Re: [tlug] a japanese dictionary: regex v. db query

["David Stibbe" <dstibbe@example.com>]

I can not think of how to express "all characters with 16 strokes"
in the present schemes of regexes as I know them.

Regex was designed for romaji script... a simple 'extension' could cure it from that. And fail to see what isn't simple about regex's ^_^

The complement, regexes in database queries already exists.

Database query-languages  most of the time are not really regular expressions...
 

So one has classic tradeoffs. One can extend regexes to

(perhaps poorly) do what databases do well. Or one can use
databases that can handle regexes in their queries.
To looking for all the 16 stroke characters in a document,
I would want a regex. For a dictionary, a database would
probably be fine.

Since I'm planning on creating a dictionary tool (I believe I pointed this out several times), the search method is certainly relevant and a regexp would most definitely be welcome as an addition to the traditional search methods.

Which brings us back to Stibbe's interest: a Japanese dictionary.
Extending regexes to handle attributes would likely be a
significant project in its own right, so Stibbe might want
to stick to the tools presently available.

I.e., a database.

You are mixing up methods with resources. A database is the resource, the regexp or db-query is the method to obtain data from it.
I'm not creating a database (Jim Breen and other folks have already been so kind to create several big dictionary files that can be used aas databases); I'm creating database search functionality.


Kind regards,
David