Parsing between a character and sysmbol

[gene.ariani]

I have a string like the following:

10AF101-25

I would like to extract any numerical number that precedes the "-" and
stops when it encounters any string character like AF

So my result should be 101.
Any help is appreciated it.

[Cor Ligthert [MVP]]

Doh,

MessageBox.Show (y(0).Substring (y(0).Length - i))

of course,

Cor

"Cor Ligthert [MVP]" <no************ @planet.nlschre ef in bericht
news:uY******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP05.phx.gbl...

>I would have to agree with adm, RegEx is designed specifically for this
very thing. It excels at it.
Grab a copy of Expresso.

But if you are not used to RegEx can a combination from the code from
Scott and Branco help you.

\\\
Dim x As String = "10AF101-25"
Dim y As String() = x.Split("-"c)
Dim i As Integer
For i = y(0).Length - 1 To 0 Step -1
If Not Char.IsDigit((y (0)(i))) Then
Exit For
End If
Next
MessageBox.Show (y(0).Substring (y(0).Length - 3))
///
Tested of course in this case,

And assuming that there is forever at leaset one hyphen in the value.

:-)

Cor

[Larry Lard]

Tom Shelton wrote:

ge*********@gma il.com wrote:

>I have a string like the following:

10AF101-25

I would like to extract any numerical number that precedes the "-" and
stops when it encounters any string character like AF

So my result should be 101.
Any help is appreciated it.\

Another possible solution :)

Option Strict On
Option Explicit On

Imports System
Imports System.Text.Reg ularExpressions

Module RegExDemoModule
Private Const DEFAULT_STRING As String = "10AF101-25"
Private Const REGULAR_EXPRESS ION As String = "[a-zA-Z]+(\d+)-"

Sub Main()
Dim expression As New Regex(REGULAR_E XPRESSION)
Dim theMatch As Match = expression.Matc h(DEFAULT_STRIN G)

Console.WriteLi ne(theMatch.Gro ups(1).ToString ())
End Sub

End Module

I like this one the best... except for that constants naming convention!
I'm getting COBOL flashbacks! :)

--
Larry Lard
la*******@googl email.com
The address is real, but unread - please reply to the group
For VB and C# questions - tell us which version

[gene.ariani]

Thanks for everyone help on this. I have tried regex by using this
expression [\d]+-
It almost provides the result that I want except that it brings back
the "-" character also so I get 101- instead of 101.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[Tom Shelton]

ge*********@gma il.com wrote:

Thanks for everyone help on this. I have tried regex by using this
expression [\d]+-
It almost provides the result that I want except that it brings back
the "-" character also so I get 101- instead of 101.

Any ideas?

Thanks

(\d+)-

Then, you can get the 101 by referencing element 1 of the groups
collection...

--
Tom Shelton [MVP]

[Tom Shelton]

Larry Lard wrote:

Tom Shelton wrote:

ge*********@gma il.com wrote:

I have a string like the following:

10AF101-25

I would like to extract any numerical number that precedes the "-" and
stops when it encounters any string character like AF

So my result should be 101.
Any help is appreciated it.\

Another possible solution :)

Option Strict On
Option Explicit On

Imports System
Imports System.Text.Reg ularExpressions

Module RegExDemoModule
Private Const DEFAULT_STRING As String = "10AF101-25"
Private Const REGULAR_EXPRESS ION As String = "[a-zA-Z]+(\d+)-"

Sub Main()
Dim expression As New Regex(REGULAR_E XPRESSION)
Dim theMatch As Match = expression.Matc h(DEFAULT_STRIN G)

Console.WriteLi ne(theMatch.Gro ups(1).ToString ())
End Sub

End Module

I like this one the best... except for that constants naming convention!
I'm getting COBOL flashbacks! :)

Not COBOL fro me, but C/C++. I still have hard time letting that one
go :)

--
Tom Shelton [MVP]

[Scott M.]

There are several things wrong with your code. First, Using IsNumeric can

lead to anomolous results.

Not when testing single characters it won't. It will only produce
unanticipated results when testing strings of more than 1 charactor in
length.

