# Proposal: add IntlDateTimePatternGenerator - Thread: https://externals.io/message/113831 - Original archive: https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/113831 - Started by Mel Dafert on 2021-03-28T14:54:19+00:00 - Messages: 4 - Reply by email to internals@lists.php.net - More for agents: search with https://externals.io/search.md?q={query} · RFCs at https://externals.io/rfc.md · JSON API at https://externals.io/api · documentation at https://externals.io/llms.txt --- ## #113831 — Mel Dafert — 2021-03-28T14:54:19+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/113831#113831 Hello Internals, I would like to propose an addition to the intl extension, IntlDateTimePatternGenerator. ICU exposes the DateTimePatternGenerator class that allows generating a formatting pattern from a given "skeleton" for a given locale. (see https://unicode-org.github.io/icu-docs/apidoc/dev/icu4c/classicu_1_1DateTimePatternGenerator.html) This allows more flexibility than the current $format argument of IntlDateFormatter::format(), which takes either a few pre-defined constants or a hard-coded format. This functionality also has been requested in the past. (see https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=70377) For example, if an application requires a format that will always use the long version of a year, but the short version of a month (eg. "MM/dd/YYYY" for "en_US", or "dd.MM.YYYY" for "de_DE"), one is out of luck. IntlDateFormatter::SHORT will use the short year for "de_DE" ("dd.MM.YY"), and IntlDateFormatter::MEDIUM will use the long version of a month for "en_US" ("MMM dd, YYYY"). With IntlDateTimePatternGenerator::getBestPattern(), a skeleton can be provided to generate the appropriate pattern for a given locale. In the use-case given above, the skeleton "YYYYMMdd" will generate the desired patterns for each locale, which can then be passed to IntlDateFormatter::format(). Proposed Signature: ``` class IntlDateTimePatternGenerator { public function __construct(?string $locale = null) {} public static function create(?string $locale = null): ?IntlDateTimePatternGenerator {} public function getBestPattern(string $skeleton): string|false {} } ``` Example use-case: ``` $date = new \DateTime(); $skeleton = "YYYYMMdd"; $dtpg = new \IntlDateTimePatternGenerator(); // uses default locale if not specified $format = $dtpg->getBestPattern($skeleton); echo \IntlDateFormatter::formatObject($date, $format); // outputs "28.03.2020" for "de_DE" locale ``` The proposed implementation can be found here: https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/6771 I assume that this will require an RFC, in which case I request the karma to create one. My wiki account is deltragon. Regards, Mel Dafert --- ## #113835 — kocsismate90@gmail.com — 2021-03-28T17:45:46+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/113831#113835 · In reply to: #113831 Hi Mel, Thank you very much for working on this! I was bitten by lack of this functionality a few years ago, and I couldn't find any (good) alternative. Thus, I'm looking forward to having `IntlDateTimePatternGenerator` in ext/intl. I think it could be mentioned for those who don't open the bug report that HHVM implemented this class long ago: https://github.com/facebook/hhvm/commit/bc84daf7816e4cd268da59d535dcadfc6cf01085 Now that I see their implementation again, I'm wondering if `IntlDateTimePatternGenerator` is the right name, or we should also use `IntlDatePatternGenerator`, which is more in line with ``IntlDateFormatter`. Regards: Máté Mel Dafert ezt írta (időpont: 2021. márc. 28., V, 16:54): > Hello Internals, > > I would like to propose an addition to the intl extension, > IntlDateTimePatternGenerator. > ICU exposes the DateTimePatternGenerator class that allows generating a > formatting pattern from a given "skeleton" for a given locale. (see > https://unicode-org.github.io/icu-docs/apidoc/dev/icu4c/classicu_1_1DateTimePatternGenerator.html > ) > This allows more flexibility than the current $format argument of > IntlDateFormatter::format(), which takes either a few pre-defined constants > or a hard-coded format. > This functionality also has been requested in the past. (see > https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=70377) > > For example, if an application requires a format that will always use the > long version of a year, but the short version of a month (eg. "MM/dd/YYYY" > for "en_US", or "dd.MM.YYYY" for "de_DE"), one is out of luck. > IntlDateFormatter::SHORT will use the short year for "de_DE" ("dd.MM.YY"), > and IntlDateFormatter::MEDIUM will use the long version of a month for > "en_US" ("MMM dd, YYYY"). > > With IntlDateTimePatternGenerator::getBestPattern(), a skeleton can be > provided to generate the appropriate pattern for a given locale. > In the use-case given above, the skeleton "YYYYMMdd" will generate the > desired patterns for each locale, which can then be passed to > IntlDateFormatter::format(). > > Proposed Signature: > ``` > class IntlDateTimePatternGenerator > { > public function __construct(?string $locale = null) {} > > public static function create(?string $locale = null): > ?IntlDateTimePatternGenerator {} > > public function getBestPattern(string $skeleton): string|false {} > } > ``` > > Example use-case: > ``` > $date = new \DateTime(); > $skeleton = "YYYYMMdd"; > $dtpg = new \IntlDateTimePatternGenerator(); // uses default locale if not > specified > $format = $dtpg->getBestPattern($skeleton); > > echo \IntlDateFormatter::formatObject($date, $format); // outputs > "28.03.2020" for "de_DE" locale > > ``` > > The proposed implementation can be found here: > https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/6771 > I assume that this will require an RFC, in which case I request the karma > to create one. My wiki account is deltragon. > > Regards, > Mel Dafert > > -- > > To unsubscribe, visit: https://www.php.net/unsub.php --- ## #113836 — Mel Dafert — 