Given this situation:
(defmacro mac1 ...)
(defun func1 ()
(mac1 ...))
Redefinition of mac1 in the live environment will not affect func1 until it is itself recompiled.
Is there a way to get emacs or lisp to automatically recompile func1 whenever mac1 is recompiled?
Something like this in the source would be acceptable:
(watch
(defmacro mac1 ...))
(on-signal (mac1)
(defun func1 ...))
Not that hard to implement, but I would rather avoid wheel reinvention.
Macros are not necessarily compiled. If you are using SBCL (see manual), there is a variable named sb-ext:*evaluator-mode* which can be set to :interpret so that macro are expanded during evaluation. Other implementations might provide something similar. That allows you to change the definitions of macros without recompiling call sites like you already do with functions.
Alternatively, slime defines a function named slime-who-macroexpands. You'd have to dig a little bit to see how it works and maybe exploit it, either in the Common Lisp environment (swank) or the emacs side.