TMG-L Archives

Archiver > TMG > 2010-08 > 1282938408


From: Rick Van Dusen <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] Wish List: Leave My Punctuation Alone Code!
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:46:48 -0700
References: <4C77CE7C.2030508@sprynet.com> <2010827142848.430810@Terry><00e701cb461d$bd6f8770$384e9650$@net>
In-Reply-To: <00e701cb461d$bd6f8770$384e9650$@net>


Teresa Elliott wrote:
> Personally, why would TMG strip anything. I understand that it has for years
> and users are accustomed to it, but if as a user I type a comma at the end
> of a memo, leave it there. NO MATTER WHAT MEMO FIELD.
> If I type nothing, add nothing. Let me type what I want it to say. If I put
> nothing in the sentence structure, don't assume I want anything. If I put
> one there, assume I want it. If I type a ? mark instead, assume I am asking
> a question.


Agreed, except that IF the user, say, puts a period at the end of a Memo
entry that goes onto the end of a sentence, that user will naturally
want TMG to be smart enough to not print two periods instead of the
correct one period. Or IF the user wants the sentence (which ends with a
memo entry) to end with a "?", it shouldn't end with a "?.".

Somehow, some combination of the program logic and the user's
intelligence has to stop/correct obviously-wrong blunders. (In my case,
I'd prefer to trust the program logic.)


>
> Is it really that hard to add periods at the ends of memo fields you want
> periods and not at the ones you don't?


Yes, unless you also tell TMG, "Don't do anything here; I'll take care
of it" AND you do always take care of it.

To me, it just makes life much easier if the global sentence already
handles the punctuation. Is there any but the rarest situation where the
punctuation could not be handled effectively and dependably by a
properly-constructed sentence?

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