# TIP 685: rename "string is unicode" to "string is transferable"
Author: Harald Oehlmann
State: Final
Type: Project
Vote: Done
Created: 10-01-2024
Tcl-Version: 8.7
Tcl-Branch: tip-685
Vote-Summary: 4 / 2 / 0
Votes-For: BG, KW, MC, SL
Votes-Against: DP, JN
Votes-Present: none
Obsoleted-By: 652
-----
# Abstract
This TIP proposes to rename "string is unicode" to "string is transferable".
# Background
[TIP 597](https://core.tcl-lang.org/tips/doc/trunk/tip/597.md) introduced "string is unicode". Please refer to this TIP for a description.
[TIP 652](https://core.tcl-lang.org/tips/doc/trunk/tip/652.md) proposes to remove this class from the "string is" command.
On a core list discussion, it was expressed:
* "string is unicode" may have value
* the class name "unicode" is miss-leading.
* the more appropriate class name "transferable" was proposed.
* a more generic command to get the list of all unicode character classes included in a string may superseed this command.
* the use of the ICU library may be the next step for those tasks.
# Rationale
The current class name "unicode" is seen as miss-leading, see [TIP 652](https://core.tcl-lang.org/tips/doc/trunk/tip/652.md).
The name "transferable" suggests, that the string is tested to be ready for a transfer to an external
resource like a file or data base.
It is proposed, that this TIP is voted together with [TIP 652](https://core.tcl-lang.org/tips/doc/trunk/tip/652.md).
# Specification
Rename:
<pre>
string is unicode ?-strict? data
</pre>
to
<pre>
string is transferable ?-strict? data
</pre>
If [TIP 652](https://core.tcl-lang.org/tips/doc/trunk/tip/652.md) is accepted, this TIP is automatically widthdrawn.
Rename the directly connected C API function
<pre>
Tcl_UniCharIsUnicode
</pre>
to
<pre>
Tcl_UniCharIsTransferable
</pre>
The manual page adds a phrase like:
"The purpose is to test a string to be transfered to an external resource."
# Implementation
The implementation of this TIP is in the Tcl [tip-685](https://core.tcl-lang.org/tcl/timeline?r=tip-685) branch.
# Copyright
This document has been placed in the public domain.