Fastest Logic to do this, parse first and last name from string

[dlite922]

I'm reading a CSV file and the firstname and last name are together separated by a space. (There could be middle name or middle initial as well, but is being ignored)

Since i'll be doing this hundreds of times (for each line of the CSV), I want to make sure I'm doing this logic as fast as I can. This happens a couple of times PER line.

In English:
Extract firstname and lastname from string
if both are empty, error, else insert the one that's not empty (usually first)

Here's my current code:

[PHP]

// Parse the file
fwrite($logFH, 'Parsing File:\nErrors:\n');
$count = 1;
while (($line = fgetcsv($dataFH, 1000, "|")) !== FALSE)
{
// ------------- ADD SALES PERSON
$employeeName = explode(" ",$line[1]);
$firstName = $employeeName[0];
$lastName = (count($employeeName) > 2) ? end($employeeName) : ""; // assumes last name is at the end, ignores middle name or anything in between
$number = $line[0];
if(!empty($number) && (!empty($firstName) || !empty($lastName)))
{
$employeeVO = new EmployeeVO(INVALID,$number , $firstName, $lastName);
$employeeDAO = new DAO($employeeVO);
}
else
{
fwrite($logFH,'Error On Line: $count\n');
continue;
}
.
.
.
}
// closure code
[/PHP]

I just think all the empty() functions are slowing down.

Is there a quick, one-liner, clean way of doing this logic that I (with a hang over) can't seem to do right now?

Thanks fellas,


Dan

[code green]

[PHP]$employeeName = explode(" ",$line[1]);
$firstName = $employeeName[0];
$lastName = (count($employeeName) > 2) ? end($employeeName) : ""; // assumes last name is at the end, ignores middle name or anything in between
$number = $line[0];
if(!empty($number) && (!empty($firstName) || !empty($lastName)))
{[/PHP] The logic is a little skewed.
The string is exploded using spaces and then assumed that all the elements have been created.
What I mean is, it is impossible for the elements to be created if they are empty but you are testing if they are empty.
ergo this comment is meaningless

assumes last name is at the end, ignores middle name or anything in between

There may only be one element.
if you switched on strict error reporting and ran some good test data you will see warning and notice errors, which will slow the code.
explode() is OK here, but think about using isset() rather than count() and empty()

[dlite922]

[PHP]$employeeName = explode(" ",$line[1]);
$firstName = $employeeName[0];
$lastName = (count($employeeName) > 2) ? end($employeeName) : ""; // assumes last name is at the end, ignores middle name or anything in between
$number = $line[0];
if(!empty($number) && (!empty($firstName) || !empty($lastName)))
{[/PHP] The logic is a little skewed.
The string is exploded using spaces and then assumed that all the elements have been created.
What I mean is, it is impossible for the elements to be created if they are empty but you are testing if they are empty.
ergo this comment is meaningless There may only be one element.
if you switched on strict error reporting and ran some good test data you will see warning and notice errors, which will slow the code.
explode() is OK here, but think about using isset() rather than count() and empty()

thanks, now that i'm "sober" I can clearly see your points.

I actually did do isset() after that. What explode did is converted every space into an array element. so the name arrays were 32 items long.

I ended up just doing isset on the first three for now.