Second, your loop bounds are not correct and will cause an exception.

True, I forgot to subtract 1 from the upper boundry.

Third, Your loop scans forward, so the result from the example string will
be "10", not the desired "101".

Don't know what you are saying here, the loop will produce: "10101" as
desired.

I would have to agree with adm, RegEx is designed specifically for this
very thing. It excels at it.

I don't disagree, but RegEx is difficult for most who are not accustom to
it.

Here is the corrected code (tested) that works like a charm:

Dim x As String = "10AF101-25"
Dim y As String() = x.Split("-")
Dim z As String = ""

Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To y(0).Length - 1
If IsNumeric(y(0)( i)) Then z &= y(0)(i)
Next

Grab a copy of Expresso.

-Boo

>Dim x As String = "10AF101-25"
Dim y As String() = x.split("-")
Dim z As String
dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To y(0).length
If IsNumeric(y(i)) Then z = y &= y(i)
Next
<ge*********@g mail.comwrote in message
news:11******* *************** @75g2000cwc.goo glegroups.com.. .

>>I have a string like the following:

10AF101-25

I would like to extract any numerical number that precedes the "-"
and stops when it encounters any string character like AF

So my result should be 101.

Any help is appreciated it.

[Branco Medeiros]

Scott M. wrote:
<snip>

Don't know what you are saying here, the loop will produce: "10101" as
desired.

<snip>

Here is the corrected code (tested) that works like a charm:

Dim x As String = "10AF101-25"
Dim y As String() = x.Split("-")
Dim z As String = ""

Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To y(0).Length - 1
If IsNumeric(y(0)( i)) Then z &= y(0)(i)
Next

<snip>

Notice that the OP asked for the digits that come before the '-' up to
the first non-digit. As the OP points out, in the example string, the
result should be the digits between "10AF" and "-25", i.e., 101.

Your code returns all the numeric chars up to the '-', just
disregarding the intervening letters, that is, 10101, which is wrong.

Even if that was the case, notice that it's not recommended to build a
string like this, but to use a StringBuilder, instead. Also, accessing
array items inside a loop should be avoided whenever possible. If the
OP had asked for all numeric chars before the '-', then a better method
would be:

Function ExtractDigits(T ext As String) As String
Dim S As New System.Text.Str ingBuilder
For Each C As Char in Text
If C = "-"c Then Exit For
If Char.IsDigit(C) Then S.Append(C)
Next
Return S.ToString
End Function

Regards,

Branco.

[Cor Ligthert [MVP]]

Scott,

I see now that a single E character can never be an exponent, I did not test
the behaviour of a single plus in this. However to avoid that do I find the
isDigit more describtive and does not even need thinking about the problems
that can be with IsNumeric.

Just my idea,

Cor

"Scott M." <s-***@nospam.nosp amschreef in bericht
news:uf******** ********@TK2MSF TNGP03.phx.gbl. ..

>There are several things wrong with your code. First, Using IsNumeric
can lead to anomolous results.

Not when testing single characters it won't. It will only produce
unanticipated results when testing strings of more than 1 charactor in
length.

>Second, your loop bounds are not correct and will cause an exception.

True, I forgot to subtract 1 from the upper boundry.

>Third, Your loop scans forward, so the result from the example string
will be "10", not the desired "101".

Don't know what you are saying here, the loop will produce: "10101" as
desired.

>I would have to agree with adm, RegEx is designed specifically for this
very thing. It excels at it.

I don't disagree, but RegEx is difficult for most who are not accustom to
it.

Here is the corrected code (tested) that works like a charm:

Dim x As String = "10AF101-25"
Dim y As String() = x.Split("-")
Dim z As String = ""

Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To y(0).Length - 1
If IsNumeric(y(0)( i)) Then z &= y(0)(i)
Next

>Grab a copy of Expresso.

-Boo

>>Dim x As String = "10AF101-25"
Dim y As String() = x.split("-")
Dim z As String
dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To y(0).length
If IsNumeric(y(i)) Then z = y &= y(i)
Next
<ge*********@ gmail.comwrote in message
news:11****** *************** *@75g2000cwc.go oglegroups.com. ..

