Re: [icu-design] proposal: extend plural format syntax

[Norbert L. ♻ <nor...@ya...>]

Hi Doug,

You probably want to specify that the numbers in the offset and in an  
explicit value selector are unlocalized numbers using ASCII digits, U 
+002E as the decimal separator, no grouping separators, and using a  
prefix U+002D to indicate negative values.

Thanks,
Norbert



On Jul 27, 2010, at 13:23 , Doug Felt wrote:

> I'd like to propose an extension to the syntax understood by  
> PluralFormat to make it easier to deal with a larger class of  
> messages that vary based on number.  For example:
>
> format(1): "Wrote xxx.txt."
> format(2): "Wrote xxx.txt and yyy.txt."
> format(3): "Wrote xxx.txt, yyy.txt, and one other file."
> format(7): "Wrote xxx.txt, yyy.txt, and 5 other files."
>
> I'm proposing no API changes, this is only a syntax change.  An  
> English pattern string for this example would look as follows (line  
> breaks are for clarity):
>
> "offset:2
> =1 {Wrote {FILE_1}.}
> =2 {Wrote {FILE_1} and {FILE_2}.}
> one {Wrote {FILE_1}, {FILE_2}, and one other file.}
> other {Wrote {FILE_1}, {FILE_2}, and # other files.}"
>
> There are two new optional syntax elements:
> - the 'offset:' keyword ("offset:2" above)
> - the explicit value selector ("=1" and "=2" above)
>
> An explicit value selector consists of '=' immediately followed by  
> an decimal or integer number with no intervening space.  This  
> identifiues the sub-pattern to use when the PluralFormat is asked to  
> format a particular value.  In this example, '1' and '2' have  
> explicit values, and so formatting the values 1 and 2 will result in  
> the sub-patterns preceded by these selectors.  When formatting, any  
> explicit value selectors are tested first, before the plural rules  
> are used to generate a plural selector.
>
> The 'offset:' keyword is followed by a (decimal or integer) number  
> and then a space.  This offset is the amount to subtract from the  
> passed-in value before running the plural rules and performing  
> number substitutions, but after examining the explicit selectors.   
> In this example, the offset value is 2, so if the input value does  
> not match an explicit selector, 2 is subtracted from the input value  
> before passing it to the plural rule and performing any '#'  
> replacements.  When formatting the value 3, subtracting the offset  
> results in the value 1, which English plural rules convert to the  
> selector "one".  When formatting the value 7, subtracting the offset  
> results in the value 5, which English plural rules convert to the  
> selector "other", and "#" in the result sub-pattern is replaced with  
> "5" (the adjusted value) before it is returned.
>
> These extended pattern strings, when embedded in a message format,  
> are more compact and simpler to translate and call than, say,  
> combining a choice format with a plural format, and tweaking the  
> calling code to provide the non-adjusted value to the choice format  
> and the adjusted value to the plural format.  Simplifying the  
> calling code also makes it easier to share messages among multiple  
> implementations.
>
> Please respond by August 9th.
>
> Doug
> <ATT00001.txt><ATT00002.txt>