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<title>Pre-Processors</title>
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The pre-processor directory contains code that can be used to generate
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input for dealer. Currently there is only 1 contribution, <b>DPP</b> by
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<a href="mailto:sr007-2@dial.oleane.com">François Dellacherie</a></h3>
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dpp stands for dealer-pre-processor. Its main purpose is to preprocess
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input files for Hans van Staveren's great dealer program.
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2. How is it written ?</h3>
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dpp is written in Perl-object. In fact, it was a small part of a package
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that I will probably never finish to write (a package that should do automatic
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checking of bidding conventions...).
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<p>It contains two file:
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the executable file 'dpp',</li>
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the package 'Dist.pm'.</li>
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3. What do I need to make it work ?</h3>
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You need Perl (and anyway, even if you don't plan to use dpp, you probably
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need perl, with or without knowing it !),</li>
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You may need to change the first line of dpp, depending on where your perl
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interpreter is located, and where you plan to install the package file
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You need to read this...</li>
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4. What can I do with it ?</h3>
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The greatest idea of Hans van Staveren was his 'shape' function (please
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reread his manual). The 'shape' function speed is the same for any number
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of args in it. Unfortunately, there's no convenient way to express ideas
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like "a balanced shape with 4 in a major". With the regular dealer, you
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<pre>shape(north,2443 + 2434 + 3424 + 3442 + 3433 + 4243 + 4423 + 4234 +
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4432 + 4324 + 4342 + 4333)</pre>
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or, if you are clever :
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<pre>shape(north, any 4432 + any 4333 - 3343 - 3334 - 2344 - 3244)</pre>
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With dpp, you will just write :
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<pre>shape{north, 4M(3+3+2+)}</pre>
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<h3>5. Differences with the original syntax of shape:</h3>
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Perl is great. (Repeat after me...)
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<p>The only thing it misses regarding text-parsing is the hability to handle
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sexp (in a more general case, I don't recommend having sex-p with a computer
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;-). The bad news is that I had to change the parenthesis () into braces
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{}, because I wanted to use () for other purposes inside the shape-func.
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The only other difference is that shape doesn't recognize the word 'any'
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<p>(I confess I may have kept the old syntax and invent a new word like
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dist{}. If people complain about this, I may change it... I just wanted
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to keep HVS-soul alive in my files...)
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<p>The new general syntax is :
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<pre>shape{COMPASS, shp1 + shp2 + ... + shpM - shm1 - ... - shmN}</pre>
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See below for the atomic (shp or shm) shapes...
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when you see a shape after a » signs, it's the result of a shape
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after being dp-processed...
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regular shapes : 7xxx, 4432, 4xx5 have the same meaning as in original
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the 'at least' operator : whenever you put a '+' after a suit-length, it
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means 'at least'.</li>
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<p>Example: shape{north, 5+xx5+} : at least 5/5 in the blacks, »shape(north,5xx5
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+ 5xx6 + 6xx5 + 5xx7 + 6xx6 + 7xx5 + 5008 + 6007 + 7006 + 8005)
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the 'at most' operator : same as the 'at least', just use a '-' :
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<p>Example: shape{north, 2-xxx} : at most 2 spades, »shape(north,0xxx
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the 'range' operator : the range operator operates on a single suit. It
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comes with [], like in Perl.
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<p>Example: shape{north, x[3-5]x[13]} : (3 to 5) hearts, and one or 3 clubs
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»shape(north,x3x1 + x4x1 + x3x3 + x5x1 + x4x3 + x5x3)
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<p>Note that shape{north, 3-xxx} is equivalent to shape{north,[0-3]xxx}
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You can write compound ranges if you want : shape{north, [013-68]xxx} means:
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0,1,3,4,5,6 or 8 spades.
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the 'permutation' operator : the permutation operator will appears as ()
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like in the WBF rules of specifying shapes. Example :
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<p>shape{north, (4432)} : any 4432 hand. »shape(north,any 4432)
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<p>what's best is that the () operator can operate on restricted groups
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<p>Example: shape{north, 5s(431)} : 5 spades, the others suits being (431).
