columns in a text file

[red]

I have two columns of strings of various lengths.
I want the second column to be straight, so I need to find the correct
number of tabs between the two columns for each row.I don't mind
starting with a wide column with a preset number of tabs and adjusting
it statically to fit my data, so I don't need to get the length of the
longest string in the first column before I start.

Through trial and error, I have an algorithm that seems to work. There's
a pattern in there but I don't see the logic. Does anyone have a
more graceful algorithm for this, the way it should be done ?
for each row, I use this:

echo tabber($col1_va lue, 5);
echo col2_value;

function tabber($col1, $tabs=1){
$result=$col1;
$len=strlen($co l1);
if($len>28)$tab s+=1;
if($len==22)$ta bs+=1;
if($len<1)$tabs-=1;
if($len==7)$tab s-=1;
for($i=$len; $i>0; $i=$i-7)
$tabs=$tabs-1;
for($j=1; $j<$tabs; $j++)
$result.= "\t";
// $result.="_".$l en."_".$tabs."_ ";// adds debug info to column 2
return $result;
}

red

[Geoff Berrow]

Re: columns in a text file

I noticed that Message-ID: <xqaLd.62922$Yh 2.24361663@twis ter.nyc.rr.com>
from red contained the following:
[color=blue]
>Through trial and error, I have an algorithm that seems to work. There's
>a pattern in there but I don't see the logic. Does anyone have a
>more graceful algorithm for this, the way it should be done ?[/color]

Dunno about that, but here is a version using two arrays to simulate the
column data.

<pre>
<?php

$array1=array(" 123","123456789 0","12345678901 234567890","123 455676789909099 23232","1234567 890123456789012 345678901234567 89");
$array2=array(" abc","123456789 0","12345678901 234567890","123 455676789909099 23232","dfjgvqd fjvh");

$maxwidth=50;

for($i=0;$i<cou nt($array1);$i+ +){
$tab="";
$tabs =ceil(($maxwidt h-strlen($array1[$i]))/8);
for($j=0;$j<$ta bs;$j++){
$tab.="\t";
}
print $array1[$i].$tab.$array2[$i]."\n";
}

?>
</pre>

--
Geoff Berrow (put thecat out to email)
It's only Usenet, no one dies.
My opinions, not the committee's, mine.
Simple RFDs http://www.ckdog.co.uk/rfdmaker/