I have a string like the following:

10AF101-25

I would like to extract any numerical number that precedes the "-"
and stops when it encounters any string character like AF

So my result should be 101.

Any help is appreciated it.

[Scott M.]

Notice that the OP asked for the digits that come before the '-' up to

the first non-digit. As the OP points out, in the example string, the
result should be the digits between "10AF" and "-25", i.e., 101.

No, I didn't notice that, but my code could easily be changed to accomodate
that.

Even if that was the case, notice that it's not recommended to build a
string like this, but to use a StringBuilder, instead.

Uh, no that is not true. StringBuilders are very good and I agree that for
large strings and large amounts of manipulations, StringBuilders are
effiient. But no one says strings shouldn't be built manually in all cases.
For small strings and limited amounts of manipulations, manually creating a
string is perfectly fine. In fact, in many cases, because of the intern
pool, there may be no gain in using StringBuilders. And actually, if the
string in question is small, using a StringBuilder may actually use MORE
memory than not using one.

>Also, accessing array items inside a loop should be avoided whenever
possible.

That's ridiculous! Where did you get that from? One of the benefits of
arrays and collections is the ease of iterating through them via loops.
Your code is perfectly fine, but please don't make up best practices just to
bolster your code over others.

If the

OP had asked for all numeric chars before the '-', then a better method
would be:

Function ExtractDigits(T ext As String) As String
Dim S As New System.Text.Str ingBuilder
For Each C As Char in Text
If C = "-"c Then Exit For
If Char.IsDigit(C) Then S.Append(C)
Next
Return S.ToString
End Function

Regards,

Branco.

[Scott M.]

I don't disagree Cor, but you'll NEVER have a problem checking any single
character with IsNumeric. Only digits will return true. Where you can get
into trouble with IsNumeric is with values that start with a number and then
contain a non-numeric value further down the string like "1024X". But
checking one char at a time is not a problem.
"Cor Ligthert [MVP]" <no************ @planet.nlwrote in message
news:%2******** *******@TK2MSFT NGP05.phx.gbl.. .

Scott,

I see now that a single E character can never be an exponent, I did not
test the behaviour of a single plus in this. However to avoid that do I
find the isDigit more describtive and does not even need thinking about
the problems that can be with IsNumeric.

Just my idea,

Cor

"Scott M." <s-***@nospam.nosp amschreef in bericht
news:uf******** ********@TK2MSF TNGP03.phx.gbl. ..

>>There are several things wrong with your code. First, Using IsNumeric
can lead to anomolous results.

Not when testing single characters it won't. It will only produce
unanticipate d results when testing strings of more than 1 charactor in
length.

>>Second, your loop bounds are not correct and will cause an exception.

True, I forgot to subtract 1 from the upper boundry.

>>Third, Your loop scans forward, so the result from the example string
will be "10", not the desired "101".

Don't know what you are saying here, the loop will produce: "10101" as
desired.

>>I would have to agree with adm, RegEx is designed specifically for this
very thing. It excels at it.

I don't disagree, but RegEx is difficult for most who are not accustom to
it.

Here is the corrected code (tested) that works like a charm:

Dim x As String = "10AF101-25"
Dim y As String() = x.Split("-")
Dim z As String = ""

Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To y(0).Length - 1
If IsNumeric(y(0)( i)) Then z &= y(0)(i)
Next

>>Grab a copy of Expresso.

-Boo

Dim x As String = "10AF101-25"
Dim y As String() = x.split("-")
Dim z As String
dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To y(0).length
If IsNumeric(y(i)) Then z = y &= y(i)
Next
<ge********* @gmail.comwrote in message
news:11***** *************** **@75g2000cwc.g ooglegroups.com ...

I have a string like the following:
>
10AF101-25
>
I would like to extract any numerical number that precedes the "-"
and stops when it encounters any string character like AF
>
So my result should be 101.
>
Any help is appreciated it.
>