Re: [xwiki-devs] [VOTE] Merge the new diff API/service

On Wed, May 30, 2012 at 2:55 PM, Eduard Moraru &lt;enygma2002(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote: > I mentioned Velocity because I saw a DiffScriptService component with > @Named("diff") that has the same method signature as the Java API: > > public <E> DiffResult<E> diff(List<E> previous, List<E> next, > DiffConfiguration<E> configuration) > > See the discussion [1] on the pull request for more details on the Velocity > question. > > Back to my original question (same question as Thomas basically), that's > exactly what I am trying to understand, Vincent... if the > List<String/Character> is the optimal use case and not just String. > > Without a scenario in favour of List<E>, I would go for exposing a String > based API (well, just an extra method in this case) as well. You can imagine all sort of use cases with any value so I don't see the point in arbitrary limiting the API to just Strings where the logic is the same whatever the type.

If you really need a direct use case for existing stuff then just think about producing a diff between two static list properties values, it would be very bad to have to create a String from it first especially since you could have \n in one of the elements. My main concern is to expose a clear API and no String it everything but clear, it's simple yes but it's not the same things. When you provide String you don't have no idea what you are diffing exactly (could be characters, \n, words,  etc.) so having only one method with two strings is just very bad design. Also if you read my mail I did talked about String based APIs but as helpers and I'm would be surely -1 for any attempt to restrict the whole API to it. So the only question here is: is that really needed to expose String based helpers or not.

> > Thanks, > Eduard > > ---------- > [1] https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-commons/pull/2/files#L27R58 > > On Wed, May 30, 2012 at 3:32 PM, Vincent Massol &lt;vincent(a)massol.net&gt; wrote: > >> >> On May 30, 2012, at 2:28 PM, Vincent Massol wrote: >> >> > >> > On May 30, 2012, at 2:18 PM, Eduard Moraru wrote: >> > >> >> Hi Thomas, >> >> >> >> On Tue, May 29, 2012 at 5:07 PM, Thomas Mortagne >> >> &lt;thomas.mortagne(a)xwiki.com&gt;wrote;wrote: >> >> >> >>> Hi devs, >> >>> >> >>> As I said in another mail I'm working on a diff/merge module to use in >> >>> XWiki, the first target being Extension Manager and document history >> >>> (since both are going to use the same code, see Marius mails). >> >>> >> >>> You can see the detail on >> https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-commons/pull/2. >> >>> >> >>> TODO/QUESTIONS: >> >>> * improve the generic 3 ways merge to be at least as good as the >> >>> List<String> 3 ways merge and get rid of JDiff >> >>> * not sure where/if I should put String related helpers (things that >> >>> do a diff on two String instead of having to cut List<String> or >> >>> List<Character> and call the diff API etc.) >> >>> >> >> >> >> This looks a bit awkward to use, specially from (but not limited to) >> >> Velocity. When I think of a diff service API, I imagine passing Strings, >> >> not lists of composing strings or list of characters. >> > >> > Thomas is proposing a Java API here AFAIK. For Velocity we never expose >> java API directly;  we use Script Services for that. >> >> Sorry, just realized you wrote "but not limited to" ;) >> >> I'll let Thomas reply since I don't know this diff api yet…. >> >> Sorry for the noise >> -Vincent >> >> > >> > Thanks >> > -Vincent >> > >> > PS: FTR I'm a big -1 to model our Java APIs to be easily usable from >> Velocity since that means having suboptimal APIs for the wrong reason ;) >> > >> >> Also, I don`t quite understand the List<String> approach. I can imagine >> the >> >> List<Character> version by breaking a string into characters, but what >> >> would you do for List<String>? You would split a String using "\s" as a >> >> separator? >> >> >> >> Can you please mention a use case where a list oriented API is better >> than >> >> a string based one? >> >> >> >> Thanks, >> >> Eduard >> >> >> >>> >> >>> I'm ready to merge it into master so I'm waiting your vote. >> >>> >> >>> Caleb is it OK to put new stuff in master already or should I wait the >> >>> complete release to be done ? >> >>> >> >>> Here is my +1. >> >>> >> >>> Thanks, >> >>> -- >> >>> Thomas Mortagne >> >> _______________________________________________ >> devs mailing list >> devs(a)xwiki.org >> http://lists.xwiki.org/mailman/listinfo/devs >> > _______________________________________________ > devs mailing list > devs(a)xwiki.org > http://lists.xwiki.org/mailman/listinfo/devs -- Thomas Mortagne _______________________________________________ devs mailing list devs(a)xwiki.org http://lists.xwiki.org/mailman/listinfo/devs