syntax_fns : {dest: term -> exn -> term -> 'a, make: term -> 'b -> term, n: int} -> string -> string ->
             term * ('b -> term) * (term -> 'a) * (term -> bool)
STRUCTURE
HolKernel
SYNOPSIS
Helps in providing syntax support for theory constants.
DESCRIPTION
syntax_fns syntax thy name returns a 4-tuple, consisting of: a term, a term destructor function, a term constructor function and a term recogniser function. These provide syntax support for operation name from theory thy. The record argument syntax consists of dest: term -> exn -> term -> 'a and make: term -> 'b -> term functions, together with an "expected arity" value n. Through a sequence of instantiations, the syntax_fns function can be used to quickly and reliably write a thySyntax.sml file.
EXAMPLE
To provide syntax support for unary operations from the theory num, one can use the following function: 
> val num1 = HolKernel.syntax_fns {n = 1, make = HolKernel.mk_monop, dest = HolKernel.dest_monop} "num";
val num1 = fn:
   string -> term * (term -> term) * (term -> term) * (term -> bool)
The following call then provides support for the SUC constant: 
> val (suc_tm, mk_suc, dest_suc, is_suc) = num1 "SUC";
val dest_suc = fn: term -> term
val is_suc = fn: term -> bool
val mk_suc = fn: term -> term
val suc_tm = ``SUC``: term
A SUC term can be constructed with 
> val tm = mk_suc ``4n``;
val tm = ``SUC 4``: term
The resulting term tm can be identified and destructed as follows: 
> is_suc tm;
val it = true: bool
> val v = dest_suc tm;
val v = ``4``: term
A standard error message is raised when dest_suc fails, e.g. 
> is_suc ``SUC``;
val it = false: bool
> val v = dest_suc ``SUC``;
Exception-
   HOL_ERR
     {message = "", origin_function = "dest_SUC", origin_structure =
     "numSyntax"} raised

The value n in the call to syntax_fns acts purely as a sanity check. For example, the following fails because SUC is not a binary operation: 

> HolKernel.syntax_fns {n = 2, make = HolKernel.mk_binop, dest = HolKernel.dest_binop} "num" "SUC";
Exception-
   HOL_ERR
     {message = "bad number of arguments", origin_function = "systax_fns",
       origin_structure = "numSyntax"} raised
Typically, the dest and make functions will be complementary (with type variables 'a and 'b being the same), however this need not be the case. Advanced uses of syntax_fns can take types into consideration. For example, the constant bitstring$v2w with type bitstring->'a word is supported as follows: 
> val tm = bitstringSyntax.mk_v2w (``l:bitstring``, ``:32``);
val tm = ``v2w l``: term
> type_of tm;
val it = ``:word32``: hol_type
> bitstringSyntax.dest_v2w tm;
val it = (``l``, ``:32``): term * hol_type
This is implemented as follows: 
val (v2w_tm, mk_v2w, dest_v2w, is_v2w) =
   HolKernel.syntax_fns
     {n = 1,
      dest = fn tm1 => fn e => fn w => (HolKernel.dest_monop tm1 e w, wordsSyntax.dim_of w),
      make = fn tm => fn (v, ty) => Term.mk_comb (Term.inst [Type.alpha |-> ty] tm, v)}
     "bitstring" "v2w"
HOL  Kananaskis-13