Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.

[Sims]

Hi,

I need some help to split data using regular expression

Consider the string

'1,2,3', I can split it using, preg_split("/,/", '1,2,3') and i correctly
get [0]=1, [1]=2,[2]=3.

Now if i have

'1,"2,3"' i could split it using preg_split("/(?<!\"),/\d", '1,"2,3"') and i
correctly get [0]=1, [1]="2,3".

But it clearly does not work in some more advanced cases, for example

'1," 2 , 3"' or '1,"2 , 3 "' mainly because the /d is no longer useful.

So how can i search for a regular expression that is *not within*
apostrophes?

I think i might have to write my own split function especially if i have an
extreme case like, '1," 2 , \" 3"', (note the escape apostrophe).

Many thanks for you input.

Sims

[CC Zona]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.

In article <c0f7r6$15t48v$ 1@ID-162430.news.uni-berlin.de>,
"Sims" <siminfrance@ho tmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
> Consider the string
>
> '1,2,3', I can split it using, preg_split("/,/", '1,2,3') and i correctly
> get [0]=1, [1]=2,[2]=3.
>
> Now if i have
>
> '1,"2,3"' i could split it using preg_split("/(?<!\"),/\d", '1,"2,3"') and i
> correctly get [0]=1, [1]="2,3".
>
> But it clearly does not work in some more advanced cases, for example
>
> '1," 2 , 3"' or '1,"2 , 3 "' mainly because the /d is no longer useful.[/color]

Is the overall goal to extract numbers having arbitrary separators? If so,
how about splitting on "/\D+/"?

--
CC

[CC Zona]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.

In article <c0f7r6$15t48v$ 1@ID-162430.news.uni-berlin.de>,
"Sims" <siminfrance@ho tmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
> Consider the string
>
> '1,2,3', I can split it using, preg_split("/,/", '1,2,3') and i correctly
> get [0]=1, [1]=2,[2]=3.
>
> Now if i have
>
> '1,"2,3"' i could split it using preg_split("/(?<!\"),/\d", '1,"2,3"') and i
> correctly get [0]=1, [1]="2,3".
>
> But it clearly does not work in some more advanced cases, for example
>
> '1," 2 , 3"' or '1,"2 , 3 "' mainly because the /d is no longer useful.[/color]

(Oops, never mind that last post. )

--
CC

[Ewoud Dronkert]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 08:49:59 +0200, Sims wrote:[color=blue]
> I need some help to split data using regular expression[/color]

No you don't :) http://www.php.net/fgetcsv

[Sims]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.


"Ewoud Dronkert" <me@privacy.net > wrote in message
news:n3im20teqt a7adlm9e3anpclg 332a0jt33@4ax.c om...[color=blue]
> On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 08:49:59 +0200, Sims wrote:[color=green]
> > I need some help to split data using regular expression[/color]
>
> No you don't :) http://www.php.net/fgetcsv[/color]

Sorry but that is reading from a file, i am reading from a line.
I do want the same sort of output but not from a file.

I will have a look at the C code to see if can create a php function to
achieve what i need.

Sims.

[Rahul Anand]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.

"Sims" <siminfrance@ho tmail.com> wrote in message news:<c0f7r6$15 t48v$1@ID-162430.news.uni-berlin.de>...[color=blue]
> Hi,
>
> I need some help to split data using regular expression
>
> Consider the string
>
> '1,2,3', I can split it using, preg_split("/,/", '1,2,3') and i correctly
> get [0]=1, [1]=2,[2]=3.
>
> Now if i have
>
> '1,"2,3"' i could split it using preg_split("/(?<!\"),/\d", '1,"2,3"') and i
> correctly get [0]=1, [1]="2,3".
>
> But it clearly does not work in some more advanced cases, for example
>
> '1," 2 , 3"' or '1,"2 , 3 "' mainly because the /d is no longer useful.
>
> So how can i search for a regular expression that is *not within*
> apostrophes?
>
> I think i might have to write my own split function especially if i have an
> extreme case like, '1," 2 , \" 3"', (note the escape apostrophe).
>
> Many thanks for you input.
>
> Sims[/color]

My guess is following RegExp.

[SNIP]

$str = '1," 2 ,\" 3 ", 4, 5';
$arr = preg_match_all( '#(?<=")\s*[\d]+.*(?=[^\\\]")|[\d]+#U',$str,$matc hes);
print_r($matche s);

[/SNIP]

Try and let me know if it does not work as per your requirements.

