make-temp-file-name

Arguments: &optional prefix directory

Returns the namestring of a pathname of 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.

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Created 2010.1.21.