Module:parameter utilities

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Exported functions

The purpose of this module is to facilitate implementation of a template that takes a list of items with associated properties, which can be specified either through separate parameters (e.g. |t2=, |pos3=) or inline modifiers (<t:...>, <pos:...>, etc.). Some examples of templates that work this way are {{alter}}/{{alt}}; {{synonyms}}/{{syn}}, {{antonyms}}/{{ant}}, and other "nyms" templates; {{col}}, {{col2}}, {{col3}}, {{col4}} and other columns templates; {{descendant}}/{{desc}}; {{affix}}/{{af}}, {{prefix}}/{{pre}} and related *fix templates; {{affixusex}}/{{afex}} and related templates; {{IPA}}; {{homophones}}; {{rhymes}}; and several others. This module can be thought of as a combination of Module:parameters (which parses template parameters, and in particular handles the separate parameter versions of the properties) and parse_inline_modifiers() in Module:parse utilities (which parses inline modifiers).

The main entry point is process_list_arguments(), which takes an object specifying various properties and returns a list of objects, one per item specified by the user, where the individual objects are much like the objects returned by parse_inline_modifiers(). However, there are other functions provided, in particular to initialize the param_mods structured that is passed to process_list_arguments().

The typical workflow for using this module looks as follows (a slightly simplified version of the code in Module:nyms):
local export = {}

local parameter_utilities_module = "Module:parameter utilities"

...

-- Entry point to be invoked from a template.
function export.show(frame)
	local parent_args = frame:getParent().args

	-- Parameters that don't have corresponding inline modifiers. Note in particular that the parameter corresponding to
	-- the items themselves must be specified this way, and must specify either `allow_holes = true` (if the user can
	-- omit terms, typically by specifying the term using |altN= or <alt:...> so that they remain unlinked) or
	-- `disallow_holes = true` (if omitting terms is not allowed). (If neither `allow_holes` nor `disallow_holes` is
	-- specified, an error is thrown in process_list_arguments().)
	local params = {
		[1] = {required = true, type = "language", default = "und"},
		[2] = {list = true, allow_holes = true, required = true, default = "term"},
	}

    local m_param_utils = require(parameter_utilities_module)

	-- This constructs the `param_mods` structure by adding well-known groups of parameters (such as all the parameters
	-- associated with based on full_link() in [[Module:links]], with default properties that can be overridden. This is
	-- easier and less error-prone than manually specifying the `param_mods` structure (see below for how this would
	-- look). Here, we specify the group "link" (consisting of all the link parameters for use with full_link()), group
	-- "ref" (which adds the "ref" parameter for specifying references), group "l" (which adds the "l" and "ll"
	-- parameters for specifying labels) and group "q" (which adds the "q" and "qq" parameters for specifying regular
	-- qualifiers). By default, labels and qualifiers have `separate_no_index` set so that e.g. |q1= is distinct from
	-- |q=, the former specifying the left qualifier for the first item and the latter specifying the overall left
	-- qualifier. For compatibility, we override the `separate_no_index` setting for the group "q", which causes |q= and
	-- |q1= to be the same, and likewise for |qq= and |qq1=. Finally, also for compatibility, we add an "lb" parameter
	-- that is an alias of "ll" (in all respects; |lb= is the same as |ll=, |lb1= is the same as |ll1=, <lb:...> is the
	-- same as <ll:...>, etc.).
	local param_mods = m_param_utils.construct_param_mods {
		{group = {"link", "ref", "l"}},
		{group = "q", separate_no_index = false},
		{param = "lb", alias_of = "ll"},
	}

	-- This processes the raw arguments in `parent_args`, parses inline modifiers and creates corresponding objects
	-- containing the property values specified either through inline modifiers or separate parameters.
	local items, args = m_param_utils.process_list_arguments {
		params = params,
		param_mods = param_mods,
		raw_args = parent_args,
		termarg = 2,
		parse_lang_prefix = true,
		track_module = "nyms",
		lang = 1,
		sc = "sc.default",
	}

	local lang = args[1]

	-- Now do the actual implementation of the template. Generally this should be split into a separate function, often
	-- in a separate module (if the implementation goes in [[Module:foo]], the template interface code goes in
	-- [[Module:foo/templates]]).
	...

The param_mods structure controls the properties that can be specified by the user for a given item, and is conceptually very similar to the param_mods structure used by parse_inline_modifiers(). The key is the name of the parameter (e.g. "t", "pos") and the value is a table with optional elements as follows:

  • item_dest, store: Same as the corresponding fields in the param_mods structure passed to parse_inline_modifiers().
  • type, set, sublist, convert and associated fields such as family and method: These control parsing and conversion of the raw values specified by the user and have the same meaning as in Module:parameters and also in parse_inline_modifiers() (which delegates the actual conversion to Module:parameters). These fields — and for that matter, all fields other than item_dest, store and overall — are forwarded to the process() function in Module:parameters.
  • alias_of: This parameter is an alias of some other parameter. This spec is recognized only by process() in Module:parameters, and not by parse_inline_modifiers(); to set up an alias in parse_inline_modifiers(), you need to make sure (using item_dest) that both the alias and aliasee modifiers store their values in the same location, and you need to copy the remaining properties from the aliasee's spec to the aliasing modifier's spec. All of this happens automatically if you generate the param_mods structure using construct_param_mods().
  • require_index: This means that the non-indexed parameter version of the property is not recognized. E.g. in the case of the "sc" property, use of the |sc= parameter would result in an error, while |sc1= is recognized and specifies the "sc" property for the first item. The default, if neither require_index nor separate_no_index is given, is for |sc= and |sc1= to mean the same thing (both would specify the "sc" property of the first item). Note that require_index and separate_no_index are mutually exclusive, and if either one is specified during processing by construct_param_mods(), the other one is automaticallly turned off.
  • separate_no_index: This means that e.g. the |sc= parameter is distinct from the |sc1= parameter (and thus from the <sc:...> inline modifier on the first item). This is typically used to distinguish an overall version of a property from the corresponding item-specific property on the first item. (In this case, for example, |sc= overrides the script code for all items, while |sc1= overrides the script code only for the first item.) If not given, and if require_index is not given, |sc= and |sc1= would have the same meaning and refer to the item-specific property on the first item. When this is given, the overall value can be accessed using the .default field of the property value in args, e.g. in this case args.sc.default. Note that (as mentioned above) require_index and separate_no_index are mutually exclusive, and if either one is specified during processing by construct_param_mods(), the other one is automaticallly turned off.
  • list, allow_holes, disallow_holes: These should not be given. list and allow_holes are automatically set for all parameter specs added to the params structure used by process() in Module:parameters, and disallow_holes clashes with allow_holes.

For the above workflow example, the call to construct_param_mods() generates the following param_mods structure:

local param_mods = {
	-- the parameters generated by group "link"
	alt = {},
	t = {
		-- [[Module:links]] expects the gloss in "gloss".
		item_dest = "gloss",
	},
	gloss = {
		alias_of = "t",
	},
	tr = {},
	ts = {},
	g = {
		-- [[Module:links]] expects the genders in "genders".
		item_dest = "genders",
		sublist = true,
	},
	pos = {},
	lit = {},
	id = {},
	sc = {
		separate_no_index = true,
		type = "script",
	},

	-- the parameters generated by group "ref"
	ref = {
		item_dest = "refs",
		type = "references",
	},

	-- the parameters generated by group "l"
	l = {
		type = "labels",
		separate_no_index = true,
	},
	ll = {
		type = "labels",
		separate_no_index = true,
	},

	-- the parameters generated by group "q"; note that `separate_no_index = true` would be set, but is overridden
	-- (specifying `separate_no_index = false` in the `param_mods` structure is equivalent to not specifying it at all)
	q = {
		type = "qualifier",
		separate_no_index = false,
	},
	qq = {
		type = "qualifier",
		separate_no_index = false,
	},

