Re: [ELPA] New package: csv2ledger

[Joost Kremers <joostkremers@fastmail.fm>]

Hi Philip,

On Mon, May 20 2024, Philip Kaludercic wrote:
> Joost Kremers <joostkremers@fastmail.fm> writes:
>> https://codeberg.org/joostkremers/csv2ledger
>
> I don't have the time for a proper review of the package for now, but
> that shouldn't block adding the package.  I'll try to come back to you
> later with a few comments (e.g. getting rid of the dash dependency).

Is dash a real problem? I mean, it's on GNU ELPA, and I specifically made sure
to target the version there.

I can remove dash if you prefer, though. There are two dash functions I use that
don't seem to have a direct built-in equivalent (as far as I can tell):
`-compose` and `-zip-pair`. I'm sure I can deal with them.

>> There are already many solutions to do this conversion, not the least Ledger
>> itself, which provides a `convert` command. None of these are Emacs-based,
>> however, and none that I know of offer the customisability that I needed
>> myself.
>
> Can you elaborate on what you mean by "Emacs-based"?

Conveniently integrated into Emacs. You're right, of course, that any CLI-based
solution can be integrated into Emacs with some glue code. It's just that I'm
not aware that anyone has written such glue code. (Though I might have missed
something, of course).

>> I'm proposing this package for inclusion into Non-GNU ELPA, not GNU ELPA,
>> because it depends on a package that's only available on MELPA,
>> `parse-csv`.[3] (If that is a problem, please let me know. I'm assuming it's
>> a problem for GNU ELPA, but not for Non-GNU ELPA.)[4]

> That is a blocker for both repositories.

OK. Makes sense, actually.

> A quick peak at the package reveals it to be more or less a single
> function.  Can you check of the csv-mode on ELPA provides anything you
> need?  It seems like something that could be replicated in that package.

Yes, it's just one single function, `parse-csv-string`. I've taken a closer look
at csv-mode and just found the function `csv--collect-fields`, which seems to do
basically the same as `parse-csv-string`, but a) it's an internal function; and
b) it doesn't strip quotes from field values.

Neither seems unsolvable, I guess. I would be interested in your opinion,
though, as to what would be better: add a public function to csv-mode.el that
strips the quotes, or call `csv--collect-fields` from csv2ledger.el and strip
the quotes there?

-- 
Joost Kremers
Life has its moments