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Subject: Re: [geda-user] Using Lua to safely read configuration and layout
 files (program attached)
From: Chris Smith <space DOT dandy AT icloud DOT com>
In-reply-to: <54D7CC55.1090602@ecosensory.com>
Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2015 09:04:49 +0000
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> On 8 Feb 2015, at 20:51, John Griessen <john AT ecosensory DOT com> wrote:
> 
> On 02/08/2015 12:54 PM, Svenn Are Bjerkem wrote:
>> I can't help myself asking: Why isn't the gnetlist code exposing the needed information to the API? Too difficult to do, or too
>> boring to get done?
>> 
> 
> It must be the temperament of those that decide to spend time on the project.
> 
> a.  Too boring to do.
> b.  Requires too much slogging for too little braggable results.
> c.  Does not pay well.
> d.  It's a large enough task that some cooperation would be a great help, but it's hard to find any...
> e.  "Where to start?"  *AND*  "I don't like writing documentation."
> 
> Just my guesses.

No, I just think it’s the inherent problem with domain-specific parsers and interpreters.  Those things were not implemented simply because the author didn’t envisage a need for them.  That’s the advantage of generic, structured file formats like XML or Lua: any parser or interpreter must be complete, because there is no way of predicting what may or may not be useful.  The advantage of picking a format which is also native to a language, like Lua, means that scripting and manipulation of that data is also much easier, because there no need for a secondary parser or interpreter.

Chris