#### 16.2.7 string [Function]

`string` x ⇒ string

#### Arguments and Values::

x—a string, a symbol, or a character.

string—a string.

#### Description::

Returns a string described by x; specifically:

`*`

  If x is a string, it is returned.

`*`

  If x is a symbol, its name is returned.

`*`

  If x is a character,

  then a string containing that one character is returned.

`*`

  string might perform additional, implementation-defined conversions.

#### Examples::

     (string "already a string") ⇒  "already a string"
     (string 'elm) ⇒  "ELM"
     (string #\c) ⇒  "c"

#### Exceptional Situations::

In the case where a conversion is defined neither by this specification nor by the implementation, an error of type type-error is signaled.

#### See Also::

coerce , string (type).

#### Notes::

coerce can be used to convert a sequence of characters to a string.

prin1-to-string, princ-to-string, write-to-string, or format (with a first argument of nil) can be used to get a string representation of a number or any other object.