves.
9.2.2 Symbol Forms		Symbols evaluate as variables.
9.2.3 Classification of List Forms		How to distinguish various sorts of list forms.
9.2.4 Symbol Function Indirection		When a symbol appears as the car of a list, we find the real function via the symbol.
9.2.5 Evaluation of Function Forms		Forms that call functions.
9.2.6 Lisp Macro Evaluation		Forms that call macros.
9.2.7 Special Forms		"Special forms" are idiosyncratic primitives, most of them extremely important.
9.2.8 Autoloading		Functions set up to load files containing their real definitions.