To add on for Q#1, the is another PHP tool at http://www.tipitaka.net/forge/index.php?article=velthuis2unicode

Those are tools for converting text from one transliteration scheme to another. It is rather easy to implement with a mapping table and some simple rules for the conversion. (In fact, I have also developed one for transliteration between devanagari to the romanized characters using javascript)

However, for Q#2&3, as mentioned by YongPeng, it indeed involves more sophisticated algorithm, especially when it may involve a number of exceptions. Nonetheless, it will definitely be a very useful tool which I am looking forward too.

best regards.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "Ong Yong Peng" <palismith@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Jon and Nina,
>
> 1. there are a few scripts around which you can refer to:
> (a) JS - http://www.library.websangha.org/earlybuddhism/convertpad.htm
> (b) PHP - http://www.tipitaka.net/forge/index.php?article=velthuis2unicode
>
> 2&3. Programming languages such as Perl and Ruby have strong parsing and text handling capabilities that may lead one to think it is a simple task. However, with my understanding of Pali inflections, I appreciate its simplicity that most verbs and nouns follow simple rules to express usages (case, tense, number, person), but there is a long list of exceptions. Further, identifying grammatical gender (of nouns) and conjugational group (of verbs) is not an easy task. As for Sandhi, it is even more challenging, given the fact that any two arbitrary words can be joined. I find this an interesting idea, and please do let us know when you make progress.
>
> metta,
> Yong Peng.
>
>
> --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Jon Fernquest wrote:
>
> Just want to inquire whether anyone has written subroutines for doing basic processing with Pali language. Including perhaps:
>
> 1. Converting string of Pali letters from unicode to Velthius, and vice versa.
> 2. Joining two Pali letter strings according to Sandhi rules.
> 3. Taking a root form of a noun or verb and inflecting it, adding endings to it, etc etc...
>