[ddehilster]

Closes #438 (option A, as decided; the comparison syntax pos="noun" can follow later as sugar).

A @PRE action can now be a key on the element it applies to, so its <n,n> range no longer has to be kept in step with element positions. This rule:

_np <- _det _xWILD [plus match=(_noun _adj) vareq=("pos" "noun") varz="num"] @@

means exactly the same as:

@PRE
<2,2> vareq("pos", "noun");
<2,2> varz("num");
@RULES
_np <- _det _xWILD [plus match=(_noun _adj)] @@

Supported actions: every action Pat::preAction knows: var varz vareq varne vargt varlt regexp regexpi uppercase lowercase cap length lengthr numrange unknown debug.

• A single value is written varz="num", several as a list vareq=("pos" "noun"), and an action with no arguments by name alone, as in [cap].
• None of these names was an element key before. 4.2.25 reports "Unknown element key" for each.

How it works.

• Ielt::intern turns the key into an Ipre covering just this element. It sits beside any the rule's @PRE region gives the element, so matching treats both identically, as do wildcards (NLP++: Overly broad @PRE conditions fail #449) and compiled analyzers (genPres).
• Values arrive as strings. For numrange, length and lengthr, numeric strings become numbers, as they are when written in a @PRE region; the compiled form needs it.

Testing

• New fixture tests/element-pre, with CI steps for Windows and Linux. Each case runs twice, once with @PRE and once with element keys, and both must match the same text:

  • vareq on an element, and varz on a wildcard;
  • two conditions on one element, and a bare flag (uppercase);
  • cap, numrange, and regexp (a glob);
  • element keys mixed with a rule-level @PRE.

  On 4.2.18 the element-key versions are rejected and fire unconditionally (31 lines instead of 17).

• I also built the fixture as a compiled analyzer DLL; its output is identical to the interpreted run.

• All Windows CI fixture steps pass locally, apart from the compiled-bridge step, which needs CI's packaged libraries. The -DEV Full English Test is unchanged, and all 20 analyzers (21 inputs) produce byte-identical output to 4.2.18.

Docs: VisualText/visualtext-files (PR linked below).

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