latin(3)
NAME
Number::Latin -- convert to/from the number system
"a,b,...z,aa,ab..."
SYNOPSIS
use Number::Latin;
print join(' ', map int2latin($_), 1 .. 30), "0;
#
# Prints:
# a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
aa ab ac ad
DESCRIPTION
Some applications, notably the numbering of points in out
lines, use a scheme that starts with the letter "a", goes
to "z", and then starts over with "aa" thru "az", then
"ba", and so on. (The W3C refers to this numbering system
as "lower-latin"/"upper-latin" or "lower alpha"/"upper
alpha", in discussions of HTML/CSS options for rendering
of list elements (OL/LI).)
This module provides functions that deal with that number
ing system, converting between it and integer values.
FUNCTIONS
This module exports four functions, "int2latin",
"int2Latin", "int2LATIN", and "latin2int":
- $latin = int2latin( INTEGER )
- This returns the INTEGERth item in the sequence "('a'
.. 'z', 'aa', 'ab', etc)". For example, int2latin(1)
is "a", int2latin(2) is "b", "int2latin(26)" is "z",
"int2latin(30)" is "ad", and so for any nonzero inte
ger. - $latin = int2Latin( INTEGER )
- This is just like "int2latin", except that the return
value is has an initial capital. E.g.,
"int2Latin(30)" is "Ad". - $latin = int2LATIN( INTEGER )
- This is just like "int2latin", except that the return
value is in all uppercase. E.g., "int2LATIN(30)" is
"AD". - $latin = latin2int( INTEGER )
- This converts back from latin number notation (regard
less of capitalization!) to an integer value. E.g.,
"latin2int("ad")" is 30.
NOTES
The latin numbering system is not to be confused with
Roman numerals, in spite of their names.
The latin numbering system isn't a normal base-N number
system (thus making this module necessary), as evidenced
by the fact that the item after "z" is "aa". If you con
sidered this to be a base-26 numbering system (running
from a-z for 0-25), then after "z" would be "ba"; if you
considered it a base-27 numbering system (running from a-z
for 1-26), then after "z" would be "a" followed by some
sort of placeholder zero. But it's neither.
I vaguely remember reading, years ago, of some languages
(in New Guinea?) with count-number systems that work like
the latin number system -- i.e., where either the number
after "nine" is "one-MULT one", or the number after "ten"
is "one-MULT one". However, I haven't been able to find a
reference for exactly what language(s) those were number
system; I welcome email on the subject.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright (c) 1997- by Abigail, and 2001- Sean M. Burke.
All rights reserved.
This library is free software; you can redistribute it
and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
SEE ALSO
Roman
"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS2/generate.html#lists"
"http://people.netscape.com/ftang/i18n.html"
"http://people.netscape.com/ftang/number/draft.html"
AUTHOR
- Initial implementation in a "comp.lang.perl.misc" post by
Abigail ("abigail@foad.org") in 1997. Documentation, fur
ther doings, and current maintenance by Sean M. Burke,
"sburke@cpan.org"