VerbalExpressions

[zeebinz]

I think you should really credit this source properly, since this is apparently a port:

https://github.com/jehna/VerbalExpressions

Note that there's already a PHP port in that repo, although this one is much better :) And also there's this port:

https://github.com/markwilson/VerbalExpressionsPhp

Maybe you guys should get together and work on one definitive PHP version?

[jbrooksuk]

That makes my Node.js (JavaScript) port of Flux absolutely redundant.

[selvinortiz]

Thank you for the reminder and the reference to the other PHP repo maintained by Mark Wilson @zeebinz
You are right bro, my repo does not credit Jesse's VerbalExpressions and it should...
Flux is not a compatible port of VerbalExpressions and I will not be following it's implementation as I have my own ideas as to how this should evolve and be maintained but it goes without saying that Jesse's VerbarExpression is the inspiration for Flux and Mark Wilson's implementation as well and he should get credit for that because many of us have done something similar in PHP when creating complex patterns, something like:

$protocol = 'http(s)?\:\/\/';
$subdomain = '(www.)?';
$domain = '([^\.]*)';
$extension = '(.co|.com)';

echo '/^'.$protocol.$subdomain.$domain.$extension.'$/i';

... but Jesse actually implemented something reusable and also showed us that we shouldn't be shy about trying to implement something that may or may not work.

Anyway, full credits are coming and for the time being... I've added a public notice (long comment) of my repo to where it all started https://plus.google.com/u/0/101155583332851062944/posts/6e5jVGozzLj on Jesses google plush post.

@jbrooksuk I would love it if you kept maintaining that port as I think our implementation will differ in a lot of ways but more importantly, I plan on expanding this with your help and the help of other developers that have already contributed ideas and suggestions and another thing is that I plan on providing long term support of this project so if you feel your repo really is redundant, go ahead and kill it but like I said... I would love if you kept it and kept providing me with your insightful ideas, bug reports and support.

I would also like to offer you a sincere apology for keeping you in the dark about VerbalExpressions (maybe you want to collaborate that project since you do javascript and are good at it) I had no good reason to do that and really wasn't trying to be deceiving at all but I understand that it kinda seems that way.

You should all know that however this plays out, I'm keeping this repo and working on it in my spare time and I would appreciate your help because as soon as you try to implement advanced use cases with this type of interface you run into problems and I need your to help me think through this so that this library is not just a novelty but a robust solution to make regular expressions easy to work with, reliable, and testable. That's what I'm passionate about.

Onward!

[zeebinz]

Just put the credit at the top of the README with a link and be done.

My main point is that it would be better for the PHP devs interested in this to collaborate on one port, and also with the VerbalExpressions team if there's interest in a common cross-platform API. If there's anything we've learned from projects like Mustache, it's that there's little benefit from fragmentation due to simple NIH syndrome - epecially when the APIs are virtually identical, but just different enough to breed confusion.

So maybe agree an interface at least?

[jbrooksuk]

I see your version differs :) I enjoy working on my port and will continue too 👍

[selvinortiz]

@jbrooksuk Happy to hear that James 👍

@zeebinz I appreciate your sentiment about NIH syndrome and I'm a big supporter of standards compliance and collaboration but at this early stage I don't want to limit people to follow my implementation or the VerbalExpressions implementation because this is all experimental and when developers write code with passion, good ideas come out of it and I've seen that happen enough times in my career to make the case for "Let everyone experiment before limiting the implementation to a single API" so that if/when there are enough commonly shared ideas with different implementations it will be a matter of simply forking to create Standard and work on it from then on.

I know this stand/statement might push people away from this project but I'm not trying to win a popularity contest, I'm simply trying to build something robust with production ready and real project usability in mind and I want people like @jbrooksuk and other smart developers that have collaborated on this project to know that I'm open to collaboration on this project (definitely) and in the long run, join forces with the VerbalExpressions team as you mentioned but for right now let everyone experiment which is what they want to do anyway because when an idea like this comes along, the immediate goal is to play/experiment and if it proves feasible that's when the real collaboration to standardize the API should start IMHO.

P.S. @zeebinz "Just put the credit at the top of the README with a link and be done." < This will be done!

[selvinortiz]

@zeebinz @jbrooksuk Just wanted to let you guys know that there is an effort to standardize the API across multiple languages and I have been invited to contribute to the PHPVerbalExpressions project which is now part of VerbalExpressions

More info on the initial google plus Post by Jesse

[zeebinz]

Good stuff & happy pandas 🐼

Although sadly they've picked the worst port as the starting point. PHP 4 syntax, seriously? 😉

[selvinortiz]

@zeebinz They had to start somewhere right? : )