<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Attila,<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><DIV><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">we need to copy queries (lisp forms) that may contain embedded persistent objects, and at the same time we also need to copy standalone persistent objects. but the semantics need to be different in the two situation. <BR></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV>I agree that there is no one-size-fits-all (OSFA) solution but I don't understand why you need different protocols in the case you mention. If PO is a persistent-object, then why do </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>(copy-thing PO)</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>and </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>(copy-thing (list 1 2 3 PO))</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>need to treat PO differently?</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>thanks,</DIV><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>--</DIV><DIV>Gary Warren King, metabang.com </DIV><DIV>Cell: (413) 885 9127</DIV><DIV>Fax: (206) 338-4052</DIV></SPAN><DIV>gwkkwg on Skype * garethsan on AIM</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></SPAN><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN> </DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>