[Dxspider-support] SHOW/DX with exact match ?

[Robert Chalmas]

Hi Dirk,

Many thanks for your answer!

I didn't suggest to make my proposal the default behaviour of the SHOW/DX 
command, but just to add a parameter which would mean that only exact matches 
are wanted.
For exemple, something like "SHOW/DX =call" or "SHOW/DX EXACT call"
which would be used only by those who know about this option and need it in a 
particular situation.

How about this ?

Vy 73's

Robert - HB9BZA

> Robert Chalmas wrote:
>> As I didn't receive any answer from Dirk about this suggestion, here is it 
>> again...
>>
>>
> 
> Ah, sorry. I did start to craft a reply and then got distracted. It has 
> been sitting hidden behind another window on my work computer since then...
> 
> NOTE TO READERS: if you don't get a reply from me in a couple of days 
> then do as Robert and try again. I shan't be offended.
> 
>> Hi,
>>
>> I just tried to ask for DX spots annoncing my club station using the special
>> call HB2008G, so I did a "SHOW/DX HB200G" and I got this answer:
>>
>> sh/d hb2008g
>>     3513.5  HB2008GR     6-May-2008 2158Z  599 tnx                      <SQ2RH>
>>     3513.5  HB2008GR     6-May-2008 2121Z  big sig                      <DO9ST>
>>    10103.5  HB2008G      6-May-2008 1944Z                              <SV2CWV>
>>     3770.0  HB2008GR     6-May-2008 1944Z  tnx, 73/88 de Wilma!         <DO6YL>
>>    10103.5  HB2008G      6-May-2008 1941Z  tnx new own                 <DL3VZL>
>>     3770.0  HB2008GR     6-May-2008 1920Z  tnx                         <IZ5JMZ>
>>     3770.0  HB2008GR     6-May-2008 1918Z  CQ CQ CQ calling (Not HB2008<DE1VTM>
>>     3770.0  HB2008GB     6-May-2008 1907Z  Spezial Event               <DO7JVB>
>>     7009.1  HB2008GR     6-May-2008 1843Z                               <OK2ZO>
>>     3775.0  HB2008GR     6-May-2008 1737Z  CQ CQ                        <F4EGG>
>> HB9BZA de HB9IAC-8  7-May-2008 1205Z dxspider >
>>
>> Well, only 2 out of those 10 spots are what I want, while the 8 others are for
>> other stations with a longer call starting with the same string.
>>
>> I already had the same problem in the past while searching for short calls:
>> most information returned is useless.
>>
>> Unless I missed a way to do that, would it be possible to implement an
>> argument to the SHOW/DX command that would instruct the system to look for
>> exact matches of the call only ?
> 
> Not easily. At least I don't think so (or at least not without confusing 
> a lot of people or making the whole sh/dx experience harder for the 
> majority of users).
> 
> What happens at the moment is that your input is treated as a simple 
> regex of the form '^HB2008G'. The way it goes about getting there is 
> rather more convoluted than it really needs to be, but then there is a 
> lot of cruft that builds up over 10 years of development (yes, it has 
> been that long).
> 
> In perl terms we need to get to the stage where that regex looks like 
> '^HB2000G$' to achieve what you want. Now how are we to get there from 
> the command line in a way that is not going to confuse users (and 
> thereby get me more support requests directly) - given that *mostly* 
> this isn't an issue? *Mostly* people look for a prefix or else the full 
> call is sufficiently regular (i.e. the same length as other calls for 
> that country) for this to work as people expect.
> 
> It is really only this modern fad for inventing "relevant" and therefore 
> non-callsign callsigns that is causing this to be the problem that it is.
> 
> As an aside, exactly how is a programmer supposed to validate that some 
> arbitrary string like this is a callsign?
> 
> Dirk G1TLH
> 
> I would welcome
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Dxspider-support mailing list
> Dxspider-support at dxcluster.org
> http://mailman.tobit.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/dxspider-support
> 


-- 
Robert CHALMAS, PO Box 1225, CH-1227 Carouge/GE, SWITZERLAND
email: rcbza at hb9bza.net           web: http://www.hb9bza.net
Free DX-Cluster client RXCLUS:  http://www.hb9bza.net/rxclus
Unofficial LoTW users list:       http://www.hb9bza.net/lotw