Re: [bug #15820] Can not read sav file

[Ben Pfaff]

John Darrington <address@hidden> writes:

>      We could assume that files we read or write are in the current
>      locale.  
>
> But what happens if that assumption is false?  I don't think PSPP
> should then claim that the file is "corrupt", and refuse to load it.
> If someone gives me a Swedish system file, but I don't have a Swedish
> locale on my machine, I'd still like to be able to use that file (I'd
> accept that the strings wouldn't display properly for me).

[...]

> In view of this rather less than ideal design of SPSS system files, I
> think the only thing we can do is to forget validation of variable
> names when reading system files (or at least make the validation
> rather sloppy). 

How about if we disallow names that begin with the "forbidden"
characters @ and #, but forgo other forms of validation?
Allowing @ and # could throw a wrench into other code, but other
"invalid" characters will just make it difficult or impossible to
refer to those variables.
-- 
"Then, I came to my senses, and slunk away, hoping no one overheard my
 thinking."
--Steve McAndrewSmith in the Monastery