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Re: Quotation Ugliness

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From Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au>
Subject Re: Quotation Ugliness
Date Wed, 26 Nov 2014 12:54:45 +1100
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Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> writes:

> Here's the problem: Determine is the string S appears *outside* or
> *inside* any such quotation.

This is a problem for parsing text. There is no general, simple
solution.

If someone tries to convince you they have one, be highly suspicious: it
will either be not general, or not simple, or neither simple nor general.

> I know lots of ugly/complicated/heavyweight ways to solve this, but
> I'm wondering if any of you geniuses have a pythonic/elegant/short
> algo that solves this.

I would recommend one of the following, in descending order of
preference:

* Try very hard to change the requirements so that the input must be in
  a mature well-known format for which there are *existing*, maintained,
  reliable parsers. Use those instead of rolling your own.

* If that fails, then: Try very hard to drastically simplify the
  specified input format so that every possible input is either
  obviously invalid, or obviously has exactly one meaning.

* If that fails, then: Bite the bullet and acknowledge you will be
  entering the complexities of parsing text. Use a mature library for
  writing your parser; don't attempt to write a parsing library
  yourself. *This is the worst option*; changing the requirements for
  input will be much less pain than this.

-- 
 \       “Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into |
  `\   hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.” –Jesus, as quoted in Luke |
_o__)                                                             12:5 |
Ben Finney

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Thread

Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-25 18:18 -0600
  Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2014-11-25 18:40 -0600
    Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-25 19:18 -0600
      Re: Quotation Ugliness Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-11-26 12:32 +1100
        Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 00:00 -0600
        Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 00:00 -0600
    Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-25 19:18 -0600
  Re: Quotation Ugliness Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-11-26 11:44 +1100
    Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-25 19:20 -0600
    Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-25 19:20 -0600
      Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2014-11-25 19:44 -0600
        Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 00:01 -0600
        Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 00:01 -0600
  Re: Quotation Ugliness Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2014-11-26 12:54 +1100
    Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 00:04 -0600
    Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 00:04 -0600
      Using a password with ‘sudo’ (was: Quotation Ugliness) Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2014-11-26 18:02 +1100
      Re: Quotation Ugliness Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-11-26 18:10 +1100
        Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 08:59 -0600
        Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 08:59 -0600
      Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2014-11-26 06:56 -0600
        Re: Quotation Ugliness Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2014-11-26 15:45 +0200
          Re: Quotation Ugliness Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-11-27 01:37 +1100
          Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2014-11-26 08:26 -0600
          Re: Quotation Ugliness Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-11-27 02:07 +1100
          Re: Quotation Ugliness Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-11-27 02:09 +1100
            Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 09:36 -0600
            Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 09:36 -0600
              Re: Quotation Ugliness Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-11-27 02:48 +1100
                Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 09:55 -0600
                Re: Quotation Ugliness random832@fastmail.us - 2014-11-26 11:00 -0500
                Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 10:02 -0600
                Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 10:02 -0600
                Re: Quotation Ugliness Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-11-27 03:13 +1100
                Re: Quotation Ugliness random832@fastmail.us - 2014-11-26 11:16 -0500
                Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 10:54 -0600
                Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 10:54 -0600
                Re: Quotation Ugliness alister <alister.nospam.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2014-11-26 16:45 +0000
                Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 10:54 -0600
                Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 09:55 -0600
              Re: Quotation Ugliness random832@fastmail.us - 2014-11-26 10:53 -0500
        Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 08:58 -0600
        Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 08:58 -0600
          Re: Quotation Ugliness Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-11-27 02:06 +1100
          Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2014-11-26 09:23 -0600
          Re: Quotation Ugliness Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2014-11-27 07:24 +1100
      Re: Quotation Ugliness random832@fastmail.us - 2014-11-26 09:12 -0500
        Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 09:02 -0600
        Re: Quotation Ugliness Tim Daneliuk <tundra@tundraware.com> - 2014-11-26 09:02 -0600
          Re: Quotation Ugliness random832@fastmail.us - 2014-11-26 10:16 -0500

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