The extension problem for linear codes over modules with respect to Hamming weight was already settled in [J. A. Wood, Code equivalence characterizes finite Frobenius rings, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 136 (2008) 699–706; Foundations of linear codes defined over finite modules: The extension theorem and MacWilliams identities, in Codes Over Rings, Series on Coding Theory and Cryptology, Vol. 6 (World Scientific, Singapore, 2009), pp. 124–190]. A similar problem arises naturally with respect to symmetrized weight compositions (SWC). In 2009, Wood proved that Frobenius bimodules have the extension property (EP) for SWC. More generally, in [N. ElGarem, N. Megahed and J. A. Wood, The extension theorem with respect to symmetrized weight compositions, in 4th Int. Castle Meeting on Coding Theory and Applications (2014)], it is shown that having a cyclic socle is sufficient for satisfying the property, while the necessity remained an open question. Here, landing in midway, a partial converse is proved. For a (not small) class of finite module alphabets, the cyclic socle is shown necessary to satisfy the EP. The idea is bridging to the case of Hamming weight through a new weight function. Note: All rings are finite with unity, and all modules are finite too. This may be re-emphasized in some statements. The convention for left homomorphisms is that inputs are to the left.
A new extension theorem for linear codes