	-- the parameter generated by the individual "lb" parameter spec; note that only `alias_of` was explicitly given,
	-- while `item_dest` is automatically set so that inline modifier <lb:...> stores into the same place as <ll:...>,
	-- and the other specs are copied from the `ll` spec so `lb` works like `ll` in all regards
	lb = {
		alias_of = "ll",
		item_dest = "ll",
		type = "labels",
		separate_no_index = true,
	},
}

export.show

function export.show(frame)

This function lacks documentation. Please add a description of its usages, inputs and outputs, or its difference from similar functions, or make it local to remove it from the function list.

export.construct_param_mods

function export.construct_param_mods(specs)

Construct the param_mods structure used in parsing arguments and inline modifiers from a list of specifications. A sample invocation (a slightly simplified version of the actual invocation associated with {{affix}} and related templates) looks like this:
	local param_mods = require("Module:parameter utilities").construct_param_mods {
		-- We want to require an index for all params (or use separate_no_index, which also requires an index for the
		-- param corresponding to the first item).
		{default = true, require_index = true},
		{group = {"link", "ref", "lang", "q", "l"}},
		-- Override these two to have separate_no_index.
		{param = {"lit", "pos"}, separate_no_index = true},
	}

Each specification either sets the default value for further parameter specs or adds one or more parameters. Parameters can be added directly using param, or groups of predefined parameters can be added using group. Specifications are one of three types:

  1. Those that set the default properties for future-added parameters. These contain default = true as one of the properties of the spec. Specs are processed in order and you can change the defaults mid-way through.
  2. Those that add the parameters associated with one or more pre-defined groups. These contain group = "group" or group = {"group1", "group2", ...}. The pre-defined parameter groups and their associated properties are listed below. The pre-defined properties of parameters in a group override properties associated with a default = true spec, and are in turn overridden by any properties given directly in the spec itself. Note as well that setting the separate_no_index property will automatically cause the require_index property to be unset and vice-versa, as the two are mutually exclusive. (This happens in the example above, where the separate_no_index = true setting associated with the params "lit" and "pos" cancels out the require_index = true default setting, as well as less obviously with the pre-defined "sc" property of the "link" group, the "q" and "qq" properties of the "q" group, and the "l" and "ll" properties of the "l" group, all of which have an associated pre-defined property separate_no_index = true, which overrides and cancels out the require_index = true default setting. Finally, when adding the parameters of a group, you can request the only a subset of the parameters be added using either the include or exclude properties, each of whose values is a list of parameters that specify (respectively) the parameters to include (all other parameters of the group are excluded) or to exclude (all other parameters of the group are included). This is used, for example, in Module:romance etymology and Module:it-etymology, which specify group = "link", exclude = {"tr", "ts", "sc"} to exclude link parameters that aren't relevant to Latin-script languages such as the Romance languages, and conversely in Module:IPA/templates, which specifies group = "link", include = {"t", "gloss", "pos"} to include only the specified parameters for use with {{IPA}}.
  3. Those that add individual parameters. These contain param = "param" or param = {"param1", "param2", ...}, the latter syntax used to control a set of parameters together. The resulting spec is formed by initializing the parameter's settings with any previously-specified default properties (using a spec containing default = true) if the parameter hasn't already been initialized, and then overriding the resulting settings with any settings given directly in the specification. In the above example, the "lit" and "pos" parameters were previously initialized through the "link" group (specified in the second of the three specifications) but ended up with require_index = true due to the default = true spec (the first of the three specifications). We override these two parameters to have separate_no_index = true (which, as mentioned above, cancels out require_index = true). This is done so that {{affix}} and related templates have |pos= and |lit= parameters distinct from |pos1= and |lit1=, which are used to specify an overall part of speech (which applies to all parts of the affix, as opposed to applying to just one element of the expression) or a literal definition for the entire expression (instead of just for one element of the expression).

The built-in parameter groups are as follows:

link link parameters; same as those available on {{l}}, {{m}} and other linking templates alt display text, overriding the term's display form
t gloss (translation) of a non-English term item_dest = "gloss"
gloss gloss (translation); same as t alias_of = "t"
tr transliteration of a non-Latin-script term; only needed if the automatic transliteration is incorrect or unavailable (e.g. in Hebrew, which doesn't have automatic transliteration)
ts transcription of a non-Latin-script term, if the transliteration is markedly different from the actual pronunciation; should not be used for IPA pronunciations
g comma-separated list of genders; whitespace may surround the comma and will be ignored item_dest = "genders", sublist = true
pos part of speech for the term
lit literal meaning (translation) of the term
id a sense ID for the term, which links to anchors on the page set by the {{senseid}} template
sc the script code (see Wiktionary:Scripts) for the script that the term is written in; rarely necessary, as the script is autodetected (in most cases, correctly) separate_no_index = true, type = "script"
q left and right normal qualifiers (as displayed using {{q}}) q left normal qualifier separate_no_index = true, type = "qualifier"
qq right normal qualifier separate_no_index = true, type = "qualifier"
a left and right accent qualifiers (as displayed using {{a}}) a comma-separated list of left accent qualifiers; whitespace must not surround the comma separate_no_index = true, type = "labels"
aa comma-separated list of right accent qualifiers; whitespace must not surround the comma separate_no_index = true, type = "labels"
l left and right labels (as displayed using {{lb}}, but without categorizing) l comma-separated list of left labels; whitespace must not surround the comma separate_no_index = true, type = "labels"
ll comma-separated list of right labels; whitespace must not surround the comma separate_no_index = true, type = "labels"
ref reference(s) (in the format accepted by Module:references; see also the documentation for the |ref= parameter to {{IPA}}) ref one or more references, in the format accepted by Module:references item_dest = "refs", type = "references"
lang language for an individual term (provided for compatibility; it is preferred to specify languages for individual terms using language prefixes instead) lang language code (see Wiktionary:Languages) for the term require_index = true, type = "language"

export.augment_params_with_modifiers

function export.augment_params_with_modifiers(params, param_mods, overall_only)

Convert the properties in param_mods into the appropriate structures for use by process() in Module:parameters and store them in params. If overall_only is given, only store the properties in param_mods that correspond to overall (non-item-specific) parameters. Currently this only happens when separate_no_index is specified.

export.item_key_is_property

function export.item_key_is_property(k)

Return true if k, a key in an item, refers to a property of the item (is not one of the specially stored values). Note that lang and sc are considered properties of the item, although lang is set when there's a language prefix and both lang and sc may be set from default values specified in the data structure passed into process_list_arguments(). If you don't want these treated as property keys, you need to check for them yourself.

export.process_list_arguments

function export.process_list_arguments(data)

Parse inline modifiers and create corresponding item objects containing the property values specified either through inline modifiers or separate parameters. data is an object containing the following properties:

