optimization question

[Andrew Koenig]

Bengt> Do you want to write an extension that will do for generalized
Bengt> sequences what the struct module does for C structs? I.e.,
Bengt> along with a raw data reference pass it a descriptor string to
Bengt> tell it what kind of raw data/seq you are accessing, and then
Bengt> provide methods to "extract data."

No -- more like a semi-formalization of recursive-descent parsing,
where the input stream might be characters or might be more complicated
data structures (such as HTML markups).

Bengt> But then if you want to let users "specify how to extract data"
Bengt> and not just call your fixed primitive methods, maybe you want
Bengt> to invent some kind of regular expression syntax and a compiler
Bengt> to generate access objects for your sequences, analogous to
Bengt> what the re module does? Is this the kind of thing you have in
Bengt> mind?

More general than regular expressions, hence probably slower.

Bengt> BTW is this for biotech?

Nope.  AT&T isn't in the biotech business, so far as I know.

-- 
Andrew Koenig, ark at research.att.com, http://www.research.att.com/info/ark