Re: [s-d] proposal parser

[Daniel Lepage <dpl33@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Jan 23, 2007, at 4:36 AM, shadowfirebird@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

>> What if somebody has two email addresses? Also, nothing currently
>> prohibits two props with the same title; it sounds like this script
>> would foul up in that case.
>
> Nothing prohibits it, but if one person proposes two props with the
> same title the only logical conclusion to draw is that the second is
> an amendment to the first.  The only way to identify a prop is by its
> name, and who sent it.  And the rules say that when I amend a prop I
> just resubmit it - I don't have to explain which prop I'm amending.
> (Actually a prop doesn't have to have a title, which is a bit scary.)

I've been trying to think of an example where you might have two  
props with the same title, and I came up with one. The example is this:
========= First message =========
I submit two props:
{{
__Distribution of Wealth__
Give each player two Boxes of Foo.
}}

{{
__Let There Be Foo__
<create a rule defining Boxes of Foo.>
}}

========= Second message =========
Whoops, wrong order. I amend the first proposal I made in the  
previous message to read:
{{
__Let There Be Foo__
<create a rule defining Boxes of Foo.>
}}

and the second to read:
{{
__Distribution of Wealth__
Give each player two Boxes of Foo.
}}

========= End messages =========

In the second message, I am in fact amending an existing proposal,  
but it's *not* the one that already was named "Let There Be Foo". So  
for a moment, there are two proposals named "Let There Be Foo".

This happens because sender and title are NOT the only way to  
identify a prop, because two props could have the same name or a  
prop's name could change in a later revision. The ID number is the  
only way to reliably identify a proposal, since there's no way to  
change it. Or you can use contextual descriptors, as in "the third  
proposal in the message I sent yesterday", but we can't really expect  
a script to figure that out.

-- 
Wonko

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