  • raw_args (required unless processed_args is specified): The raw arguments, normally fetched from frame:getParent().args. They are parsed using process() in Module:parameters.
  • processed_args: The object of parsed arguments returned by process() in Module:parameters. One (but not both) of raw_args and processed_args must be set.
  • param_mods (required): A structure describing the possible inline modifiers and their properties. See the introductory comment above. Most often, this is generated using construct_param_mods() rather than specified manually.
  • params (required unless processed_args is specified): A structure describing the possible parameters, other than the ones that are separate-parameter equivalents of inline modifiers. This is automatically "augmented" with the separate-parameter equivalents of the inline modifiers described in param_mods prior to parsing the raw arguments with Module:parameters. WARNING: This structure is destructively modified, both by the "augmentation" process of adding separate-parameter equivalents of inline modifiers, and by the processing done by Module:parameters itself. (Nonetheless, substructures can safely be shared in this structure, and will be correctly handled.)
  • termarg (required): The argument containing the first item with attached inline modifiers to be parsed. Usually a numeric value such as 1 or 2.
  • track_module (recommended): The name of the calling module, for use in adding tracking pages that are used internally to track pages containing template invocations with certain properties. Example properties tracked are missing items with corresponding properties as well as missing items without corresponding properties (which are skipped entirely). To find out the exact properties tracked and the name of the tracking pages, read the code.
  • process_args_before_parsing: An optional function to apply further processing to the processed args structure returned by Module:parameters, before parsing inline modifiers. This is passed one argument, the processed arguments. It should make modifications in-place.
  • term_dest: The field to store the value of the item itself into, after inline modifiers and (if allowed) language prefixes are stripped off. Defaults to "term".
  • parse_lang_prefix: If true, allow and parse off a language code prefix attached to items followed by a colon, such as la:minūtia or grc:[[σκῶρ|σκατός]]. Etymology-only languages are allowed. Inline modifiers can be attached to such items. The exact syntax allowed is as specified in the parse_term_with_lang() function in Module:parse utilities. If allow_multiple_lang_prefixes is given, a comma-separated list of language prefixes can be attached to an item. The resulting language object is stored into the termlang field, and also into the lang field (or in the case of allow_multiple_lang_prefixes, the list of language objects is stored into the termlangs field, and the first specified object is stored in the lang field).
  • allow_multiple_lang_prefixes: If given in conjunction with parse_lang_prefix, multiple comma-separated language code prefixes can be given. See parse_lang_prefix above.
  • allow_bad_lang_prefixes: If given in conjunction with parse_lang_prefix, unrecognized language prefixes do not trigger an error, but are simply ignored (and not stripped off the item). Note that, regardless of whether this is given, prefixes before a colon do not trigger an error if they do not have the form of a language prefix or if a space follows the colon. It is not recommended that this be given because typos in language prefixes will not trigger an error and will tend to remain unfixed.
  • lang: The language object for the language of the items, or the name of the argument to fetch the object from. In general it is not necessary to specify this as process_list_arguments() only initializes items based on inline modifiers and separate arguments and doesn't actually format the resulting items. However, if specified, it is used for certain purposes:
    1. It specifies the default for the lang property of returned objects if not otherwise set (e.g. by a language prefix).
    2. It is used to initialize an internal cache for speeding up language-code parsing (primarily useful if the same language code may appear in several items, such as with {{col}} and related templates). The value of lang can be any of the following:
  • If a string of the form "foo.default", it is assumed to be requesting the value of args["foo"].default.
  • Otherwise, if a string or number, it is assumed to be requesting the value of args at that key. Note that if the string is in the form of a number (e.g. "3"), it is normalized to a number prior to fetching (this also happens with a spec like "2.default").
  • Otherwise, if a function, it is assumed to be a function to return the argument value given args, which is passed to the function as its only argument.
  • Otherwise, it is used directly.
  • sc: The script object for the items, or the name of the argument to fetch the object from. The possible values and their handling are the same as with lang. In general, as with lang, it is not necessary to specify this. However, if specified, it is used to supply the default for the sc property of returned items if not otherwise set (e.g. by the |scN= parameter or <sc:...> inline modifier).
  • disallow_custom_separators: If specified, disallow specifying a bare semicolon as an item value to indicate that the item's previous separator should be a semicolon. By default, the previous separator of each item is considered to be an empty string (for the first item) and otherwise a comma + space, unless either the preceding item is a bare semicolon (which causes the following item's previous separator to be a semicolon + space) or an item has an embedded comma in it (which causes all items other than the first to have their previous separator be a semicolon + space). The previous separator of each item is set on the item's separator property. Bare semicolons do not count when indexing items using separate parameters. For example, the following is correct:
    • {{template|lang|item 1|;|item 2|q1=qualifier 1|q2=qualifier 2}} If disallow_custom_separators is specified, however, the separator property is not set and bare semicolons do not get any special treatment.
  • dont_skip_items: Normally, items that are completely unspecified (have no term and no properties) are skipped and not inserted into the returned list of items. (Such items cannot occur if disallow_holes = true is set on the term specification in the params structure passed to process() in Module:parameters. It is generally recommended to do so unless a specific meaning is associated the term value being missing.) If dont_skip_items is set, however, items are never skipped, and completely unspecified items will be returned along with others. (They will not have the term or any properties set, but will have the normal non-property fields set; see below.)
  • stop_when: If specified, a function to determine when to prematurely stop processing items. It is passed a single argument, an object containing the following fields:
    • term: The raw term, prior to parsing off language prefixes and inline modifiers (since the processing of stop_when happens before parsing the term).
    • any_param_at_index: True if any separate property parameters exist for this item.
    • orig_index: Same as orig_index below.
    • itemno: Same as itemno below.
    • stored_itemno: The index where this item will be stored into the returned items table. This may differ from itemno due to skipped items (it will never be different if dont_skip_items is set). The function should return true to stop processing items and return the ones processed so far (not including the item currently being processed). This is used, for example, in Module:alternative forms, where an unspecified item signal the end of items and the start of labels.

Two values are returned, the list of items and the processed args structure. In each returned item, there will be one field set for each specified property (either through inline modifiers or separate parameters). In addition, the following fields may be set:

  • term: The term portion of the item (minus inline modifiers and language prefixes). nil if no term was given.
  • orig_index: The original index into the item in the items table returned by process() in Module:parameters. This may differ from itemno if there are raw semiclons and disallow_custom_separators is not given.
  • itemno: The logical index of the item. The index of separate parameters corresponds to this index. This may be different from orig_index in the presence of raw semicolons; see above.
  • separator: The separator to display before the term. Always set unless disallow_custom_separators is given, in which case it is not set.
  • termlang: If there is a language prefix, the corresponding language object is stored here (only if parse_lang_prefix is set and allow_multiple_lang_prefixes is not set).
  • termlangs: If there is are language prefixes and both parse_lang_prefix and allow_multiple_lang_prefixes are set, the list of corresponding language objects is stored here.
  • lang: The language object of the item. This is set when either (a) there is a language prefix parsed off (if multiple prefixes are allowed, this corresponds to the first one); (b) the lang property is allowed and specified; (c) neither (a) nor (b) apply and the lang field of the overall data object is set, providing a default value.
  • sc: The script object of the item. This is set when either (a) the sc property is allowed and specified; (b) sc isn't otherwise set and the sc field of the overall data object is set, providing a default value.

local export = {}

local dump = mw.dumpObject
local parameters_module = "Module:parameters"
local parse_utilities_module = "Module:parse utilities"
local table_module = "Module:table"

local function track(page, track_module)
	return require("Module:debug/track")((track_module or "parameter utilities") .. "/" .. page)
end

-- Throw an error prefixed with the words "Internal error" (and suffixed with a dumped version of `spec`, if provided).
-- This is for logic errors in the code itself rather than template user errors.
local function internal_error(msg, spec)
	if spec then
		msg = ("%s: %s"):format(msg, dump(spec))
	end
	error(("Internal error: %s"):format(msg))
end

-- Table listing the recognized special separator arguments and how they display.
local special_separators = {
	[";"] = "; ",
	["_"] = " ",
	["~"] = " ~ ",
}

--[==[ intro:
The purpose of this module is to facilitate implementation of a template that takes a list of items with associated
properties, which can be specified either through separate parameters (e.g. {{para|t2}}, {{para|pos3}}) or inline
modifiers (`<t:...>`, `<pos:...>`, etc.). Some examples of templates that work this way are {{tl|alter}}/{{tl|alt}};
{{tl|synonyms}}/{{tl|syn}}, {{tl|antonyms}}/{{tl|ant}}, and other "nyms" templates; {{tl|col}}, {{tl|col2}},
{{tl|col3}}, {{tl|col4}} and other columns templates; {{tl|descendant}}/{{tl|desc}}; {{tl|affix}}/{{tl|af}},
{{tl|prefix}}/{{tl|pre}} and related *fix templates; {{tl|affixusex}}/{{tl|afex}} and related templates; {{tl|IPA}};
{{tl|homophones}}; {{tl|rhymes}}; and several others. This module can be thought of as a combination of
[[Module:parameters]] (which parses template parameters, and in particular handles the separate parameter versions of
the properties) and `parse_inline_modifiers()` in [[Module:parse utilities]] (which parses inline modifiers).

