From: Kaushal Modi <kaushal.modi@gmail.com>
To: Tino Calancha <tino.calancha@gmail.com>,
Emacs developers <emacs-devel@gnu.org>
Subject: Re: Generalize and standarize dired-plural-s
Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2016 15:06:26 +0000 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <CAFyQvY2A6KgypwD7aD_ekfL4sTN8pxPSum5Ur07nKt_SZ5zxmw@mail.gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <alpine.DEB.2.20.1609182258230.29669@calancha-pc>
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On Sun, Sep 18, 2016, 10:00 AM Tino Calancha <tino.calancha@gmail.com>
wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I)
> dired.el introduces the function `dired-plural-s' to pluralize
> correctly output messages as:
> (format "Kill Dired buffer%s of %s, too? "
> (dired-plural-s (length buf-list))
> (file-name-nondirectory fn))
>
> In this example, it returns "s" if (length buf-list) > 1. Otherwise,
> it returns "".
> Of course, this task is not exclusive of Dired: many other packages
> in Emacs source code do the same thing.
>
I agree. I have also had something in my emacs config that made me wish of
the existence of a function like this.
> II)
> As you know, for some words the plural is different that just
> appending "s" to the end. For instance, in message.el:
> (format
> "Really use %s possibly unknown group%s: %s? "
> (if (= (length errors) 1) "this" "these")
> (if (= (length errors) 1) "" "s")
> (mapconcat 'identity errors ", "))
>
> "this" -> "these" is not handled by `dired-plural-s'.
>
> I am wondering if it has sense to add a standard function,
> `string-plural-s', covering both cases: I), II).
+1
> Then, we might do
> `dired-plural-s' and alias for the new function.
> We might update all the 'plularizations' in Emacs source code to use
> the new function as well.
>
> Following function could do the job:
>
> (defun string-plural-s (arg &optional string plural)
> "\
> Return plural of STRING if ARG is nil, or an integer >1, or a seq of
> length >1.
> If ARG is =1 or a sequence of length =1, return STRING.
> Optional arg PLURAL is the plural of STRING.
> If STRING is nil, return \"s\" or \"\"."
> (let ((single (or string ""))
> (plural (if (and string plural) plural
> (apply #'string (append string "s" nil)))))
> (cond ((natnump arg)
> (if (= arg 1) single plural))
> ((null arg) plural)
> ((consp arg)
> (if (null (cdr arg)) single plural))
> ((arrayp arg)
> (if (= (length arg) 1) single plural))
> (t
> (signal 'wrong-type-argument
> (list arg 'natnump 'listp 'arrayp))))))
>
> What do you think about this idea?
>
I like this idea.
The only comment I have is that the "append 's' to pluralize" part should
not be hard-coded into the string-plural-s function.
How about have a "string-plural--conditions-function" variable (or
something named like that), and then you funcall that variable in
string-plural-s?
The "string-plural--conditions-function" variable would be a lambda
function that would accept an arg STRING and output a plural string for
that STRING.
Inside the lambda, would be an elaborate cond form that would decide how to
pluralize the string
this -> these
grape -> grapes
knife -> knives
ruby -> rubies
sheep -> sheep
This "string-plural--conditions-function" variable will be quite an
elaborate cond form as it would try to cover all the corner cases of
English pluralization. I am suggesting this to be a separate function so
that the logic of string-plural-s stays clear and succinct and the English
grammar rules do not come in the way while understanding that function.
--
Kaushal Modi
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next prev parent reply other threads:[~2016-09-18 15:06 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 6+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2016-09-18 14:00 Generalize and standarize dired-plural-s Tino Calancha
2016-09-18 15:06 ` Kaushal Modi [this message]
2016-09-18 15:12 ` Drew Adams
2016-09-18 17:45 ` Yuri Khan
2016-09-18 19:28 ` Tino Calancha
2016-09-18 20:47 ` Yuri Khan
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