splitting a long string into a list

[ronrsr]

I have a single long string - I'd like to split it into a list of
unique keywords. Sadly, the database wasn't designed to do this, so I
must do this in Python - I'm having some trouble using the .split()
function, it doesn't seem to do what I want it to - any ideas?

thanks very much for your help.

r-sr-


longstring = 'Agricultural subsidies; Foreign aidAgriculture;
Sustainable Agriculture - Support; Organic Agriculture; Pesticides, US,
Childhood Development, Birth Defects; Toxic ChemicalsAntibi otics,
AnimalsAgricult ural Subsidies, Global TradeAgricultur al
SubsidiesBiodiv ersityCitizen ActivismCommuni ty
GardensCooperat ivesDietingAgri culture, CottonAgricultu re, Global
TradePesticides , MonsantoAgricul ture, SeedCoffee, HungerPollution ,
Water, FeedlotsFood PricesAgricultu re, WorkersAnimal Feed, Corn,
PesticidesAquac ultureChemical
WarfareCompostD ebtConsumerismF earPesticides, US, Childhood Development,
Birth DefectsCorporat e Reform, Personhood (Dem. Book)Corporate Reform,
Personhood, Farming (Dem. Book)Crime Rates, Legislation,
EducationDebt, Credit CardsDemocracyP opulation, WorldIncomeDemo cracy,
Corporate Personhood, Porter Township (Dem. Book)Disaster
ReliefDwellings , SlumsEconomics, MexicoEconomy, LocalEducation,
ProtestsEndange red Habitat, RainforestEndan gered SpeciesEndanger ed
Species, Extinctionantib iotics, livestockAgricu ltural subsidies;
Foreign aid;Agriculture ; Sustainable Agriculture - Support; Organic
Agriculture; Pesticides, US, Childhood Development, Birth Defects;
Toxic Chemicals;Antib iotics, Animals;Agricul tural Subsidies, Global
Trade;Agricultu ral Subsidies;Biodi versity;Citizen Activism;Commun ity
Gardens;Coopera tives;Dieting;A griculture, Cotton;Agricult ure, Global
Trade;Pesticide s, Monsanto;Agricu lture, Seed;Coffee, Hunger;Pollutio n,
Water, Feedlots;Food Prices;Agricult ure, Workers;Animal Feed, Corn,
Pesticides;Aqua culture;Chemica l
Warfare;Compost ;Debt;Consumeri sm;Fear;Pestici des, US, Childhood
Development, Birth Defects;Corpora te Reform, Personhood (Dem.
Book);Corporate Reform, Personhood, Farming (Dem. Book);Crime Rates,
Legislation, Education;Debt, Credit Cards;Democracy ;Population,
World;Income;De mocracy, Corporate Personhood, Porter Township (Dem.
Book);Disaster Relief;Dwelling s, Slums;Economics , Mexico;Economy,
Local;Education , Protests;Endang ered Habitat, Rainforest;Enda ngered
Species;Endange red Species, Extinction;anti biotics,
livestock;Pesti cides, Water;Environme nt, Environmentalis t;Food, Hunger,
Agriculture, Aid, World, Development;Agr iculture, Cotton
Trade;Agricultu re, Cotton, Africa;Environm ent, Energy;Fair Trade (Dem.
Book);Farmland, Sprawl;Fast Food, Globalization, Mapping;depress ion,
mental illness, mood disorders;Econo mic Democracy, Corporate
Personhood;Braz il, citizen activism, hope, inspiration, labor
issues;citizen activism, advice, hope;Pharmaceut icals, Medicine,
Drugs;Community Investing;Envir onment, Consumer Waste Reduction,
Consumer Behavior and Taxes;Hunger, US, Poverty;FERTILI TY,
Women;Agricultu ral subsidies; Foreign aid;Agriculture ; Sustainable
Agriculture - Support; Organic Agriculture; Pesticides, US, Childhood
Development, Birth Defects; Toxic Chemicals;Antib iotics,
Animals;Agricul tural Subsidies, Global Trade;Agricultu ral
Subsidies;Biodi versity;Citizen Activism;Commun ity
Gardens;Coopera tives;Dieting;A gricultural subsidies; Foreign
aid;Agriculture ; Sustainable Agriculture - Support; Organic
Agriculture; Pesticides, US, Childhood Development, Birth Defects;
Toxic Chemicals;Antib iotics, Animals;Agricul tural Subsidies, Global
Trade;Agricultu ral Subsidies;Biodi versity;Citizen Activism;Commun ity
Gardens;Coopera tives;Dieting;A griculture, Cotton;Agricult ure, Global
Trade;Pesticide s, Monsanto;Agricu lture, Seed;Coffee, Hunger;Pollutio n,
Water, Feedlots;Food Prices;Agricult ure, Workers;Animal Feed, Corn,
Pesticides;Aqua culture;Chemica l
Warfare;Compost ;Debt;Consumeri sm;Fear;Pestici des, US, Childhood
Development, Birth Defects;Corpora te Reform, Personhood (Dem.
Book);Corporate Reform, Personhood, Farming (Dem. Book);Crime Rates,
Legislation, Education;Debt, Credit Cards;'

