Most important text processing examples

[Dr. David Mertz]

Always so impressed by the Python discussion group, I figure I will ask
its advice.  I have recently contracted to write a book called _Text
Processing in Python_ for Sybex.  The proposal and outline can be
skimmed at <http://gnosis.cx/tpip.proposal>, if you want to see what I
am aiming at (I've made minor adjustments as I've started writing, and
will certainly make more as I go along).

One of the elements of the book will be example solutions to practical
problems in the topic domain.  I can think of a number pretty readily
off the top of my head.  And I have skimmed <http://python.faqts.com>
and <http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/> to get a sense of what
some other people consider important and/or frequent problems that come
up (I will probably solve some of the same sample problems at those
places, but not using the same code precisely).

But I am very interested to know what readers of c.l.py feel are the
most important sample problems to address in a book like this.  One
thing where my focus will differ somewhat from the ASPN cookbooks is
that I want to keep the emphasis on the problem itself, and make the
quirks and optimization of Python incidental--many of the recipes at
ASPN have as much or more to do with idiomatic and clever things that
Python does as with solving the problem itself (which could also be
solved in a different language, for example).  It is tough to keep this
focus, since the matters overlap so much, but this is my goal.

Anyway, your ideas are welcome.  Particular approaches to solutions are
always interesting, but I am most interested in what *problems* readers
encounter most often in their everyday programming lives.

Yours, David...

--
    _/_/_/ THIS MESSAGE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Postmodern Enterprises _/_/_/
   _/_/    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[mertz at gnosis.cx]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  _/_/
  _/_/  The opinions expressed here must be those of my employer...   _/_/
 _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ Surely you don't think that *I* believe them!  _/_/