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Sandy Harris wrote:
>
> However, if I were learning to do such things today, I'd do them in
> Perl or perhaps Python.
In this category, PHP is also worth considering (just to round off the
list of possibilities).
> I'd strongly recommend at least one such language, designed mainly for
> text manipulation via scripts, as an important tool for almost any
> writer. Whether or not you want to learn to program, there are some
> things that are just much more easily done that way.
For me, the value of knowing some programming lies less in writing
scripts for text manipulation than being able to pick out pieces of the
code. For example, to give a basic example, if you are documenting
software written in C, if you can pick out a block and the if and else
statements, you can often be well on your way to identifying functions
that need to be documented. Of course, some won't be visible to the
end-users, and will be discardable, but if you also know where to expect
variable declarations, you have a good chance of knowing what you need
to concern yourself with - even in lightly commented code. The technique
doesn't always work, but it often means that you are less dependent on
SMEs. Sometimes, you can even surprise them with facts that they don't
know or have forgotten, which isn't a bad way of gaining a reputation
for competence.
--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com
"Down at the river one day waits the ghost
Turning into the people that we hide from the most."
-Rev Hammer, "Drunkard's Waltz"
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