Toolkit methods getHumdrum and getHumdrumFile is not correctly named

[ahankinson]

The get* methods tend to return a value from the internal state of the toolkit, while the render* methods will render the toolkit data to a file. So getHumdrumFile(filename: str) -> bool should probably be renamed to renderToHumdrumFile(filename: str) -> bool to match.

Additionally, getHumdrum() -> str should probably be renamed renderToHumdrum() -> str

[craigsapp]

I am thinking about this: The output of getHumdrum() is more than renderToHumdrum(). Usually it is used to capture an intermediate state when loading Humdrum data on its way to conversion into MEI (rather than conversion from MEI to Humdrum). I am traveling to Europe tomorrow and will have jetlag and conferences after that so remind me in a few weeks if I forget too look into this.

[ahankinson]

Usually it is used to capture an intermediate state when loading Humdrum data on its way to conversion into MEI (rather than conversion from MEI to Humdrum).

OK; what is getHumdrumBuffer for? That seems like it's also a place to get humdrum data, possibly not as a conversion?

[craigsapp]

Yes, that is something to check related to names of output functions (these were all added 8 years ago, so I will have to read the code to see what they do and how to normalized their names).

[lpugin]

GetHumdrumBuffer is the equivalent of GetCString (and SetCString). I am not sure why Humdrum has a dedicated function. @craigsapp wouldn't be possible to use Set/GetCString instead and to drop them?

[craigsapp]

Here is a schematic of import of Humdrum into verovio (names of variable/functions may be approximate):

I need access to the intermediate Humdrum data after it has been transformed and before it is converted to MEI. In this case renderToHumdrum is misleading. Command line: verovio file.krn -t humdrum gives the intermediate version of the Humdrum data before being processed by iohumdrum.cpp.

For conversion of MEI to Humdrum, the schematic is (approximately, but likely):

This is the case where it can be renamed appropriately to renderToHumdrum.

Here is the mei2hum converter: https://github.com/craigsapp/humlib/blob/master/src/tool-mei2hum.cpp

[lpugin]

OK. My understanding would be that we can:

• make SetHumdrumBuffer private or protected
• rename GetHumdrum and GetHumdrumFile to RenderToHumdrum and RenderToHumdrumFile respectively
• make GetHumdrum in the C wrapper use SetCString and GetCString
• drop GetHumdrumBuffer completely

Does it sound right?

[craigsapp]

Yes that sounds about right. SetHumdrumBuffer should only be needed internally in verovio (in Toolkit class, I would have to check how InputHumdrum class interacts with it). The old names should be kept for a while with deprecation warnings (in Javascript version of verovio).