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Re: [ddlm-group] Space as a list item separator

Sorry, for CIF, just since 2007, not 1997

=====================================================
  Herbert J. Bernstein, Professor of Computer Science
    Dowling College, Kramer Science Center, KSC 121
         Idle Hour Blvd, Oakdale, NY, 11769

                  +1-631-244-3035
                  [email protected]
=====================================================

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009, Herbert J. Bernstein wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
>   I have no objection to accepting either comma or whitespace
> as a valid separator in a list.  I can't object -- I have been
> coding to that standard since 1997, and now would only have to
> remove the message generated for the case of the space.  We already
> accept multiple glyphs as valid separators at all levels:
>
>  whitespace itself it one of several character sequences in rather
> complex combinations:  any number of blanks, tabs, newlines and comments.
> The comma itself is handled in a complex way.  We accept (or should accept) 
> any whitespace before and after a comma as valid, as in
> {a,b} versus {a , b }.  Adding the option of leaving out the comma
> itself and just having the whitespace as the separator make just
> as much sense.
>
>  I see nothing to be gained by now forbidding the comma.  The meaning of 
> {a,,b,} is the same as {a,.,b,.} or {a,?,b,?} or, under this new (and I think 
> more sensibsle and realistic approach) {a . b .} or {a ? b ?}.
>
>  The blank reads particularly well in dealing with vectors and matrices. The 
> comma reads well when dealing with strings.
>
>  I think we would do best with both as valid alternatives (no error, no 
> warning for either one).
>
>  Regards,
>    Herbert =====================================================
> Herbert J. Bernstein, Professor of Computer Science
>   Dowling College, Kramer Science Center, KSC 121
>        Idle Hour Blvd, Oakdale, NY, 11769
>
>                 +1-631-244-3035
>                 [email protected]
> =====================================================
>
> On Fri, 27 Nov 2009, SIMON WESTRIP wrote:
>
>> At first glance, you're considering using space instead of commas as list
>> separators?
>> which is not so far away from the CIF1 requirement of space following a
>> delimiter?
>> 
>> But I'm only on my first cup of coffee this morning :-)
>> 
>> ____________________________________________________________________________
>> From: Nick Spadaccini <[email protected]>
>> To: Group finalising DDLm and associated dictionaries <[email protected]>
>> Sent: Friday, 27 November, 2009 7:46:44
>> Subject: Re: [ddlm-group] Space as a list item separator
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On 27/11/09 2:32 PM, "James Hester" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> 
>> > See comments below:
>> >
>> > On Fri, Nov 27, 2009 at 3:09 PM, Nick Spadaccini <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>> >> Timely email, come in just after the one I sent.
>> >>
>> >> My position is if we specify the syntax then we encourage its correct 
>> use
>> but
>> >> acknowledge that there may be cases where one might be able to recover
>> >> intent. But I wouldn?t encourage those cases.
>> >
>> > Absolutely, which is why I would like to elevate space-separated list
>> items to
>> > be correct syntax rather than 'wrong but intent is clear' syntax.
>> >>
>> >> You could say that token separator in lists are a or b or c, but that
>> just
>> >> adds a level of complexity for very little gain. The choice of comma
>> makes it
>> >> seamless to translate from the raw CIF data straight in to most language
>> >> specific data declaration. The only language I know that accepts one or
>> the
>> >> other or both is MatLab.
>> >
>> > Re ease of translation: you speak as if a viable approach to a CIF data
>> file
>> > is to take whole text chunks and throw them at some language interpreter,
>> > without doing your own parse.� Quite apart from being a rather unlikely
>> > approach, this is impossible, as without parsing you won't know where the
>> list
>> > finishes.� If you do do your own parse, you can populate your
>> datastructures
>> > directly during the parse, and what list separator was originally used in
>> the
>> > data file is completely irrelevant.
>> >
>> > Re complexity: not sure how you are planning to deal with whitespace in
>> the
>> > formal grammar, but consider the following, where I have assumed that 
>> each
>> > token 'eats up' the following whitespace.
>> >
>> > <dataitem> = <dataname><whitespace>+<datavalue>