--
Cheers,
Rahul Anand

[Sims]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.

[color=blue]
>
> My guess is following RegExp.
>
> [SNIP]
>
> $str = '1," 2 ,\" 3 ", 4, 5';
> $arr =[/color]
preg_match_all( '#(?<=")\s*[\d]+.*(?=[^\\\]")|[\d]+#U',$str,$matc hes);[color=blue]
> print_r($matche s);
>
> [/SNIP]
>[/color]

If it is a guess then it is brilliant, thanks : ).

It works 99.9%.

The only time it does not work is when you have something like... $str =
'1," 2 ,\" 3a", 4, 5';, (Note the 'a' after the '3').
Your RegExp removes the last item, (letter),
Your expression is very very complicated for me so i am going to spend some
time trying to work it all out.

Thanks a million.

[Ewoud Dronkert]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 11:42:08 +0200, Sims wrote:[color=blue][color=green]
>> No you don't :) http://www.php.net/fgetcsv[/color]
>
> Sorry but that is reading from a file, i am reading from a line.[/color]

So post the data to a script, open a filepointer to "php://input" and
read from that. Or write data to diskfile and read from diskfile (duh).

[Sims]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.


"Ewoud Dronkert" <me@privacy.net > wrote in message
news:akln20p6p3 900d6i70g1qelpg oc8bs362t@4ax.c om...[color=blue]
> On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 11:42:08 +0200, Sims wrote:[color=green][color=darkred]
> >> No you don't :) http://www.php.net/fgetcsv[/color]
> >
> > Sorry but that is reading from a file, i am reading from a line.[/color]
>
> So post the data to a script, open a filepointer to "php://input" and
> read from that. Or write data to diskfile and read from diskfile[/color]

Sorry that is simply not good practice at all, in fact it is very bad
programming.

Reading/Writing data to file? Just to use a function, i would bring my
server to a stand still.
I think i will rather use a more realistic function like the one offered by
Rahul.
[color=blue]
> (duh).[/color]

Thanks.

Sims

[Ewoud Dronkert]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 21:59:30 +0200, Sims wrote:[color=blue]
> Sorry that is simply not good practice at all, in fact it is very bad
> programming.[/color]

Then provide some more details of the environment/circumstances/typical
situation. You gave none. For all we know, you were trying to convert a
small one-time output by your heartrate monitor or something.

Please don't put me down for failing prerequisites you did not mention.

[Sims]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.

[color=blue]
>
> Then provide some more details of the environment/circumstances/typical
> situation.[/color]

You are trying to dig yourself out, i gave a list of strings and what i
wanted to achieve with the strings and the problems i was coming across.
My environment/circumstances/typical is not necessary in my particular case.

I wanted to get an array from a string that is more than enough info.
Knowing that i have an Apache server with Win2003 is of no use to the
problem, (to a knowledgeable programmer anyway).
[color=blue]
> You gave none. For all we know, you were trying to convert a
> small one-time output by your heartrate monitor or something.[/color]

Still, creating a file and reading it is simply wrong, regardless what i was
trying to achieve.
[color=blue]
>
> Please don't put me down for failing prerequisites you did not mention.[/color]

Then don't quote Homer and read the OP properly.

Regards.

Sims

[John Dunlop]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.

Sims wrote:
[color=blue]
> Now if i have
>
> '1,"2,3"' i could split it using preg_split("/(?<!\"),/\d", '1,"2,3"')[/color]

There's a typo in there somewhere, I believe.
[color=blue]
> and i correctly get [0]=1, [1]="2,3".
>
> But it clearly does not work in some more advanced cases, for example
>
> '1," 2 , 3"' or '1,"2 , 3 "' mainly because the /d is no longer useful.[/color]

This is very similar to -- and based on -- Rahul Anand's "guess". :-)

A jungle of assertions!:

preg_match_all(
'`(?<=").*?(?=( ?<!\\\)")|\d+`s ',
$string,
$array)

Describing it at a high-ish level, the pattern looks for either of
two alternatives: zero or more quoted substrings, or one or more
decimal digits. A quoted substring, intuitively, begins and ends
with double-quotes.

