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Date:         Sat, 16 Mar 2013 12:13:32 +0000
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From: dongen <dongen@CS.UCC.IE>
Subject: Re: Prefix database
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Status: R

* Joseph Wright <joseph.wright@MORNINGSTAR2.CO.UK> [2013-03-16 10:04:52 +0000]:

Hi Joseph,

: Prompted by a question on c.t.t., I've done a sweep over all of TeX Live
: and added all of the expl3 prefixes which are in use to the database I
: mentioned some time ago. As this has been done in a somewhat automated
: manner, package authors are advised to check the results
: (https://github.com/latex3/svn-mirror/blob/master/l3kernel/l3prefixes.csv).
: 
: I'd also like to strongly encourage developers to register their
: prefixes by submitting them either directly to the team, to me or to
: sending them to the list. I'll try to pick up new uses as they pop up on
: the CTAN list, but may not catch everything.

There may be a better way.

Why don't the latex3 team provide a kernel method that people can use to
register their prefixes? The idea is that this method takes the prefixes
as input and writes them to some auxiliary file. When a package is uploaded
to CTAN, all the CTAN team have to do is use the package once and add the
output of the auxiliary file to the prefix database.

The main advantage of this is that it reduces email traffic and provides
a formal way to define the prefixes.

You can even make the kernel method reject existing prefixes. (Of course
this would mean the method needs some way to access a local copy of the
prefix database....) This may save the programmer precious time and
troubles.

Regards,


Marc van Dongen