The main entry point is `process_list_arguments()`, which takes an object specifying various properties and returns a
list of objects, one per item specified by the user, where the individual objects are much like the objects returned by
`parse_inline_modifiers()`. However, there are other functions provided, in particular to initialize the `param_mods`
structured that is passed to `process_list_arguments()`.

The typical workflow for using this module looks as follows (a slightly simplified version of the code in
[[Module:nyms]]):
{
local export = {}

local parameter_utilities_module = "Module:parameter utilities"

...

-- Entry point to be invoked from a template.
function export.show(frame)
	local parent_args = frame:getParent().args

	-- Parameters that don't have corresponding inline modifiers. Note in particular that the parameter corresponding to
	-- the items themselves must be specified this way, and must specify either `allow_holes = true` (if the user can
	-- omit terms, typically by specifying the term using |altN= or <alt:...> so that they remain unlinked) or
	-- `disallow_holes = true` (if omitting terms is not allowed). (If neither `allow_holes` nor `disallow_holes` is
	-- specified, an error is thrown in process_list_arguments().)
	local params = {
		[1] = {required = true, type = "language", default = "und"},
		[2] = {list = true, allow_holes = true, required = true, default = "term"},
	}

    local m_param_utils = require(parameter_utilities_module)

	-- This constructs the `param_mods` structure by adding well-known groups of parameters (such as all the parameters
	-- associated with based on full_link() in [[Module:links]], with default properties that can be overridden. This is
	-- easier and less error-prone than manually specifying the `param_mods` structure (see below for how this would
	-- look). Here, we specify the group "link" (consisting of all the link parameters for use with full_link()), group
	-- "ref" (which adds the "ref" parameter for specifying references), group "l" (which adds the "l" and "ll"
	-- parameters for specifying labels) and group "q" (which adds the "q" and "qq" parameters for specifying regular
	-- qualifiers). By default, labels and qualifiers have `separate_no_index` set so that e.g. |q1= is distinct from
	-- |q=, the former specifying the left qualifier for the first item and the latter specifying the overall left
	-- qualifier. For compatibility, we override the `separate_no_index` setting for the group "q", which causes |q= and
	-- |q1= to be the same, and likewise for |qq= and |qq1=. Finally, also for compatibility, we add an "lb" parameter
	-- that is an alias of "ll" (in all respects; |lb= is the same as |ll=, |lb1= is the same as |ll1=, <lb:...> is the
	-- same as <ll:...>, etc.).
	local param_mods = m_param_utils.construct_param_mods {
		{group = {"link", "ref", "l"}},
		{group = "q", separate_no_index = false},
		{param = "lb", alias_of = "ll"},
	}

	-- This processes the raw arguments in `parent_args`, parses inline modifiers and creates corresponding objects
	-- containing the property values specified either through inline modifiers or separate parameters.
	local items, args = m_param_utils.process_list_arguments {
		params = params,
		param_mods = param_mods,
		raw_args = parent_args,
		termarg = 2,
		parse_lang_prefix = true,
		track_module = "nyms",
		lang = 1,
		sc = "sc.default",
	}

	local lang = args[1]

	-- Now do the actual implementation of the template. Generally this should be split into a separate function, often
	-- in a separate module (if the implementation goes in [[Module:foo]], the template interface code goes in
	-- [[Module:foo/templates]]).
	...
}

The `param_mods` structure controls the properties that can be specified by the user for a given item, and is
conceptually very similar to the `param_mods` structure used by `parse_inline_modifiers()`. The key is the name of the
parameter (e.g. {"t"}, {"pos"}) and the value is a table with optional elements as follows:
* `item_dest`, `store`: Same as the corresponding fields in the `param_mods` structure passed to
  `parse_inline_modifiers()`.
* `type`, `set`, `sublist`, `convert` and associated fields such as `family` and `method`: These control parsing and
  conversion of the raw values specified by the user and have the same meaning as in [[Module:parameters]] and also in
  `parse_inline_modifiers()` (which delegates the actual conversion to [[Module:parameters]]). These fields — and for
  that matter, all fields other than `item_dest`, `store` and `overall` — are forwarded to the `process()` function in
  [[Module:parameters]].
* `alias_of`: This parameter is an alias of some other parameter. This spec is recognized only by `process()` in
  [[Module:parameters]], and not by `parse_inline_modifiers()`; to set up an alias in `parse_inline_modifiers()`, you
  need to make sure (using `item_dest`) that both the alias and aliasee modifiers store their values in the same
  location, and you need to copy the remaining properties from the aliasee's spec to the aliasing modifier's spec. All
  of this happens automatically if you generate the `param_mods` structure using `construct_param_mods()`.
* `require_index`: This means that the non-indexed parameter version of the property is not recognized. E.g. in the
  case of the {"sc"} property, use of the {{para|sc}} parameter would result in an error, while {{para|sc1}} is
  recognized and specifies the {"sc"} property for the first item. The default, if neither `require_index` nor
  `separate_no_index` is given, is for {{para|sc}} and {{para|sc1}} to mean the same thing (both would specify the
  {"sc"} property of the first item). Note that `require_index` and `separate_no_index` are mutually exclusive, and if
  either one is specified during processing by `construct_param_mods()`, the other one is automaticallly turned off.
* `separate_no_index`: This means that e.g. the {{para|sc}} parameter is distinct from the {{para|sc1}} parameter
  (and thus from the `<sc:...>` inline modifier on the first item). This is typically used to distinguish an overall
  version of a property from the corresponding item-specific property on the first item. (In this case, for example,
  {{para|sc}} overrides the script code for all items, while {{para|sc1}} overrides the script code only for the
  first item.) If not given, and if `require_index` is not given, {{para|sc}} and {{para|sc1}} would have the same
  meaning and refer to the item-specific property on the first item. When this is given, the overall value can be
  accessed using the `.default` field of the property value in `args`, e.g. in this case `args.sc.default`. Note that
  (as mentioned above) `require_index` and `separate_no_index` are mutually exclusive, and if either one is specified
  during processing by `construct_param_mods()`, the other one is automaticallly turned off.
* `list`, `allow_holes`, `disallow_holes`: These should '''not''' be given. `list` and `allow_holes` are automatically
  set for all parameter specs added to the `params` structure used by `process()` in [[Module:parameters]], and
  `disallow_holes` clashes with `allow_holes`.

For the above workflow example, the call to `construct_param_mods()` generates the following `param_mods` structure:

{
local param_mods = {
	-- the parameters generated by group "link"
	alt = {},
	t = {
		-- [[Module:links]] expects the gloss in "gloss".
		item_dest = "gloss",
	},
	gloss = {
		alias_of = "t",
	},
	tr = {},
	ts = {},
	g = {
		-- [[Module:links]] expects the genders in "genders".
		item_dest = "genders",
		sublist = true,
	},
	pos = {},
	lit = {},
	id = {},
	sc = {
		separate_no_index = true,
		type = "script",
	},

	-- the parameters generated by group "ref"
	ref = {
		item_dest = "refs",
		type = "references",
	},

	-- the parameters generated by group "l"
	l = {
		type = "labels",
		separate_no_index = true,
	},
	ll = {
		type = "labels",
		separate_no_index = true,
	},

	-- the parameters generated by group "q"; note that `separate_no_index = true` would be set, but is overridden
	-- (specifying `separate_no_index = false` in the `param_mods` structure is equivalent to not specifying it at all)
	q = {
		type = "qualifier",
		separate_no_index = false,
	},
	qq = {
		type = "qualifier",
		separate_no_index = false,
	},