2021-03-28T19:17:41+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/113831#113836 · In reply to: #113835 Now that I see their implementation again, I'm wondering if `IntlDateTimePatternGenerator` is the right name, or we should also use `IntlDatePatternGenerator`, which is more in line with `IntlDateFormatter`. I was also wondering about that. I ended up going for `IntlDateTimePatternGenerator`, because ICU has that same inconsistency (`icu::DateFormat` and `icu::DateTimePatternGenerator`). I think the big argument here is discoverability - if someone is wondering about whether PHP exposes the feature from ICU, it might be harder to find it if we name it differently (and vice versa). From: "Máté Kocsis" To: "Mel Dafert" Cc: "internals" Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2021 7:45:46 PM Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Proposal: add IntlDateTimePatternGenerator Hi Mel, Thank you very much for working on this! I was bitten by lack of this functionality a few years ago, and I couldn't find any (good) alternative. Thus, I'm looking forward to having `IntlDateTimePatternGenerator` in ext/intl. I think it could be mentioned for those who don't open the bug report that HHVM implemented this class long ago: [ https://github.com/facebook/hhvm/commit/bc84daf7816e4cd268da59d535dcadfc6cf01085 | https://github.com/facebook/hhvm/commit/bc84daf7816e4cd268da59d535dcadfc6cf01085 ] Now that I see their implementation again, I'm wondering if `IntlDateTimePatternGenerator` is the right name, or we should also use `IntlDatePatternGenerator`, which is more in line with ``IntlDateFormatter`. Regards: Máté Mel Dafert < [ mailto:mel@dafert.at | mel@dafert.at ] > ezt írta (időpont: 2021. márc. 28., V, 16:54): BQ_BEGIN Hello Internals, I would like to propose an addition to the intl extension, IntlDateTimePatternGenerator. ICU exposes the DateTimePatternGenerator class that allows generating a formatting pattern from a given "skeleton" for a given locale. (see [ https://unicode-org.github.io/icu-docs/apidoc/dev/icu4c/classicu_1_1DateTimePatternGenerator.html | https://unicode-org.github.io/icu-docs/apidoc/dev/icu4c/classicu_1_1DateTimePatternGenerator.html ] ) This allows more flexibility than the current $format argument of IntlDateFormatter::format(), which takes either a few pre-defined constants or a hard-coded format. This functionality also has been requested in the past. (see [ https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=70377 | https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=70377 ] ) For example, if an application requires a format that will always use the long version of a year, but the short version of a month (eg. "MM/dd/YYYY" for "en_US", or "dd.MM.YYYY" for "de_DE"), one is out of luck. IntlDateFormatter::SHORT will use the short year for "de_DE" ("dd.MM.YY"), and IntlDateFormatter::MEDIUM will use the long version of a month for "en_US" ("MMM dd, YYYY"). With IntlDateTimePatternGenerator::getBestPattern(), a skeleton can be provided to generate the appropriate pattern for a given locale. In the use-case given above, the skeleton "YYYYMMdd" will generate the desired patterns for each locale, which can then be passed to IntlDateFormatter::format(). Proposed Signature: ``` class IntlDateTimePatternGenerator { public function __construct(?string $locale = null) {} public static function create(?string $locale = null): ?IntlDateTimePatternGenerator {} public function getBestPattern(string $skeleton): string|false {} } ``` Example use-case: ``` $date = new \DateTime(); $skeleton = "YYYYMMdd"; $dtpg = new \IntlDateTimePatternGenerator(); // uses default locale if not specified $format = $dtpg->getBestPattern($skeleton); echo \IntlDateFormatter::formatObject($date, $format); // outputs "28.03.2020" for "de_DE" locale ``` The proposed implementation can be found here: [ https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/6771 | https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/6771 ] I assume that this will require an RFC, in which case I request the karma to create one. My wiki account is deltragon. Regards, Mel Dafert -- To unsubscribe, visit: [ https://www.php.net/unsub.php | https://www.php.net/unsub.php ] BQ_END --- ## #113837 — Mel Dafert — 2021-03-28T19:30:23+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/113831#113837 · In reply to: #113835 > Now that I see their implementation again, I'm wondering if `IntlDateTimePatternGenerator` is the right name, or we should also use `IntlDatePatternGenerator`, which is more in line with `IntlDateFormatter`. I was also wondering about that. I ended up going for `IntlDateTimePatternGenerator`, because ICU has that same inconsistency (`icu::DateFormat` and `icu::DateTimePatternGenerator`). I think the big argument here is discoverability - if someone is wondering about whether PHP exposes the feature from ICU, it might be harder to find it if we name it differently (and vice versa). PS: Sorry about the duplicate/badly formatted message - I am new to the concept of mailing lists. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Máté Kocsis" To: "Mel Dafert" Cc: "internals" Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2021 7:45:46 PM Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Proposal: add IntlDateTimePatternGenerator Hi Mel, Thank you very much for working on this! I was bitten by lack of this functionality a few years ago, and I couldn't find any (good) alternative. Thus, I'm looking forward to having `IntlDateTimePatternGenerator` in ext/intl. I think it could be mentioned for those who don't open the bug report that HHVM implemented this class long ago: https://github.com/facebook/hhvm/commit/bc84daf7816e4cd268da59d535dcadfc6cf01085 Now that I see their implementation again, I'm wondering if `IntlDateTimePatternGenerator` is the right name, or we should also use `IntlDatePatternGenerator`, which is more in line with ``IntlDateFormatter`. Regards: Máté Mel Dafert ezt írta (időpont: 2021. márc. 28., V, 16:54):