[bug-gettext] [bug #44098] Check strings for common problems

[Philip Withnall]

Follow-up Comment #7, bug #44098 (project gettext):

Thanks for the updated patch. I’ve taken a quick look over it and it looks
good to me, though I’m no gettext reviewer.

I think support for multi-sentence strings is important, as a lot of the
strings I can think of which would contain quotation marks are likely to be
multi-sentence, such as the message in a dialogue box.

> Here are some I have in mind:
> - check if a message is/isn't ends with "."
> - check if a message is/isn't capitalized
> - suggest two spaces after "." for multi-sentence strings 

I don’t think these will work as checks. I believe checks should:
 • Be an absolute rule: there should be no situations where a string should
legitimately fail the check.
 • Not enforce a rule on the developer which is tied to a particular style
guide.
 • Catch common errors; it’s not worth trying to catch uncommon ones.

Plenty of messages (e.g. button labels, menu entries) should not be full
sentences. Various messages should not be capitalised either (for example,
messages starting with ‘e.g.’ or giving search keywords in .desktop
files). The style of putting two spaces after a period dates from typewriters
and monospace fonts, and is generally irrelevant with modern fonts.

I’ll send an e-mail to the GNOME i18n list asking for feedback and
suggestions for additional checks to perform.

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