@Soundex is a function implemented in
the formula language and is used e. g. in the Domino directory to look
for similar sounding names (see first column of the ($Users) view). But
Soundex doesn't work for German as well as for English, since Germans pronounce
letters differently. Therefore Mr. Postel developed a better suiting algorithm:
the Kölner Phonetik.
On first sight, the implementation seems
pretty forward, but the devil is in the details. Therefore I was happy
to find an implementation
of the algorithm with Visual Basic (German)
in the vb@rchiv
as a starting point
The translation into LotusScript is
easy, because no specialities of VB were used.
More relevant would be an implementation
in formula language, usable in computed fields and column formulas. I have
written this formula:
_input := @Prompt([OkCancelEdit]; "Kölner
Phonetik"; "Enter
name"; "");
_trimmed := @Trim(_input);
_lower := @LowerCase(_trimmed);
_replacedSpecialChars := @ReplaceSubstring(_lower;
"ph" : "ä" : "ö" : "ü" : "ß"; "f" : "a" : "o" : "u" : "ss");
_withMarkers := "#" +
_replacedSpecialChars + "#";
_convertedToNumber := "";
@For(_position := 1; _position < @Length(_withMarkers)
- 1; _position := _position + 1; @Do(
_previous := @Middle(_withMarkers;
_position - 1; 1);
_current := @Middle(_withMarkers;
_position; 1);
_next := @Middle(_withMarkers;
_position + 1; 1);
_convertedToNumber := _convertedToNumber + @If(
_position = 1;
@If(
(_current
= "a" : "e" : "i" : "j" : "y" : "o" : "u"); "0";
(_current
= "c")
& (_next = "a" : "o" : "u" : "h" : "k" : "x" :"q" : "l" : "r"); "4";
(_current
= "d" : "t")
& (_next = "s" : "c" : "z"); "8";
(_previous
= "c" : "k" : "q")
& _current = "x"; "8";
(_current
= "x"); "48";
(_previous
= "s")
& (_current = "c" : "z"); "8";
(_current
= "h"); "-";
(_current
= "b" : "p"); "1";
(_current
= "d" : "t"); "2";
(_current
= "f" : "v" : "w"); "3";
(_current
= "g" : "k" : "q"); "4";
(_current
= "l"); "5";
(_current
= "m" : "n"); "6";
(_current
= "r"); "7";
(_current
= "c" : "s" : "z"); "8";
"?"
);
@If(
(_current
= "d" : "t")
& (_next = "s" : "c" : "z"); "8";
(_previous
= "c" : "k" : "q")
& _current = "x"; "8";
(_current
= "x"); "48";
(_previous
= "s")
& (_current = "c" : "z"); "8";
(_current
= "c")
& (_next = "a" : "o" : "u" : "h" : "k" : "x" :"q"); "4";
(_current
= "h"); "-";
(_current
= "a" : "e" : "i" : "j" : "y" : "o" : "u"); "0";
(_current
= "b" : "p"); "1";
(_current
= "d" : "t"); "2";
(_current
= "f" : "v" : "w"); "3";
(_current
= "g" : "k" : "q"); "4";
(_current
= "l"); "5";
(_current
= "m" : "n"); "6";
(_current
= "r"); "7";
(_current
= "c" : "s" : "z"); "8";
"?"
)
)
));
_withoutH := @ReplaceSubstring(_convertedToNumber; "-"; "");
_zerosRemoved := @If(
@Begins(_withoutH; "0");
"0" + @ReplaceSubstring(_withoutH; "0"; "");
@ReplaceSubstring(_withoutH; "0"; "")
);
_dublicatesRemoved := @Left(_zerosRemoved;
1);
@For(_position := 2; _position <= @Length(_zerosRemoved);
_position := _position + 1;
_dublicatesRemoved := _dublicatesRemoved + @ReplaceSubstring(
@Middle(_zerosRemoved;
_position - 1; 1); @Right(_dublicatesRemoved;
1); ""
)
);
@Prompt([OK]; "Kölner
Phonetik"; _input + "
converts to " + _dublicatesRemoved)
