How Int./Ext. Is Guessed from Slugline Delimiters

When SlateX processes a slugline, it guesses from delimiters rather than matching the line against a vocabulary of Int./Ext. terms. It cuts the time-of-day portion from the end first and then tries to cut the Int./Ext. portion from the beginning; the process depends on spaces, periods, hyphen shapes, and character-count limits. Language itself is not the test, so the same rule can accept one Chinese form and miss another English form, or the reverse.

Slugline parsing relies on delimiters and character-count limits, not an Int./Ext. or time-of-day keyword whitelist.

Time of day is cut first, then Int./Ext. is guessed

Time of day is handled first. The parser prefers the text after the last - , with spaces on both sides of the hyphen; if that shape is absent, it falls back to the last - and applies a length guard to the trailing segment.

Int./Ext. is handled next. The parser tries a space and then a period as delimiters, takes the prefix before that delimiter, and accepts it only when the prefix is no more than 6 characters. There is no keyword whitelist here, and the parser does not read the project's Int./Ext. presets or time-of-day presets, so those preset lists are not the basis of this step.

Four examples show the actual dividing line

内景 控制室 - 日 contains a space, so the prefix 内景 is taken. 内景：控制室 - 日 uses a full-width colon with no space after the prefix, so this path does not produce an Int./Ext. value. EXTERIOR. OFFICE - DAY contains a period, but EXTERIOR is longer than 6 characters and is therefore not accepted. With INT./EXT. 屋顶 - 夜, the space attempt first sees an overlong prefix, and the period path then matches, leaving only INT.

Across these examples, the visible dividing line is whether a usable space exists; the full rule also includes the period path and the length limits. Both length conditions count characters, not words, so each CJK character contributes one character to the test.

Two shapes pull the wrong text into a field

With 1. INT. 控制室 - DAY, the prefix 1. is taken as Int./Ext.; the scene number may still appear plausible while the Int./Ext. value is already displaced. With the all-caps, no-space title ROOFTOP-PARTY, the trailing PARTY is cut as time of day and the location text is shortened at the same time; the value is not rejected at that point and continues into the later flow.

An em dash, a full-width hyphen, and a compound form such as INT.,EXT. are outside the current delimiter branches. That should not be summarized as one language working better than another, because the same character rules miss different inputs in different languages.

A wrong value stays instead of being rejected

A prefix guessed as Int./Ext. is added to the project's Int./Ext. presets as-is and then appears in the editor dropdown. The 1. example can therefore become a selectable preset, and a trailing value cut from a no-space title also enters the corresponding preset list.

This boundary matters because “a value was produced” does not mean “the value matches the on-set meaning.” A receiver should verify the Int./Ext. and time-of-day presets that appear after import, especially for sluglines with numbering, compound prefixes, or nonstandard hyphen characters.

A miscut prefix goes into the preset list; the wrong value stays instead of being rejected on the spot.

What this rule does not cover

What a Slugline Is Made Of explains the overall parts of a slugline; this page is narrower and only explains how Int./Ext. and time of day are cut from one line of text. For the export-and-return behavior covered by What an Exported FDX Does Not Bring Back, a receiver should verify the actual round trip rather than assuming that one successful cut will return unchanged.

The rule also does not cover every dash variant or every compound marker. When an input falls outside the space, period, and current hyphen branches, it should be treated as something to verify manually rather than as evidence about the source format.

FAQ

Do the project's Int./Ext. presets participate in slugline parsing?

No. The current parser has no keyword whitelist and does not read the Int./Ext. or time-of-day preset lists.

Why does EXTERIOR. OFFICE - DAY fail to produce Int./Ext.?

The prefix before the period is longer than 6 characters and exceeds the current prefix limit. That limit counts characters, not words.

What happens to INT./EXT.?

Under the current delimiter order, the period path is reached and only the leading INT is taken. That does not mean the compound form is preserved in full.

Is a miscut value cleared at this step?

It is not rejected at this step. A produced prefix can enter the preset list, so it should be checked after import.

Axiom One LLC — SlateX. Figures current as of 24 September 2026.