	-- the parameter generated by the individual "lb" parameter spec; note that only `alias_of` was explicitly given,
	-- while `item_dest` is automatically set so that inline modifier <lb:...> stores into the same place as <ll:...>,
	-- and the other specs are copied from the `ll` spec so `lb` works like `ll` in all regards
	lb = {
		alias_of = "ll",
		item_dest = "ll",
		type = "labels",
		separate_no_index = true,
	},
}
}
]==]


local qualifier_spec = {
	type = "qualifier",
	separate_no_index = true,
}

local label_spec = {
	type = "labels",
	separate_no_index = true,
}

local recognized_param_mod_groups = {
	link = {
		alt = {},
		t = {
			-- [[Module:links]] expects the gloss in "gloss".
			item_dest = "gloss",
		},
		gloss = {
			alias_of = "t",
		},
		tr = {},
		ts = {},
		g = {
			-- [[Module:links]] expects the genders in "genders".
			item_dest = "genders",
			sublist = true,
		},
		pos = {},
		lit = {},
		id = {},
		sc = {
			separate_no_index = true,
			type = "script",
		},
	},
	lang = {
		lang = {
			require_index = true,
			type = "language",
		},
	},
	q = {
		q = qualifier_spec,
		qq = qualifier_spec,
	},
	a = {
		a = label_spec,
		aa = label_spec,
	},
	l = {
		l = label_spec,
		ll = label_spec,
	},
	ref = {
		ref = {
			item_dest = "refs",
			type = "references",
		},
	},
}


local function merge_param_mod_settings(orig, additions)
	local merged = require(table_module).shallowcopy(orig)
	for k, v in pairs(additions) do
		merged[k] = v
		if k == "require_index" then
			merged.separate_no_index = nil
		elseif k == "separate_no_index" then
			merged.require_index = nil
		end
	end
	merged.default = nil
	merged.group = nil
	merged.param = nil
	merged.exclude = nil
	merged.include = nil
	return merged
end


local function verify_type(spec, param, typ1, typ2)
	if not spec[param] then
		return
	end
	local val = spec[param]
	if type(val) ~= typ1 and (not typ2 or type(val) ~= typ2) then
		internal_error(("Parameter `%s` must be a %s%s but saw a %s"):format(param, typ1, typ2 and " or " .. typ2 or "",
			type(val)), spec)
	end
end

local function verify_well_constructed_spec(spec)
	local num_control = (spec.default and 1 or 0) + (spec.group and 1 or 0) + (spec.param and 1 or 0)
	if num_control == 0 then
		internal_error(
			"Spec passed to construct_param_mods() must have either the `default`, `group` or `param` keys set", spec)
	end
	if num_control > 1 then
		internal_error(
			"Exactly one of `default`, `group` or `param` must be set in construct_param_mods() spec", spec)
	end
	if spec.list or spec.allow_holes then
		-- FIXME: We need to support list = "foo" for list parameters that are stored in e.g. 2=, foo2=, foo3=, etc.
		internal_error("`list` and `allow_holes` may not be set; they are automatically set when constructing the " ..
			"corresponding spec in the `params` object passed to [[Module:parameters]]", spec)
	end
	if spec.disallow_holes then
		internal_error("`disallow_holes` may not be set; it conflicts with `allow_holes`, which is automatically " ..
			"set when constructing the corresponding spec in the `params` object passed to [[Module:parameters]]", spec)
	end
	if spec.include and spec.exclude then
		internal_error("Saw both `include` and `exclude` in the same spec", spec)
	end
	if (spec.include or spec.exclude) and not spec.group then
		internal_error(
			"`include` and `exclude` can only be specified along with `group`, not with `default` or `param`", spec)
	end
	verify_type(spec, "group", "string", "table")
	verify_type(spec, "param", "string", "table")
	verify_type(spec, "include", "table")
	verify_type(spec, "exclude", "table")
end


--[==[
Construct the `param_mods` structure used in parsing arguments and inline modifiers from a list of specifications.
A sample invocation (a slightly simplified version of the actual invocation associated with {{tl|affix}} and related
templates) looks like this:
{
	local param_mods = require("Module:parameter utilities").construct_param_mods {
		-- We want to require an index for all params (or use separate_no_index, which also requires an index for the
		-- param corresponding to the first item).
		{default = true, require_index = true},
		{group = {"link", "ref", "lang", "q", "l"}},
		-- Override these two to have separate_no_index.
		{param = {"lit", "pos"}, separate_no_index = true},
	}
}

Each specification either sets the default value for further parameter specs or adds one or more parameters. Parameters
can be added directly using `param`, or groups of predefined parameters can be added using `group`. Specifications are
one of three types:
# Those that set the default properties for future-added parameters. These contain {default = true} as one of the
  properties of the spec. Specs are processed in order and you can change the defaults mid-way through.
# Those that add the parameters associated with one or more pre-defined groups. These contain {group = "group"} or
  {group = {"group1", "group2", ...}}. The pre-defined parameter groups and their associated properties are listed
  below. The pre-defined properties of parameters in a group override properties associated with a {default = true}
  spec, and are in turn overridden by any properties given directly in the spec itself. Note as well that setting the
  `separate_no_index` property will automatically cause the `require_index` property to be unset and vice-versa, as the
  two are mutually exclusive. (This happens in the example above, where the {separate_no_index = true} setting
  associated with the params {"lit"} and {"pos"} cancels out the {require_index = true} default setting, as well as less
  obviously with the pre-defined {"sc"} property of the {"link"} group, the {"q"} and {"qq"} properties of the {"q"}
  group, and the {"l"} and {"ll"} properties of the {"l"} group, all of which have an associated pre-defined property
  {separate_no_index = true}, which overrides and cancels out the {require_index = true} default setting. Finally, when
  adding the parameters of a group, you can request the only a subset of the parameters be added using either the
  `include` or `exclude` properties, each of whose values is a list of parameters that specify (respectively) the
  parameters to include (all other parameters of the group are excluded) or to exclude (all other parameters of the
  group are included). This is used, for example, in [[Module:romance etymology]] and [[Module:it-etymology]], which
  specify {group = "link", exclude = {"tr", "ts", "sc"}} to exclude link parameters that aren't relevant to Latin-script
  languages such as the Romance languages, and conversely in [[Module:IPA/templates]], which specifies
  {group = "link", include = {"t", "gloss", "pos"}} to include only the specified parameters for use with {{tl|IPA}}.
# Those that add individual parameters. These contain {param = "param"} or {param = {"param1", "param2", ...}}, the
  latter syntax used to control a set of parameters together. The resulting spec is formed by initializing the
  parameter's settings with any previously-specified default properties (using a spec containing {default = true}) if
  the parameter hasn't already been initialized, and then overriding the resulting settings with any settings given
  directly in the specification. In the above example, the {"lit"} and {"pos"} parameters were previously initialized
  through the {"link"} group (specified in the second of the three specifications) but ended up with
  {require_index = true} due to the {default = true} spec (the first of the three specifications). We override these
  two parameters to have {separate_no_index = true} (which, as mentioned above, cancels out {require_index = true}).
  This is done so that {{tl|affix}} and related templates have {{para|pos}} and {{para|lit}} parameters distinct from
  {{para|pos1}} and {{para|lit1}}, which are used to specify an overall part of speech (which applies to all parts of
  the affix, as opposed to applying to just one element of the expression) or a literal definition for the entire
  expression (instead of just for one element of the expression).