Describing it at a much lower level, the pattern uses a positive
look-behind assertion to check to see if a quoted substring follows,
i.e. a double-quote precedes the current matching point. Everything
until the closing double-quote is part of a quoted substring. The
closing double-quote is found using two more assertions: firstly, a
positive look-ahead assertion checks that the next character is a
double-quote; secondly, a negative look-behind assertion checks this
double-quote is not preceded by a backslash. (The three backslashes
are needed to escape the backslash character's special meaning.) If
no match can be found for a quoted substring, one or more decimal
digits are looked for, using the \d character type.

The s pattern modifier means the dot metacharacter matches newlines,
which it doesn't by default.

All these grim details of the syntax are explained in the Manual's
section on PCRE pattern syntax.

--
Jock

[Sims]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.

[color=blue][color=green]
> > Now if i have
> >
> > '1,"2,3"' i could split it using preg_split("/(?<!\"),/\d", '1,"2,3"')[/color]
>
> There's a typo in there somewhere, I believe.[/color]

Yes indeed, sorry, maybe i should have copied and paste rather.
[color=blue]
>[color=green]
> > and i correctly get [0]=1, [1]="2,3".
> >
> > But it clearly does not work in some more advanced cases, for example
> >
> > '1," 2 , 3"' or '1,"2 , 3 "' mainly because the /d is no longer useful.[/color]
>
> This is very similar to -- and based on -- Rahul Anand's "guess". :-)[/color]

I could see that Rahul was not far from it.
[color=blue]
> A jungle of assertions!:
>
> preg_match_all(
> '`(?<=").*?(?=( ?<!\\\)")|\d+`s ',
> $string,
> $array)[/color]

so using an example like,

$string = 'a1a ,2b , 3c, " 4, \"aaa, 5", 7';
preg_match_all( '`(?<=").*?(?=( ?<!\\\)")|\d+`s ', $string, $array);
print_r( $array );

i get an output like...

Array ( [0] => Array ( [0] => 1 [1] => 2 [2] => 3 [3] => 4, \"aaa, 5 [4]
=> 7 ) )

Why are some of the letters ignored?
[color=blue]
> Describing it at a high-ish level, the pattern looks for either of
> two alternatives: zero or more quoted substrings, or one or more
> decimal digits. A quoted substring, intuitively, begins and ends
> with double-quotes.[/color]

What part looks for a decimal number?
I am afraid that my description should not have included numbers only.
I want the RegEx to work for anything.

so that a case like

$string = 'xx,xx , xx," x, \"x, x", " x, x", xx, "xx", x';

would work regardless what 'x' represents a letter, a number or a symbol,
(apart form x= " itself).
[color=blue]
>
> All these grim details of the syntax are explained in the Manual's
> section on PCRE pattern syntax.
>[/color]

Once i have your and Rahul's example in front of me then i can try and work
it out but the number of assertions is simply mind boggling.
[color=blue]
> --
> Jock[/color]

Many thanks

Sims

[Tom Thackrey]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.


On 12-Feb-2004, "Sims" <siminfrance@ho tmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue][color=green]
> >
> > My guess is following RegExp.
> >
> > [SNIP]
> >
> > $str = '1," 2 ,\" 3 ", 4, 5';
> > $arr =[/color]
> preg_match_all( '#(?<=")\s*[\d]+.*(?=[^\\\]")|[\d]+#U',$str,$matc hes);[color=green]
> > print_r($matche s);
> >
> > [/SNIP]
> >[/color]
>
> If it is a guess then it is brilliant, thanks : ).
>
> It works 99.9%.
>
> The only time it does not work is when you have something like... $str
> =
> '1," 2 ,\" 3a", 4, 5';, (Note the 'a' after the '3').
> Your RegExp removes the last item, (letter),
> Your expression is very very complicated for me so i am going to spend
> some
> time trying to work it all out.
>
> Thanks a million.[/color]

There are several classes for handling comma delimited stuff on
phpclasses.org, search on 'comma'. You should be able to hack one of them
into parsing your string.

--
Tom Thackrey

https://www.creative-light.com

tom (at) creative (dash) light (dot) com
do NOT send email to jamesbutler@wil lglen.net (it's reserved for spammers)

[Ewoud Dronkert]

Re: Regular expression, (preg_split etc...), some help please.

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 22:25:46 +0200, Sims wrote:[color=blue]
> You are trying to dig yourself out[/color]

I give up.