Reg Ex Help for a Lazy VB Programmer

[adams114]

Ok,

I'm trying to count the number of characters in a string. Once the
count of character's reaches x I want to replace the rest of the
string with an web site link. So here's what I've come up with so
far, but I cannot figure out how to do the replace. Can you help me? I
cannot even get what I have to compile.

sub replaceLink {
my ($text) = @_;
my $textLength;
my $url;
my $maxLength;
my $count;
my $newText;

$maxLength = 305;
$textLength = length $_;
$url = "<a href='somwhere.html'>[View Article]</a>";

if ($textLength > 305) {
$count = 0;
while ($text =~ .\g){ # this is the error, . matching
# any character, g for greed
$count++;
if ($count == $maxLength){
$newText = $newText . $url;
}
else {
$newText = $newText . $2;
}

}
return $newText;
}
else {
return $text;
}

}

[Yaroslav]

$text = "qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm";
$maxLength = 5;
$weblink = 'http://www.google.com';

$text =~ s/(.{$maxLength}).*?$/$1$weblink/;

print $text;

result:

qwerthttp://www.google.com


ad******@comcast.net wrote in message news:<dt********************************@4ax.com>. ..

Ok,

I'm trying to count the number of characters in a string. Once the
count of character's reaches x I want to replace the rest of the
string with an web site link. So here's what I've come up with so
far, but I cannot figure out how to do the replace. Can you help me? I
cannot even get what I have to compile.

sub replaceLink {
my ($text) = @_;
my $textLength;
my $url;
my $maxLength;
my $count;
my $newText;

$maxLength = 305;
$textLength = length $_;
$url = "<a href='somwhere.html'>[View Article]</a>";

if ($textLength > 305) {
$count = 0;
while ($text =~ .\g){ # this is the error, . matching
# any character, g for greed
$count++;
if ($count == $maxLength){
$newText = $newText . $url;
}
else {
$newText = $newText . $2;
}

}
return $newText;
}
else {
return $text;
}

}

[nomercy]

"*
while ($text =~ .\g){ # this is the error, . matching
# any character, g for greed
*"

s/.// if you want to substitute any one charecter by nothing.
* and ? are the greedy operators, and *? and ?? for non-greedy.
you should realy check perl's regular expressions.
Yaroslav has solved your problem in a better way than this on you
code:
"*

while ($text =~ .\g){ # this is the error, . matching
# any character, g for greed
$count++;
if ($count == $maxLength){
$newText = $newText . $url;
} *"
ad******@comcast.net wrote: *Ok,

I'm trying to count the number of characters in a string. Once the
count of character's reaches x I want to replace the rest of the
string with an web site link. So here's what I've come up with so
far, but I cannot figure out how to do the replace. Can you help me
I
cannot even get what I have to compile.

sub replaceLink {
my ($text) = @_;
my $textLength;
my $url;
my $maxLength;
my $count;
my $newText;

$maxLength = 305;
$textLength = length $_;
$url = "<a href='somwhere.html'>[View Article]</a>";

if ($textLength > 305) {
$count = 0;
while ($text =~ .\g){ # this is the error, . matching
# any character, g for greed
$count++;
if ($count == $maxLength){
$newText = $newText . $url;
}
else {
$newText = $newText . $2;
}

}
return $newText;
}
else {
return $text;
}

}

-
nomerc
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[adams114]

Thank you both for your help. I've been having problems digesting
perlre so your help is deeply appreciated.

I have a couple of questions if you don't mind helping me

() are used to remember a match right? So why the . after ()?
(.{$maxLength}).
Now, if i wanted to match the first whole word to the left of
$maxLength is this a good way to approach it (ensuring that a word is
not cut off) match a word boundry at the anchor?

$text =~ s/(.{$maxLength}).*?$.\b/$1/$weblink/;

On 20 Apr 2004 07:24:04 -0700, ca**********@yahoo.com (Yaroslav)
wrote:

[Jürgen Exner]

ad******@comcast.net wrote:

Thank you both for your help. I've been having problems digesting
perlre

Then you may want to start with perlretut.

jue

[Jim Gibson]

[TOFU rearranged]

ad******@comcast.net wrote in message
news:<dt********************************@4ax.com>. ..

Ok,

I'm trying to count the number of characters in a string. Once the
count of character's reaches x I want to replace the rest of the
string with an web site link. So here's what I've come up with so
far, but I cannot figure out how to do the replace. Can you help me? I
cannot even get what I have to compile.

In article <76**************************@posting.google.com >, Yaroslav
<ca**********@yahoo.com> wrote:
$text = "qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm";
$maxLength = 5;
$weblink = 'http://www.google.com';

$text =~ s/(.{$maxLength}).*?$/$1$weblink/;

Why not just:

$text = substr($text,0.$maxLength) . $weblink;

?
print $text;

result:

qwerthttp://www.google.com

This newsgroup is defunct. Try comp.lang.perl.misc in the future.

[Joe Smith]

ad******@comcast.net wrote:

$text =~ s/(.{$maxLength}).*?$/$1$weblink/;

So why the . after ()?

You're looking at it wrong. There's not just a dot there, you need
to think of .*? as a single unit.

1) Read 'perldoc perlreftut' at least 3 times.
2) Post to comp.lang.perl.misc instead of comp.lang.perl next time.
-Joe