The built-in parameter groups are as follows:

{|class="wikitable"
! Group !! Group meaning !! Parameter !! Parameter meaning !! Default properties
|-
| rowspan=10| `link`
| rowspan=10| link parameters; same as those available on {{tl|l}}, {{tl|m}} and other linking templates
| `alt` || display text, overriding the term's display form || —
|-
| `t` || gloss (translation) of a non-English term || {item_dest = "gloss"}
|-
| `gloss` || gloss (translation); same as `t` || {alias_of = "t"}
|-
| `tr` || transliteration of a non-Latin-script term; only needed if the automatic transliteration is incorrect or unavailable (e.g. in Hebrew, which doesn't have automatic transliteration) || —
|-
| `ts` || transcription of a non-Latin-script term, if the transliteration is markedly different from the actual pronunciation; should not be used for IPA pronunciations || —
|-
| `g` || comma-separated list of genders; whitespace may surround the comma and will be ignored || {item_dest = "genders", sublist = true}
|-
| `pos` || part of speech for the term || —
|-
| `lit` || literal meaning (translation) of the term || —
|-
| `id` || a sense ID for the term, which links to anchors on the page set by the {{tl|senseid}} template || —
|-
| `sc` || the script code (see [[Wiktionary:Scripts]]) for the script that the term is written in; rarely necessary, as the script is autodetected (in most cases, correctly) || {separate_no_index = true, type = "script"}
|-
| rowspan=2| `q`
| rowspan=2| left and right normal qualifiers (as displayed using {{tl|q}})
| `q` || left normal qualifier || {separate_no_index = true, type = "qualifier"}
|-
| `qq` || right normal qualifier || {separate_no_index = true, type = "qualifier"}
|-
| rowspan=2| `a`
| rowspan=2| left and right accent qualifiers (as displayed using {{tl|a}})
| `a` || comma-separated list of left accent qualifiers; whitespace must not surround the comma || {separate_no_index = true, type = "labels"}
|-
| `aa` || comma-separated list of right accent qualifiers; whitespace must not surround the comma || {separate_no_index = true, type = "labels"}
|-
| rowspan=2| `l`
| rowspan=2| left and right labels (as displayed using {{tl|lb}}, but without categorizing)
| `l` || comma-separated list of left labels; whitespace must not surround the comma || {separate_no_index = true, type = "labels"}
|-
| `ll` || comma-separated list of right labels; whitespace must not surround the comma || {separate_no_index = true, type = "labels"}
|-
| `ref`
| reference(s) (in the format accepted by [[Module:references]]; see also the documentation for the {{para|ref}} parameter to {{tl|IPA}})
| `ref` || one or more references, in the format accepted by [[Module:references]] || {item_dest = "refs", type = "references"}
|-
| `lang`
| language for an individual term (provided for compatibility; it is preferred to specify languages for individual terms using language prefixes instead)
| `lang` || language code (see [[Wiktionary:Languages]]) for the term || {require_index = true, type = "language"}
|}
]==]
function export.construct_param_mods(specs)
	local param_mods = {}
	local default_specs = {}
	for _, spec in ipairs(specs) do
		verify_well_constructed_spec(spec)
		if spec.default then
			-- This will have an extra `default` field in it, but it will be erased by merge_param_mod_settings()
			default_specs = spec
		else
			if spec.group then
				local groups = spec.group
				if type(groups) ~= "table" then
					groups = {groups}
				end
				local include_set
				if spec.include then
					include_set = require(table_module).listToSet(spec.include)
				end
				local exclude_set
				if spec.exclude then
					exclude_set = require(table_module).listToSet(spec.exclude)
				end
				for _, group in ipairs(groups) do
					local group_specs = recognized_param_mod_groups[group]
					if not group_specs then
						internal_error(("Unrecognized built-in param mod group '%s'"):format(group), spec)
					end
					for group_param, group_param_settings in pairs(group_specs) do
						local include_param
						if include_set then
							include_param = include_set[group_param]
						elseif exclude_set then
							include_param = not exclude_set[group_param]
						else
							include_param = true
						end
						if include_param then
							local merged_settings = merge_param_mod_settings(merge_param_mod_settings(
								param_mods[group_param] or default_specs, group_param_settings), spec)
							param_mods[group_param] = merged_settings
						end
					end
				end
			end
			if spec.param then
				local params = spec.param
				if type(params) ~= "table" then
					params = {params}
				end
				for _, param in ipairs(params) do
					local settings = merge_param_mod_settings(param_mods[param] or default_specs, spec)
					-- If this parameter is an alias of another parameter, we need to copy the specs from the other
					-- parameter, since parse_inline_modifiers() doesn't know about `alias_of` and having the specs
					-- duplicated won't cause problems for [[Module:parameters]]. We also need to set `item_dest` to
					-- point to the `item_dest` of the aliasee (defaulting to the aliasee's value itself), so that
					-- both modifiers write to the same location. Note that this works correctly in the common case of
					-- <t:...> with `item_dest = "gloss"` and <gloss:...> with `alias_of = "t"`, because both will end
					-- up with `item_dest = "gloss"`.
					local aliasee = settings.alias_of
					if aliasee then
						local aliasee_settings = param_mods[aliasee]
						if not aliasee_settings then
							internal_error(("Undefined aliasee '%s'"):format(aliasee), spec)
						end
						for k, v in pairs(aliasee_settings) do
							if settings[k] == nil then
								settings[k] = v
							end
						end
						if settings.item_dest == nil then
							settings.item_dest = aliasee
						end
					end
					param_mods[param] = settings
				end
			end
		end
	end

	return param_mods
end

-- Return true if `k` is a "built-in" (specially recognized) key in a `param_mod` specification. All other keys
-- are forwarded to the structure passed to [[Module:parameters]].
local function param_mod_spec_key_is_builtin(k)
	return k == "item_dest" or k == "overall" or k == "store"
end

--[==[
Convert the properties in `param_mods` into the appropriate structures for use by `process()` in [[Module:parameters]]
and store them in `params`. If `overall_only` is given, only store the properties in `param_mods` that correspond to
overall (non-item-specific) parameters. Currently this only happens when `separate_no_index` is specified.
]==]
function export.augment_params_with_modifiers(params, param_mods, overall_only)
	if overall_only then
		for param_mod, param_mod_spec in pairs(param_mods) do
			if param_mod_spec.separate_no_index then
				local param_spec = {}
				for k, v in pairs(param_mod_spec) do
					if k ~= "separate_no_index" and not param_mod_spec_key_is_builtin(k) then
						param_spec[k] = v
					end
				end
				params[param_mod] = param_spec
			end
		end
	else
		local list_with_holes = { list = true, allow_holes = true }
		-- Add parameters for each term modifier.
		for param_mod, param_mod_spec in pairs(param_mods) do
			local has_extra_specs = false
			for k, _ in pairs(param_mod_spec) do
				if not param_mod_spec_key_is_builtin(k) then
					has_extra_specs = true
					break
				end
			end
			if not has_extra_specs then
				params[param_mod] = list_with_holes
			else
				local param_spec = mw.clone(list_with_holes)
				for k, v in pairs(param_mod_spec) do
					if not param_mod_spec_key_is_builtin(k) then
						param_spec[k] = v
					end
				end
				params[param_mod] = param_spec
			end
		end
	end
end

--[==[
Return true if `k`, a key in an item, refers to a property of the item (is not one of the specially stored values).
Note that `lang` and `sc` are considered properties of the item, although `lang` is set when there's a language
prefix and both `lang` and `sc` may be set from default values specified in the `data` structure passed into
`process_list_arguments()`. If you don't want these treated as property keys, you need to check for them yourself.
]==]
function export.item_key_is_property(k)
	return k ~= "term" and k ~= "termlang" and k ~= "termlangs" and k ~= "itemno" and k ~= "orig_index" and
		k ~= "separator"
end

