Request for comments: Linguini extensions/experiments

[Ygg01]

Been working on adding some experimental features inspired by: projectfluent/fluent#80

Changes are here: https://github.com/Ygg01/Linguini/tree/new-dyn-refs

All these features are experimental and should be mostly backwards compatible (all .ftl that worked before will continue to work, but some errors aren't errors anymore and some resolves are a bit different).

So far what I've added

Term references an arguments

-ship = Ship
    .gender = {$style ->
        *[traditional] neuter
          [chicago] feminine
    }
call-attr-no-args = {-ship.gender() ->
    *[masculine] He
      [feminine] She
      [neuter] It
}

When we try to get bundle message call-attr-no-args with argument style: chicago , the term reference attribute will instead use default gender and evaluate to It.

To have it passed around we can create it as such:

-ship = Ship
    .gender =  { $style ->
        *[traditional] neuter
          [chicago] feminine
    }
call-attr-with-args = { -ship.gender(style: $style) ->
    *[masculine] He
      [feminine] She
      [neuter] It
}

Now calling with call-attr-with-args with argument style: chicago , will return She instead.

Dynamic references

A reference to a message or a term. Why do we want it? Here is a motivating examples:

-creature-bone-dragon =
    {
       *[singular] Bone Dragon
        [plural] Bone Dragons
    }
-creature-griffin =
    {
       *[singular] Griffin
        [plural] Griffins
    }

# … Hundreds more …

battle-log-attack-perish =
    { $attacker_count ->
        [one] The { $attacker_name[singular] } does
       *[other] The { $attacker_name[plural] } do
    } { $damage_points } damage. { $perish_count ->
        [one] One { $defender_name[singular] } perishes.
       *[other] { $defender_count } { $defender_name[plural] } perish.
    }

If we have 100s of creatures we're going to need 100! translations without. Sure, it can be done programmatically, but it might result in resolving different messages in different scopes.

Another nice feature is dynamic reference attributes:

-creature-fairy = fairy
-creature-elf = elf
    .StartsWith = vowel
you-see = You see { $$object.StartsWith ->
    [vowel] an { $$object }
    *[consonant] a { $$object }
}.

So getting the message you-see with arguments object: creature-elf will result in "You see an elf."

Questions for readers

From most bikesheddiest to least bikesheddiest:

1. What do we call the flag for this? Experimental? Extensions?
2. Any preferred syntax for dynamic references? $$object?-$object?
3. Opinions on term references?
4. Opinions on dynamic references?
5. How to implement the functionality? Like a boolean or a compile flag? What would be most convenient for you?

[Ygg01]

Due to lack of discussions I defaulted to:

1. experimental
2. $$object
3. Yes.
4. Yes.
5. boolean.