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»shape(north,5134 + 5314 + 5143 + 5341 + 5413 + 5431)
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<p>What you have to do is :
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specify the suit names (s,h,d,c in english) in the left part of the shape,
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and enclose the rest of the permutation into () in the right part.</li>
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A (complicated) example : shape{north, 4+c3+d(2+2+)} : at least 5 clubs,
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at least 3 diamonds, and no short major. »shape(north,3334 +
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4234 + 2434 + 3244 + 2344 + 2254 + 3235 + 2335 + 2245 + 2236)
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the 'Major' operator : has to be used together with the () operator. 'M'
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stands for 'a major' The 'M' operator can only be used in the left part
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(never put a M inside the parens)
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<br>shape{north, 5M(xxx)} »shape(north,x5xx + 5xxx)
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<br>shape{north, 5+M3+c(31)} »shape(north,1534 + 3514 + 1633
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+ 3613 + 5134 + 5314 + 6133 + 6313)
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the 'minor' operator : same as the 'Major' operator, but in lowercase 'm'.
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<p>Example : shape{north, 5M5m(xx)} »shape(north,x5x5 + 5xx5
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the 'conditional' operator : you've got the possibility of specifying complex
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conditions to be verified that cannot be simply expressed by other operators.
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In order to do that, you use the ':' operator, just after the atomic-shape
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specification : shape{north, shp1:condition1,condition2,...}
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<p>The conditions use the letters (s,h,d,c) as variables for the suit lengths,
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and the usual C-operators (*,+,-,/,>,<,==,!,?, and so on) Note that
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the ',' stands for the 'and-logical' operator. You can use 'or' for the
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'or-logical' operator.
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<p>Example: shape{north, 4+s4+h(xx):d>c,h+s==10} »shape(north,6421
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+ 6430 + 5521 + 5530 + 4621 + 4630)</ol>
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7. Some other examples:</h3>
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A balanced hand : (3+3+3+2+)</li>
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A french 1H opening : x5+xx:h>s,h>=d,h>=c</li>
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a michaels (spade+minor) : 5+s5+m(xx)</li>
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my No_trump opening :</li>
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<br>n1NT = (hn > 14 and hn < 18 and shape{north, 5m(332) + 5m2s(42)}
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<br>(hn > 13 and hn < 17 and shape{north, 6m(322)} ) or
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<br>(hn > 15 and hn < 18 and shape{north, 5M(332)} ) or
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<br>(hn > 15 and hn < 19 and shape{north, (4432) + (4333)} )</ul>
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8. How to use dpp:</h3>
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Unix world: dpp my_input_file | dealer</li>
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Windows/DOS world: I don't know. I've never used windows/DOS in my life
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:-). I guess 2 possibilities :</li>
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'dpp my_input_file > dppfile' followed by 'dealer dppfile'</li>
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Include the dpp code inside the dealer code. Maybe somebody can do that
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on the next dealer distribution, and add a '-dpp' option to dealer. I won't
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do it, since I cannot check if that works properly.</li>
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you can also try some shapes by typing 'dpp' on the command line, and enter
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shape{} one by one to see how it transforms them.</li>
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The suit specifications can be made in french or english. The default mode
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is english. To change the mode, you can do 2 things:
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add a "Dist->language('French');" in dpp (after the Dist->new)</li>
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Change the DefaultLanguage value in Dist.pm</li>
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If somebody wants to add other languages, it's possible...
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10. Bugs and further developments:</h3>
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don't understand a peculiar behaviour of dpp (but please reread this README
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have suggestions for further developments,</li>
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<a href="mailto:sr007-2@dial.oleane.com">sr007-2@dial.oleane.com</a>
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<p>On the other hand, if you :
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don't understand the *code*,</li>
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cannot install perl on your machine,</li>
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there is unfortunately nothing that I can do for you.
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<p>Quoting Hans van Staveren :
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This program is hereby put in the public domain. Do with it
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whatever you want, but I would like you not to redistribute it in modified
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form without mentioning the fact of modification. I will accept bug reports
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and modification requests, without any obligation of course, but fixing
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bugs someone else put in is beyond me.
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<p>When you report bugs please mention the version number in the source
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files, and preferably send context diffs if you changed anything. I might
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put in your fixes, and ask Henk to distribute a new version someday.
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<blockquote>François Dellacherie<BR> Paris, FRANCE</blockquote>
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