-- Fetch the argument in `args` corresponding to `index_or_value`, which may be a string of the form "foo.default"
-- (requesting the value of `args["foo"].default`); a string or number (requesting the value at that key); a function of
-- one argument (`args`), which returns the argument value; or the value itself.
local function fetch_argument(args, index_or_value)
	if type(index_or_value) == "string" then
		local index_without_default = index_or_value:match("^(.*)%.default$")
		if index_without_default then
			local arg_obj = fetch_argument(args, index_without_default)
			if type(arg_obj) ~= "table" then
				internal_error(("Requested that the '.default' key of argument `%s` be fetched, but argument value is undefined or not a table"):
					format(index_without_default), arg_obj)
			end
			return arg_obj.default
		end
		if index_or_value:find("^[0-9]+$") then
			index_or_value = tonumber(index_or_value)
		end
		return args[index_or_value]
	elseif type(index_or_value) == "number" then
		return args[index_or_value]
	elseif type(index_or_value) == "function" then
		return index_or_value(args)
	else
		return index_or_value
	end
end

--[==[
Parse inline modifiers and create corresponding item objects containing the property values specified either through
inline modifiers or separate parameters. `data` is an object containing the following properties:
* `raw_args` ('''required''' unless `processed_args` is specified): The raw arguments, normally fetched from
  {frame:getParent().args}. They are parsed using `process()` in [[Module:parameters]].
* `processed_args`: The object of parsed arguments returned by `process()` in [[Module:parameters]]. One (but not both)
  of `raw_args` and `processed_args` must be set.
* `param_mods` ('''required'''): A structure describing the possible inline modifiers and their properties. See the
  introductory comment above. Most often, this is generated using `construct_param_mods()` rather than specified
  manually.
* `params` ('''required''' unless `processed_args` is specified): A structure describing the possible parameters,
  '''other than''' the ones that are separate-parameter equivalents of inline modifiers. This is automatically
  "augmented" with the separate-parameter equivalents of the inline modifiers described in `param_mods` prior to parsing
  the raw arguments with [[Module:parameters]]. '''WARNING:''' This structure is destructively modified, both by the
  "augmentation" process of adding separate-parameter equivalents of inline modifiers, and by the processing done by
  [[Module:parameters]] itself. (Nonetheless, substructures can safely be shared in this structure, and will be
  correctly handled.)
* `termarg` ('''required'''): The argument containing the first item with attached inline modifiers to be parsed.
  Usually a numeric value such as {1} or {2}.
* `track_module` ('''recommended'''): The name of the calling module, for use in adding tracking pages that are used
  internally to track pages containing template invocations with certain properties. Example properties tracked are
  missing items with corresponding properties as well as missing items without corresponding properties (which are
  skipped entirely). To find out the exact properties tracked and the name of the tracking pages, read the code.
* `process_args_before_parsing`: An optional function to apply further processing to the processed `args` structure
  returned by [[Module:parameters]], before parsing inline modifiers. This is passed one argument, the processed
  arguments. It should make modifications in-place.
* `term_dest`: The field to store the value of the item itself into, after inline modifiers and (if allowed) language
  prefixes are stripped off. Defaults to {"term"}.
* `parse_lang_prefix`: If true, allow and parse off a language code prefix attached to items followed by a colon, such
  as {la:minūtia} or {grc:[[σκῶρ|σκατός]]}. Etymology-only languages are allowed. Inline modifiers can be attached to
  such items. The exact syntax allowed is as specified in the `parse_term_with_lang()` function in
  [[Module:parse utilities]]. If `allow_multiple_lang_prefixes` is given, a comma-separated list of language prefixes
  can be attached to an item. The resulting language object is stored into the `termlang` field, and also into the
  `lang` field (or in the case of `allow_multiple_lang_prefixes`, the list of language objects is stored into the
  `termlangs` field, and the first specified object is stored in the `lang` field).
* `allow_multiple_lang_prefixes`: If given in conjunction with `parse_lang_prefix`, multiple comma-separated language
  code prefixes can be given. See `parse_lang_prefix` above.
* `allow_bad_lang_prefixes`: If given in conjunction with `parse_lang_prefix`, unrecognized language prefixes do not
  trigger an error, but are simply ignored (and not stripped off the item). Note that, regardless of whether this is
  given, prefixes before a colon do not trigger an error if they do not have the form of a language prefix or if a space
  follows the colon. It is not recommended that this be given because typos in language prefixes will not trigger an
  error and will tend to remain unfixed.
* `lang`: The language object for the language of the items, or the name of the argument to fetch the object from. In
  general it is not necessary to specify this as `process_list_arguments()` only initializes items based on inline
  modifiers and separate arguments and doesn't actually format the resulting items. However, if specified, it is used
  for certain purposes:
  *# It specifies the default for the `lang` property of returned objects if not otherwise set (e.g. by a language
     prefix).
  *# It is used to initialize an internal cache for speeding up language-code parsing (primarily useful if the same
     language code may appear in several items, such as with {{tl|col}} and related templates).
  The value of `lang` can be any of the following:
  * If a string of the form "foo.default", it is assumed to be requesting the value of `args["foo"].default`.
  * Otherwise, if a string or number, it is assumed to be requesting the value of `args` at that key. Note that if the
    string is in the form of a number (e.g. "3"), it is normalized to a number prior to fetching (this also happens with
	a spec like "2.default").
  * Otherwise, if a function, it is assumed to be a function to return the argument value given `args`, which is passed
    to the function as its only argument.
  * Otherwise, it is used directly.
* `sc`: The script object for the items, or the name of the argument to fetch the object from. The possible values and
  their handling are the same as with `lang`. In general, as with `lang`,  it is not necessary to specify this. However,
  if specified, it is used to supply the default for the `sc` property of returned items if not otherwise set (e.g. by
  the {{para|sc<var>N</var>}} parameter or `<sc:...>` inline modifier).
* `disallow_custom_separators`: If specified, disallow specifying a bare semicolon as an item value to indicate that the
  item's previous separator should be a semicolon. By default, the previous separator of each item is considered to be
  an empty string (for the first item) and otherwise a comma + space, unless either the preceding item is a bare
  semicolon (which causes the following item's previous separator to be a semicolon + space) or an item has an embedded
  comma in it (which causes ''all'' items other than the first to have their previous separator be a semicolon + space).
  The previous separator of each item is set on the item's `separator` property. Bare semicolons do not count when
  indexing items using separate parameters. For example, the following is correct:
  ** {{tl|template|lang|item 1|q1=qualifier 1|;|item 2|q2=qualifier 2}}
  If `disallow_custom_separators` is specified, however, the `separator` property is not set and bare semicolons do not
  get any special treatment.
* `dont_skip_items`: Normally, items that are completely unspecified (have no term and no properties) are skipped and
  not inserted into the returned list of items. (Such items cannot occur if `disallow_holes = true` is set on the term
  specification in the `params` structure passed to `process()` in [[Module:parameters]]. It is generally recommended
  to do so unless a specific meaning is associated the term value being missing.) If `dont_skip_items` is set, however,
  items are never skipped, and completely unspecified items will be returned along with others. (They will not have
  the term or any properties set, but will have the normal non-property fields set; see below.)
* `stop_when`: If specified, a function to determine when to prematurely stop processing items. It is passed a single
  argument, an object containing the following fields:
  ** `term`: The raw term, prior to parsing off language prefixes and inline modifiers (since the processing of
     `stop_when` happens before parsing the term).
  ** `any_param_at_index`: True if any separate property parameters exist for this item.
  ** `orig_index`: Same as `orig_index` below.
  ** `itemno`: Same as `itemno` below.
  ** `stored_itemno`: The index where this item will be stored into the returned items table. This may differ from
     `itemno` due to skipped items (it will never be different if `dont_skip_items` is set).
  The function should return true to stop processing items and return the ones processed so far (not including the item
  currently being processed). This is used, for example, in [[Module:alternative forms]], where an unspecified item
  signal the end of items and the start of labels.

