Parsing a text string in to several variables ...

[drgarytraub]

I need to read a text file, line by line, and parse each line in to several different variables.

file.read_line() reads each line but does not preserve the spaces between fields.

Is there a command that can read each line AND preserve the spaces?

If not, what commands do you guys think would accomplish the parsing.

Here is an example line:

29233643 265672865 ROLIO3107 ROLIO, JOHN $175.00 1518054998 650275504 62308 02/14/2006.

I can read the line in to a variable called text.

Then the first number (29233643) is easy to grab and put in to a variable - r.g., id=left(text,8)

The second number is also easy - e.g., id2=substr(text,10,9)

These are easy because the first 2 numbers are alsway 8 and 9 characters, respectively, but the next 2 (ROLIO3107 and ROLIO, JOHN) can vary in length.

So, if the command preserved the spacing, it would be easy - just use substr for every piece of data that I need to extract.

But if not, does anyone know how to parse the 3rd and 4th fields?

Gary

[Steve Wood]

Re: Parsing a text string in to several variables ...

This is always a fun area of programming, taming the wild text string.

I would run the string through several phases before ultimately reading the contents. It largely depends on what variation your string might have. Things like will the date always have a zero-padded month and day. But taking that particular string, I would use the word() function to grab all values.

For the variable "last, first name" area, you can tweak word() to grab the "word" from front to that dollar sign, then sluff off the non-name portion. That works if the dollar sign is constent, and would work even if they tossed in a middle initial and suffix.

You can read your text file in to memory with file.to_string(). If each line has a crlf on the end, you can then use a loop routine to review each line in turn:

lst = file.to_string("c:\myfile.txt")
for each foo in lst
..your functions
next

If you need real power, look in the help for the "scanner" functions.

[Steve Workings]

Re: Parsing a text string in to several variables ...

Gary - I don't have time to model your code, but:

use w_count() to find the number of words in the string. Looks like you have the same number of words in each string though?

Use word() to find the nth word in the string.

Broadly:

MyVar1 = word(TextString,1)
MyVar2 = word(TextString,2)
....

[Pat Bremkamp]

Re: Parsing a text string in to several variables ...

One technique I've used in the past uses the word() function.

First read the whole file into a variable, then use the word function to parse each line by telling the function that the separator is crlf(). Then, for each line, change the word delimiter to a space.

You could either store each line in an array, or if there is no other ned for the line, then use the FOR EACH...NEXT to go through each one.

Pat

OOPS, I'm way too slow....

[drgarytraub]

Re: Parsing a text string in to several variables ...

Steve, Steve, and Pat,

Boy, that was easy :D

Thanks so much - that saved me hours ......

Gary

[drgarytraub]

Re: Parsing a text string in to several variables ...

Actually, one more question:

I used the following to try to extract the name:

fname=word(text,4,"$")

but it returns nothing.

What am I doing wrong?

Gary

[Al Buchholz]

Re: Parsing a text string in to several variables ...

Actually, one more question:

I used the following to try to extract the name:

fname=word(text,4,"$")

but it returns nothing.

What am I doing wrong?

Gary

How many $ are in the text? Sounds like less than 3.

[drgarytraub]

Re: Parsing a text string in to several variables ...

Just one

[Al Buchholz]

Re: Parsing a text string in to several variables ...

Just one

text="29233643 265672865 ROLIO3107 ROLIO, JOHN $175.00 1518054998 650275504 62308 02/14/2006."

'Default delimiter is space,comma,decimal point
?word(text,1)
= "29233643"

?word(text,2)
= "265672865"

?word(text,3)
= "ROLIO3107"

?word(text,4)
= "ROLIO"

?word(text,5)
= "JOHN"

?word(text,6)
= "$175"

?word(text,7)
= "00"

?word(text,11)
= "02/14/2006"

'Now change the delimiter to $
?word(text,1,"$")
= "29233643 265672865 ROLIO3107 ROLIO, JOHN "

?word(text,2,"$")
= "175.00 1518054998 650275504 62308 02/14/2006."

?word(text,3,"$")
= ""

?word(text,4,"$")
= ""

[drgarytraub]

Re: Parsing a text string in to several variables ...

Hi Al,

Thanks for the detailed explanation - very helpful!!!

Gary