[Github-comments] [geany/geany] The word extension is used differently (#1792)

elextr notifications at xxxxx
Thu Mar 1 11:55:49 UTC 2018


Hi and welcome to inconsistency corner :grin:.  

This is a problem that infests many places of both operating systems and languages and libraries, what to call stuff relating to files, common options seem to be:

* `path` or `file path` or `filename`, the location of a file eg `/home/me/mine/file.ext`

* `file` or `filename` or `basename`, the bit after the last separator in a path eg `file.ext`

* `file suffix` or `suffix` or `file extension` or `filename extension` or `extension`, the bit after (and usually including) the last dot in a `file` or `filename` or `basename` eg `.ext` (not counting weirdos like `.tar.gz`, did I mention inconsistency?)  It is usually used to indicate something about the contents of the file, eg .c is C language code and .rs is Rust language code.  

* `filetype` is a Geany specific term to indicate the expected contents of the file and to select the language support features of Geany, it may be selected by the extension of the `file` or specific content markers or by the user.  Technically it is the `buffertype` as it relates to the buffer contents, but `filetype` has become so entrenched in the project that I doubt it can be changed.

Which words you use depends on what your programming/computer use background is, I am not sure any particular one is "correct".

To the specific examples:

> Explicitly defines a filetype for the file, if it would not be detected by filename extension.
Note if you choose multiple files, they will all be opened with the chosen filetype.

I would say replace "would" by "was" and "filename" by "the" are the only changes needed if at all.

> Proxy plugin '%s' extension '%s' starts with a dot. Please fix your proxy plugin.

Seems fine, the code that generates the message is indicating that in this instance the extension must be specified without the separating dot.

> Path of the file representing the project and storing its settings. It should normally have the "%s" extension.

Seems fine, the `path` by definition includes the `extension`.

> Unknown filetype extension for "%s".

Since %s is the name of a file probably better as "Unknown filetype for extension of %s"

> Hide file extensions:

Given that this is an option to hide the extensions of a list of files its probably quite reasonable.

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