Two values are returned, the list of items and the processed `args` structure. In each returned item, there will be one
field set for each specified property (either through inline modifiers or separate parameters). In addition, the
following fields may be set:
* `term`: The term portion of the item (minus inline modifiers and language prefixes). {nil} if no term was given.
* `orig_index`: The original index into the item in the items table returned by `process()` in [[Module:parameters]].
  This may differ from `itemno` if there are raw semiclons and `disallow_custom_separators` is not given.
* `itemno`: The logical index of the item. The index of separate parameters corresponds to this index. This may be
  different from `orig_index` in the presence of raw semicolons; see above.
* `separator`: The separator to display before the term. Always set unless `disallow_custom_separators` is given, in
  which case it is not set.
* `termlang`: If there is a language prefix, the corresponding language object is stored here (only if
  `parse_lang_prefix` is set and `allow_multiple_lang_prefixes` is not set).
* `termlangs`: If there is are language prefixes and both `parse_lang_prefix` and `allow_multiple_lang_prefixes` are
   set, the list of corresponding language objects is stored here.
* `lang`: The language object of the item. This is set when either (a) there is a language prefix parsed off (if
  multiple prefixes are allowed, this corresponds to the first one); (b) the `lang` property is allowed and specified;
  (c) neither (a) nor (b) apply and the `lang` field of the overall `data` object is set, providing a default value.
* `sc`: The script object of the item. This is set when either (a) the `sc` property is allowed and specified; (b)
  `sc` isn't otherwise set and the `sc` field of the overall `data` object is set, providing a default value.
]==]
function export.process_list_arguments(data)
	local args
	if not data.termarg then
		internal_error("Required value `data.termarg` not specified")
	end
	if not data.param_mods then
		internal_error("Required value `data.param_mods` not specified")
	end
	if data.raw_args then
		-- FIXME, remove support for `data.args` in favor of `data.processed_args`
		if data.processed_args or data.args then
			internal_error("Only one of `data.raw_args` and `data.processed_args` can be specified")
		end
		if not data.params then
			internal_error("When `data.raw_args` is specified, so must `data.params`, so that the raw arguments can be parsed")
		end
		local termarg_spec = data.params[data.termarg]
		if not termarg_spec then
			internal_error("There must be a spec in `data.params` corresponding to `data.termarg`")
		end
		if not termarg_spec.list then
			internal_error("Term spec in `data.params` must have `list` set", termarg_spec)
		end
		if not termarg_spec.allow_holes and not termarg_spec.disallow_holes then
			internal_error("Term spec in `data.params` must have either `allow_holes` or `disallow_holes` set", termarg_spec)
		end
		export.augment_params_with_modifiers(data.params, data.param_mods)
		args = require(parameters_module).process(data.raw_args, data.params)
	else
		args = data.processed_args or data.args
		if not args then
			internal_error("Either `data.raw_args` or `data.processed_args` must be specified")
		end
		if data.params then
			internal_error("When `data.processed_args` is specified, `data.params` should not be specified")
		end
	end

	if data.process_args_before_parsing then
		data.process_args_before_parsing(args)
	end

	-- Find the maximum index among any of the list parameters.
	local term_args = args[data.termarg]
	-- As a special case, the term args might not have a `maxindex` field because they might have
	-- been declared with `disallow_holes = true`, so fall back to the actual length of the list.
	local maxmaxindex = term_args.maxindex or #term_args
	for k, v in pairs(args) do
		if type(v) == "table" and v.maxindex and v.maxindex > maxmaxindex then
			maxmaxindex = v.maxindex
		end
	end


	local items = {}
	local ind = 0
	local lang = fetch_argument(args, data.lang)
	local sc = fetch_argument(args, data.sc)
	local lang_cache = {}
	if lang then
		lang_cache[lang:getCode()] = lang
	end
	local use_semicolon = false
	local term_dest = data.term_dest or "term"

	local itemno = 0
	for i = 1, maxmaxindex do
		local term = term_args[i]
		if data.disallow_custom_separators or not special_separators[term] then
			itemno = itemno + 1

			-- Compute whether any of the separate indexed params exist for this index.
			local any_param_at_index = term ~= nil
			if not any_param_at_index then
				for k, v in pairs(args) do
					-- Look for named list parameters. We check:
					-- (1) key is a string (excludes the term param, which is a number);
					-- (2) value is a table, i.e. a list;
					-- (3) v.maxindex is set (i.e. allow_holes was used);
					-- (4) the value has an entry at index `itemno` (the current logical index).
					if type(k) == "string" and type(v) == "table" and v.maxindex and v[itemno] then
						any_param_at_index = true
						break
					end
				end
			end

			if data.stop_when and data.stop_when {
				term = term,
				any_param_at_index = any_param_at_index,
				orig_index = i,
				itemno = itemno,
				stored_itemno = #items + 1,
			} then
				break
			end

			-- If any of the params used for formatting this term is present, create a term and add it to the list.
			if not data.dont_skip_items and not any_param_at_index then
				track("skipped-term", data.track_module)
			else
				if not term then
					track("missing-term", data.track_module)
				end
				local termobj = {
					itemno = itemno,
					orig_index = i,
				}
				if not data.disallow_custom_separators then
					termobj.separator = i == 1 and "" or special_separators[term_args[i - 1]]
				end

				-- Parse all the term-specific parameters and store in `termobj`.
				for param_mod, param_mod_spec in pairs(data.param_mods) do
					local dest = param_mod_spec.item_dest or param_mod
					local arg = args[param_mod] and args[param_mod][itemno]
					if arg then
						termobj[dest] = arg
					end
				end

				local function generate_obj(term, parse_err)
					if data.parse_lang_prefix and term:find(":") then
						local actual_term, termlangs = require(parse_utilities_module).parse_term_with_lang {
							term = term,
							parse_err = parse_err,
							paramname = paramname,
							allow_bad = data.allow_bad_lang_prefix,
							allow_multiple = data.allow_multiple_lang_prefixes,
							lang_cache = lang_cache,
						}
						termobj[term_dest] = actual_term ~= "" and actual_term or nil
						if termlangs then
							-- If we couldn't parse a language code, don't overwrite an existing setting in `lang`
							-- that may have originated from a separate |langN= param.
							if data.allow_multiple_lang_prefixes then
								termobj.termlangs = termlangs
								termobj.lang = termlangs and termlangs[1] or nil
							else
								termobj.termlang = termlangs
								termobj.lang = termlangs
							end
						end
					else
						termobj[term_dest] = term ~= "" and term or nil
					end
					return termobj
				end

				-- Check for inline modifier, e.g. מרים<tr:Miryem>. But exclude top-level HTML entry with <span ...>,
				-- <br/> or similar in it, often caused by wrapping an argument in {{m|...}} or similar.
				if term and term:find("<") and not require(parse_utilities_module).term_contains_top_level_html(term) then
					require(parse_utilities_module).parse_inline_modifiers(term, {
						-- Add 1 because first term index starts at 2.
						paramname = data.termarg + i - 1,
						param_mods = data.param_mods,
						generate_obj = generate_obj,
					})
				elseif term then
					generate_obj(term)
				end
				-- Set these after parsing inline modifiers, not in generate_obj(), otherwise we'll get an error in
				-- parse_inline_modifiers() if we try to use <lang:...> or <sc:...> as inline modifiers.
				termobj.lang = termobj.lang or lang
				termobj.sc = termobj.sc or sc

				if not data.disallow_custom_separators then
					-- If the displayed term (from .term/etc. or .alt) has an embedded comma, use a semicolon to join
					-- the terms.
					local term_text = termobj[term_dest] or termobj.alt
					if not use_semicolon and term_text then
						if term_text:find(",", 1, true) then
							use_semicolon = true
						end
					end
				end

				table.insert(items, termobj)
			end
		end
	end

	if not data.disallow_custom_separators then
		-- Set the default separator of all those items for which a separator wasn't explicitly given to comma
		-- (or semicolon if any items have embedded commas).
		for i, item in ipairs(items) do
			if not item.separator then
				item.separator = use_semicolon and "; " or ", "
			end
		end
	end

	return items, args
end


return export