Sorting predicate names

Sorting predicate names

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

The (thread) sorting predicates currently have names like
`gnus-thread-sort-by-number' and `gnus-thread-sort-by-subject', which
aren't all that descriptive.

To take `gnus-thread-sort-by-subject' as an example -- it takes two
threads, picks out the Subject headers, and compares them with
`string-lessp'.

How about changing the names to things like `gnus-thread-number-lessp'
and `gnus-thread-subject-lessp'?  Then we could easily have
`gnus-thread-number-greaterp' and `gnus-thread-subject-greaterp' to be
reverse sorting predicates.

Or is this just even more confusing?

We would (of course) define the old functions to be aliases for the
new functions to preserve backwards compatability.

-- 
   Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen * larsi@ifi.uio.no
      (a red leaf that falls from the purple tree)

Re: Sorting predicate names

[Sean Lynch]

I think I would find `gnus-thread-sort-by-subject' and
`gnus-thread-sort-by-subject-backwards' or `-reverse' or something
like that to be a bit less confusing.  Unless it is desired to make
the sorting order always explicit?  In most cases, what is meant by a
"forward" and "reverse" sort is known.
  
There may be cases, however, where the definition of forward and
reverse are ambiguous, in which case, I guess `-lessp' and `-greaterp'
would be fine, since it would allow us to construct functions to sort
using different comparison functions, and to name them in a manner
that is consistent with other sort functions.

--Sean

>>>>> "Lars" == Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@ifi.uio.no> writes:

    Lars> The (thread) sorting predicates currently have names like
    Lars> `gnus-thread-sort-by-number' and
    Lars> `gnus-thread-sort-by-subject', which aren't all that
    Lars> descriptive.

    Lars> To take `gnus-thread-sort-by-subject' as an example -- it
    Lars> takes two threads, picks out the Subject headers, and
    Lars> compares them with `string-lessp'.

    Lars> How about changing the names to things like
    Lars> `gnus-thread-number-lessp' and `gnus-thread-subject-lessp'?
    Lars> Then we could easily have `gnus-thread-number-greaterp' and
    Lars> `gnus-thread-subject-greaterp' to be reverse sorting
    Lars> predicates.

    Lars> Or is this just even more confusing?

    Lars> We would (of course) define the old functions to be aliases
    Lars> for the new functions to preserve backwards compatability.

    Lars> -- Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen * larsi@ifi.uio.no (a red leaf
    Lars> that falls from the purple tree)