[Cameron Walsh]

Re: splitting a long string into a list

ronrsr wrote:

I have a single long string - I'd like to split it into a list of
unique keywords. Sadly, the database wasn't designed to do this, so I
must do this in Python - I'm having some trouble using the .split()
function, it doesn't seem to do what I want it to - any ideas?
>
thanks very much for your help.
>
r-sr-
>
>
longstring = '<SNIP rather long string>'

What do you want it to do? Split on each semicolon?

a = longstring.spli t(";")
for element in a:
print element

Agricultural subsidies
Foreign aidAgriculture
Sustainable Agriculture - Support
Organic Agriculture
Pesticides, US,Childhood Development, Birth Defects
Toxic ChemicalsAntibi otics,AnimalsAg ricultural Subsidies, Global
TradeAgricultur alSubsidiesBiod iversityCitizen
ActivismCommuni tyGardensCooper ativesDietingAg riculture,
CottonAgricultu re, GlobalTradePest icides, MonsantoAgricul ture,
SeedCoffee, HungerPollution ,Water, FeedlotsFood PricesAgricultu re,
WorkersAnimal Feed,
Corn,Pesticides AquacultureChem icalWarfareComp ostDebtConsumer ismFearPesticid es,
US, Childhood Development,Bir th DefectsCorporat e Reform, Personhood
(Dem. Book)Corporate Reform, Personhood, Farming (Dem. Book)Crime Rates,
Legislation,Edu cationDebt, Credit CardsDemocracyP opulation,
WorldIncomeDemo cracy,Corporate Personhood, Porter Township (Dem.
Book)DisasterRe liefDwellings, SlumsEconomics, MexicoEconomy,
LocalEducation, ProtestsEndange red Habitat, RainforestEndan gered
SpeciesEndanger edSpecies, Extinctionantib iotics, livestockAgricu ltural
subsidies
Foreign aid
Agriculture
Sustainable Agriculture - Support
OrganicAgricult ure
Pesticides, US, Childhood Development, Birth Defects
Toxic Chemicals
<etc.>

I think the problem arises because your string has the following problems:

1.) Inconsistent spaces between words (some are non-existent)
2.) Inconsistent separators between elements (sometimes semi-colons,
sometimes commas, but commas appear to belong to elements, sometimes no
clear separator at all)

Basically, this problem is not solvable by computer with currently
available resources. There is no way Python or anything else can know
which words are meant to be together and which are not, when there are
no separators between elements and no separators between words within
those elements.

You need to find a new way of generating the string, or do it by hand.

How did you get the string?

Cameron.