Correct case in namerefs

Question

I'd like to use namerefs within a sentence, and have the case of the resulting text match the position within the sentence. The section title is naturally title case, but is there some command to either a) force lowercase of namerefs (\lowercase{} doesn't work), or b) insert init-case, i.e., uppercase the initial word if it's at the beginning of a sentence, lowercase elsewhere?

Example:

\section{Object}
\label{sec:obj}
[definition of an object]
...
\nameref{sec:obj} instance variables are often called simply "\nameref{sec:obj}".

should produce:

Object
[definition of an object]
...
Object instance variables are often called simply "object".

Note case difference at the start and in the middle of the sentence.

Answer 1

I think that it would be hard for TeX to automatically know whether the \nameref should be title-case, lowercase, or init-case. But if you are prepared to tell TeX, then this can be done. I don't claim that this is the most elegant method, but it's the one that I use in a similar situation.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{hyperref}

\newcommand{\lnameref}[1]{%
\bgroup
\let\nmu\MakeLowercase
\nameref{#1}\egroup}
\newcommand{\fnameref}[1]{%
\bgroup
\def\nmu{\let\nmu\MakeLowercase}%
\nameref{#1}\egroup}


\newcommand{\nmu}{}

\begin{document}

\section{\nmu This \nmu Is a \nmu Section}
\label{sec}

\lnameref{sec} is a section.

\nameref{sec} is a section.

\fnameref{sec} is a section.

\nameref{sec} is a section.

\end{document}

Produces:

1 This Is a Section

this is a section is a section.
This Is a Section is a section.
This is a section is a section.
This Is a Section is a section.

(It makes a modicum more sense when the "this is a section" looks like a link since then it looks like '"this is a section" is a section'. Only when I transcribed it did I realise how daft it looked.)