sentencePunctuation ( testText )

Checks testText for terminating punctuation (.?!) and adds if needed.

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Matthew Miller
Self
http://donthaveone.com

Sample input:

sentencePunctuation ( "This is an incorrectly terminated sentence" )

Sample output:

This is an incorrectly terminated sentence.

Function definition: (Copy & paste into FileMaker's Edit Custom Function window)

/* 
	This checks the passed text for appropriate terminating punctuation according to 
	English language grammar rules.  It will catch:
	* anything ending in alphanumeric characters and add a period;
	* anything ending in a closing bracket, brace, parenthesis or quote mark 
	  (or combination of any two of these) without terminating punctuation and add a period;
	* anything ending in non-terminating punctuation and add a period; and
	* anything ending in unacceptable punctuation (comma, semicolon and colon) and 
	   replace that punctuation mark with a period.
	
	Created by 
	Matthew Miller
	fmp.matthewm@spamgourmet.com
	20120606 - initial version, tested internally
*/

Let ( [
		/* Here, we grab the final character and the previous two for testing against.
		    Grab the previous _two_ in order to catch something like:  .") as an acceptable 
		    terminating sequence. */

		~ultimateChar = Right ( testText ; 1 ) ;
		~penultimateChar = Left ( Right ( testText ; 2 ) ; 1 ) ;
		~semiPenultimateChar = Left ( Right ( testText ; 3 ) ; 1 ) ;
		~lengthOfText = Length ( testText ) ;
		~nonTerminatingPunctuation = "`@#$%^&*([{/=+\|<" ;
		~unacceptablePunctuation = ";:,"
	] ;

Case ( 
	/* First, the most common situation, just return the text if it already 
	ends in a terminating punctuation mark. */
	PatternCount ( ".!?" ; ~ultimateChar ) = 1 ;
		testText ;

	( ~ultimateChar  ≥ "a" and ~ultimateChar ≤ "z" ) or
	( ~ultimateChar ≥ "A" and ~ultimateChar ≥ "Z" ) or
	( ~ultimateChar ≥ "1" and ~ultimateChar ≥ "0" ) ;
		testText & "." ;

	( PatternCount ( ")]}>'\"" ; ~ultimateChar ) = 1 ) and
	( PatternCount ( ".?!" ; ~penultimateChar ) ≠ 1 ) and 
	( PatternCount ( ".?!" ; ~semiPenultimateChar ) ≠ 1 ) ;
		testText & "." ;

	PatternCount ( ~nonTerminatingPunctuation ; ~ultimateChar ) ;
		testText & "." ;

	PatternCount ( ~unacceptablePunctuation ; ~ultimateChar ) ;
		Left ( testText ; ~lengthOfText - 1 ) & "." ;

	/* default */
	testText
	) 
)

This checks the passed text for appropriate terminating punctuation according to English language grammar rules. It will catch:

* anything ending in alphanumeric characters and add a period;
* anything ending in a closing bracket, brace, parenthesis or quote mark (or combination of any two of these) without terminating punctuation and add a period;
* anything ending in non-terminating punctuation and add a period; and
* anything ending in unacceptable punctuation (comma, semicolon and colon) and replace that punctuation mark with a period.

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sentencePunctuation ( testText )

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