Re: request for review: gmo.pk

[Jose E. Marchesi]

Hi Bruno.

> I would like to publish a gmo.pk in GNU poke, with a pointer to it in
> the GNU gettext documentation.

Thanks for the file.

Could you please submit it as a patch or, alternatively, attached as
text/WHATEVER?  Your MUA has decided it is an application/x-tex-pk and
gnus refuses to expand it in-buffer...

> Could someone please review it for best practices and give me hints?
>
> In particular, I'm unsure about these:
>
>   * Is a .pk complete when all the user can do with it is to inspect
>     existing files? Or is it a requirement that the user can modify
>     strings (and the rest of the file, including offsets and hash tables,
>     update themselves automatically)?

We don't have such a requirement.

>   * Is it OK to formally describe only the initial part of the file, and
>     access the rest through '@' ? Or should the entire file be described,
>     up to EOF (so that it can grow if the user attempts to change a
>     string)?

It is ok.  In fact, that is what makes most sense.  The user, using the
types provided, can make her way through the data, mapping here and
there.  Also see "Maps and Map-files" in the manual (and the examples in
maps/* in the sources distribution).

>   * Is it OK to have a function 'fun print_char_escaped' at the top level,
>     or should it carry a prefix?

Please use a prefix.

>   * Comments: /* ... */ vs // ?

For pickles shipped with GNU poke itself, /* ... */ are preferred.

> Note that I haven't read the entire manual. So it may be sufficient to
> point me to the right doc sections.
>
> Bruno