# Draft BNF available

**URL:** <https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/draft-bnf-available/999>\
**Category:** CSL Development\
**Created:** [April 7, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/draft-bnf-available/999 "2011-04-07T20:21:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Bruce_D_Arcus1)\
**Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/draft-bnf-available/999/1 "2011-04-07T20:21:30Z")

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So EDTF is starting to get much more concrete. Would be nice if we  
could switch to this, or a subset of it, as primary CSL input date  
format soon.---------- Forwarded message ----------  
From: Denenberg, Ray [rden@loc.gov](mailto:rden@loc.gov)  
Date: Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 9:33 AM  
Subject: Draft BNF available  
To: [DATETIME@listserv.loc.gov](mailto:DATETIME@listserv.loc.gov)

A preliminary draft BNF is at:  
[http://www.loc.gov/standards/datetime/bnf.html](http://www.loc.gov/standards/datetime/bnf.html)

–Ray

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**Author:** ![Frank\_Bennett](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.citationstyles.org/frank_bennett/32/198_2.png) [@Frank\_Bennett](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Frank_Bennett)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 5:29am UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/draft-bnf-available/999/2 "2011-04-08T05:29:39Z")

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> So EDTF is starting to get much more concrete. Would be nice if we  
> could switch to this, or a subset of it, as primary CSL input date  
> format soon.

I think the parser embedded in citeproc-js can already parse this  
syntax, for ordinary dates, date intervals, and dates BCE. It would be  
good to have some sample dates data to work with, and test fixtures  
based on it. The test data and fixture that I used to build the  
citeproc-js parser are in the source archive, if anyone wants to work  
on this.

Frank

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**Author:** ![Sylvester\_Keil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Sylvester\_Keil](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Sylvester_Keil)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:37am UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/draft-bnf-available/999/3 "2011-04-08T08:37:41Z")

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Is this the file you mentioned? Or are there additional tests?

[https://bitbucket.org/fbennett/citeproc-js/src/dab133efd75a/tests/citeproc-js/dateparse.js](https://bitbucket.org/fbennett/citeproc-js/src/dab133efd75a/tests/citeproc-js/dateparse.js)

Would you need tests like this or rather citeproc-tests with a dedicated CSL style that outputs dates (to verify that parsing of input was successful)? I’ve previously set up fixtures using the material on the EDTF page. For instance, this file includes the ISO8601 interval examples:

> <https://github.com/inukshuk/edtf-ruby/blob/master/features/parser/intervals.feature>

I’ll gladly convert the fixtures to a format that’s is useful to you, but first it ought to be specified whether or not all the EDTF features (or which subset) should be supported by CSL.

Sylvester

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**Author:** ![Frank\_Bennett](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.citationstyles.org/frank_bennett/32/198_2.png) [@Frank\_Bennett](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Frank_Bennett)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:03pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/draft-bnf-available/999/4 "2011-04-08T12:03:09Z")

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> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----  
> Hash: SHA1
> 
> > > So EDTF is starting to get much more concrete. Would be nice if we  
> > > could switch to this, or a subset of it, as primary CSL input date  
> > > format soon.
> > 
> > I think the parser embedded in citeproc-js can already parse this  
> > syntax, for ordinary dates, date intervals, and dates BCE. It would be  
> > good to have some sample dates data to work with, and test fixtures  
> > based on it. The test data and fixture that I used to build the  
> > citeproc-js parser are in the source archive, if anyone wants to work  
> > on this.
> 
> Is this the file you mentioned? Or are there additional tests?
> 
> [https://bitbucket.org/fbennett/citeproc-js/src/dab133efd75a/tests/citeproc-js/dateparse.js](https://bitbucket.org/fbennett/citeproc-js/src/dab133efd75a/tests/citeproc-js/dateparse.js)

That’s all there is to it. There is a grinder in the ./tools directory  
that generates the json, and the json is run via the ./test.py script  
using DOH.

> Would you need tests like this or rather citeproc-tests with a dedicated CSL style that outputs dates (to verify that parsing of input was successful)? I’ve previously set up fixtures using the material on the EDTF page. For instance, this file includes the ISO8601 interval examples:
> 
> [edtf-ruby/features/parser/intervals.feature at main · inukshuk/edtf-ruby · GitHub](https://github.com/inukshuk/edtf-ruby/blob/master/features/parser/intervals.feature)

If the plain text format is easier, it can be ground into the json  
format in the same way.

> I’ll gladly convert the fixtures to a format that’s is useful to you, but first it ought to be specified whether or not all the EDTF features (or which subset) should be supported by CSL.

Indeed. I think this brings us to that question: what gets left out?

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**Author:** ![Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Bruce_D_Arcus1)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:13pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/draft-bnf-available/999/5 "2011-04-08T12:13:14Z")

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Just to be clear, EDTF isn’t final yet. I’m just pointing out that’s  
it’s getting closer. By “soon” I mean sometime, hopefully, in the next  
few months.

You may or may not want to adjust accordingly.

So a test parser that we can use to provide feedback to the EDTF  
group, and then later build on, might be an idea.

Bruce

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**Author:** ![Frank\_Bennett](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.citationstyles.org/frank_bennett/32/198_2.png) [@Frank\_Bennett](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Frank_Bennett)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/draft-bnf-available/999/6 "2011-04-08T12:22:47Z")

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> Just to be clear, EDTF isn’t final yet. I’m just pointing out that’s  
> it’s getting closer. By “soon” I mean sometime, hopefully, in the next  
> few months.
> 
> You may or may not want to adjust accordingly.
> 
> So a test parser that we can use to provide feedback to the EDTF  
> group, and then later build on, might be an idea.

One step ahead of you.

[http://gsl-nagoya-u.net/http/pub/citeproc-doc.html#date-parser](http://gsl-nagoya-u.net/http/pub/citeproc-doc.html#date-parser)

It ships with citeproc-js, but it’s a standalone JS module. The API is  
documented in the processor manual.

The code is there if anyone wants to pick it up and run with it.

Frank