perl-Text-Brew

An implementation of the Brew edit distance

This module implements the Brew edit distance that is very close to the dynamic programming technique used for the Wagner-Fischer (and so for the Levenshtein) edit distance. Please look at the module references below. For more information about the Brew edit distance see: <<a href="http://ling.ohio-state.edu/~cbrew/795M/string-distance.html>">http://ling.ohio-state.edu/~cbrew/795M/string-distance.html></a> The difference here is that you have separated costs for the DELetion and INSertion operations (but with the default to 1 for both, you obtain the Levenshtein edit distance). But the most interesting feature is that you can obtain the description of the edits needed to transform the first string into the second one (not vice versa: here DELetions are separated from INSertions). The difference from the original algorithm by Chris Brew is that I have added the SUBST operation, making it different from MATCH operation. The symbols used here are: INITIAL that is the INITIAL operation (i.e. NO operation) MATCH that is the MATCH operation (0 is the default cost) SUBST that is the SUBSTitution operation (1 is the default cost) DEL that is the DELetion operation (1 is the default cost) INS that is the INSertion operation (1 is the default cost) and you can change the default costs (see below). You can make INS and DEL the same operation in a simple way: 1) give both the same cost 2) change the output string DEL to INS/DEL (o whatever) 3) change the output string INS to INS/DEL (o whatever)