Text.Encoding.Z

The Z-encoding

This is the main name-encoding and decoding function. It encodes any string into a string that is acceptable as a C name. This is done right before we emit a symbol name into the compiled C or asm code. Z-encoding of strings is cached in the FastString interface, so we never encode the same string more than once.

The basic encoding scheme is this.

• Tuples (,,,) are coded as Z3T
• Alphabetic characters (upper and lower) and digits all translate to themselves; except Z, which translates to ZZ and z, which translates to zz We need both so that we can preserve the variable/tycon distinction
• Most other printable characters translate to zx or Zx for some alphabetic character x
• The others translate as znnnU where nnn is the decimal number of the character

        Before          After
        --------------------------
        Trak            Trak
        foo_wib         foozuwib
        >               zg
        >1              zg1
        foo#            foozh
        foo##           foozhzh
        foo##1          foozhzh1
        fooZ            fooZZ
        :+              ZCzp
        ()              Z0T     0-tuple
        (,,,,)          Z5T     5-tuple
        (# #)           Z1H     unboxed 1-tuple (note the space)
        (#,,,,#)        Z5H     unboxed 5-tuple
                (NB: There is no Z1T nor Z0H.)

Documentation

zEncodeString :: UserString -> EncodedString

zDecodeString :: EncodedString -> UserString

type UserString = String

type EncodedString = String