algIdea.txt

# The initial design idea for this light-weight front-end.
# Updated in 2017 Jun. 26 by Charles Chen.

multiDecl:

    {
        line: x,
     [
        { 
            col: xxx,
            type: xxx
        },
        ...
     ]
    }

// assumption: decls in the same file sorted by lineNo, decls on same line sorted by col

// overlap kinds:
// 1. start on same line
// 2. one end, one start on same line

xxxxxx1; typeA decl1, decl2; xxxxx2; typeB decl3, decl4; xxxxx3;

xxxxxx1; typeA decl1,
    decl2,
    decl3; xxx2; typeB decl4,
    decl5; xxxx3; typeC decl6, decl7; xxx4; typeD decl8, decl9;

//refactor
{
    start_line:
    start_col:
    end_line:
    end_col:
    decl_type: 
}

// change to iterate next_refactor seems nicer
ori_line_no = 0
last_refactor = {0, 0, 0, 0, "None"}
for refactor in refactor_list:
    while ori_line_no < refactor['start_line']:
        write ori_line_no
    # deal with overlap
    if last_refactor['end_line'] == refactor['start_line']:
        overlap_line = ORIGIN_LINES[refactor['start_line']]
        write overlap_line[last_refactor['end_col'] : refactor['start_col']]

    for decl in get_decl_list(refactor):
        write decl

...