>> > <datavalue> = {<list>|<string>}<whitespace>+
>> > <listdatavalue> = {<list>|<string>}<whitespace>*
>> > <list> = '[' <whitespace>* {<listdatavalue>
>> > {<comma><whitespace>*<listdatavalue>}*}* ']'
>> >
>> > If we make comma or whitespace possible separators, the last production
>> > becomes:
>> > <list> =� '[' <whitespace>* {<listdatavalue> {<comma or
>> > whitespace><listdatavalue>}*}* ']'
>> >
>> > This looks like no extra complexity, and from a user's point of view
>> > whitespace as an alternative separator is simple to understand and
>> consistent
>> > with space as a token separator used everywhere else in CIF.� Anyway, if
>> > reduction of grammar complexity is your goal, you can just completely
>> exclude
>> > commas as list separators!
>> 
>> Why not? Make them spaces only, and you become consistent across the board.
>> I have to think about the possibility of pathological cases where spaces
>> won't work. I can't think of any at the moment.
>> 
>> >
>> > Some questions about how commas behave:
>> > 1: is a trailing comma e.g. [1,2,3,4,] a syntax error?
>> > 2. are two commas in a row a syntax error? E.g. [1,2,3,,4]
>> 
>> I would say yes to syntax error. I an easily determine they may need to be
>> an additional list value, but can't determine what.
>> 
>> > Note the above productions assume that the answer to both is yes.
>> >
>> >>
>> >> What big advantage to a language is there to specify you can use a comma
>> or
>> >> whitespace as a token separator? Will you be happy with the first person
>> who
>> >> interprets this as being ok
>> >>
>> >> loop_
>> >> ��_severalvalues 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 # these being the 7 values of
>> severalvalues
>> >>
>> > Note sure what you are getting at here: I am proposing the following:
>> >
>> > _nicelist����� [1 2 3 4 5 6 7]
>> >
>> > being the same as
>> >
>> > _nicelist����� [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
>> >
>> > �Don't see how this relates to loops.
>> 
>> The point was, once you say a space and comma are equivalent token
>> separators then will it be an interpretation that they are always so even 
>> in
>> loops? My example was not a list, just 7 values that were separated by
>> commas not spaces.
>> 
>> >
>> > James.
>> > ------
>> >>
>> >> On 27/11/09 11:41 AM, "James Hester" <[email protected]
>> >> <http://[email protected]> > wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> Dear All: looking over the list I posted previously of items left to
>> >>> resolve, I see only one serious one outstanding: whether or not to 
>> allow
>> >>> space as a separator between list items.� Nick has stated:
>> >>>
>> >>> " I will propose it has to be a comma, but make the coercion rule that
>> space
>> >>> separated values in a list-type object be coerced into comma separated
>> >>> values. That is, read spaces as you want, but don't encourage them."
>> >>>
>> >>> I would like to counter-propose, as Joe did originally, that whitespace
>> be
>> >>> elevated to equal status with comma as a valid list separator.� I see 
>> no
>> >>> downside to this.� Would anyone else like to speak to this issue before
>> we
>> >>> vote?� In particular, I would be interested to hear why Nick doesn't
>> want to
>> >>> encourage spaces.
>> >>
>> >> cheers
>> >>
>> >> Nick
>> >>
>> >> --------------------------------
>> >> Associate Professor N. Spadaccini, PhD
>> >> School of Computer Science & Software Engineering
>> >>
>> >> The University of Western Australia ���t: +61 (0)8 6488 3452
>> >> 35 Stirling Highway �������������������f: +61 (0)8 6488 1089
>> >> CRAWLEY, Perth, �WA �6009 AUSTRALIA ��w3: www.csse.uwa.edu.au/~nick
>> >> <http://www.csse.uwa.edu.au/%7Enick>
>> >> MBDP �M002
>> >>
>> >> CRICOS Provider Code: 00126G
>> >>
>> >> e: [email protected] <http://[email protected]>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> _______________________________________________
>> >> ddlm-group mailing list
>> >> [email protected]
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>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> 
>> cheers
>> 
>> Nick
>> 
>> --------------------------------
>> Associate Professor N. Spadaccini, PhD
>> School of Computer Science & Software Engineering
>> 
>> The University of Western Australia� � t: +61 (0)8 6488 3452
>> 35 Stirling Highway� � � � � � � � � � f: +61 (0)8 6488 1089
>> CRAWLEY, Perth,� WA� 6009 AUSTRALIA� w3: www.csse.uwa.edu.au/~nick
>> MBDP� M002
>> 
>> CRICOS Provider Code: 00126G
>> 
>> e: [email protected]
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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>
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