Modifying text data to change features in a region of text

Abstract

A text editing system performs operations that result in text with correct punctuation at textual type boundaries. The system's processor executes a text editor, calling punctuator functions to provide appropriate fix-up data defining a sequence of operations to correct textual type punctuational structure. Fix-up data can be provided after a conventional manipulation operation, such as cut or paste in the cut-copy-paste paradigm, copy or move in the copy-move paradigm, or delete, in which case the defined sequence of operations corrects punctuational errors resulting from the manipulation operation. Fix-up data can also be provided to implement a higher level editing operation, such as changing the textual type of a textual type boundary. The punctuator provides appropriate fix-up data based on the operation currently being performed and on previously obtained data about the current selection. The fix-up data include a starting point, a number of codes to delete, a number to insert, a list of codes to insert, a position to change capitalization, and how to change it. If the current selection is a text unit, the textual types and lengths of the textual type boundaries at each of its ends are used to obtain appropriate fix-up data. To enable the punctuator to obtain data about the current selection in advance of an operation that requires fixed-up data, the text editor also calls the punctuator to handle requests to change the current selection. The punctuator does so and returns the end points of the new selection to the text editor.