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Regular Expression Help Please
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 10:17 pm
by dforrest
I have very many entries in a file similar to the following:
FileName ( ..\\\\\\\\..\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-40082.s )
I need to change this to:
"FileName ( ..\\\\\\\\..\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-40082.s )"
Each has a different five digit number ("40082" in this example) which should not be changed. Is there any way to do this with a regular expression?
To complicate this there is also the expressions similar to the following which should not be changed.
FileName ( ukfs3r_tl_20m_7d13.s )
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 5:02 pm
by ben_josephs
Is the string
FileName ( ... )
a whole line?
Do you want to enclose such lines in double quotes?
What distinguishes the strings that you want to do this to from those you do not want to do it to?
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 5:23 pm
by dforrest
Yes the string is to be changed to be enclosed in double quotes.
All strings to be changed are identical except for the five digit number number which should remain unchanged.
Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 10:52 am
by AmigoJack
Find:
Code: Select all
^(FileName \( \.\.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\.\.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-[0-9]{5}\.s \))$
Replace with:
What have I done?
- Escaping every character that has a meaning in regular expressions (round brackets, backslashes, dots) - ironically I did this using TextPad's "Replace" feature
- Adding start of line and end of line -markers
- 5 digit random number
Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 1:04 pm
by dforrest
This in in principle is what I need although there are two problems.
1. It is only the following string which I am attempting to enclose with double quotes. Your solution quotes the whole line.
..\\\\\\\\..\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-40055.s
2. There are two tab characters at the beginning of the line(before "FileName (.." which are not showing in the examples I am typing in the post. I have added -TAB-TAB- in the example below to show the position of them.
-TAB-TAB-FileName ( ..\\\\\\\\..\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-40055.s )
The following is a bigger extract of the code being adjusted:
TrackObj (
UiD ( 84 )
SectionIdx ( 40053 )
Elevation ( 0 )
CollideFlags ( 527 )
FileName ( ..\\\\\\\\..\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-40055.s )
StaticFlags ( 00200180 )
Position ( -697.444 45.4542 655.951 )
QDirection ( 0 0.393961 0 0.919127 )
VDbId ( 4294967294 )
StaticDetailLevel ( 0 )
)
This needs to be:
TrackObj (
UiD ( 84 )
SectionIdx ( 40053 )
Elevation ( 0 )
CollideFlags ( 527 )
FileName ( "..\\\\\\\\..\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-40055.s" )
StaticFlags ( 00200180 )
Position ( -697.444 45.4542 655.951 )
QDirection ( 0 0.393961 0 0.919127 )
VDbId ( 4294967294 )
StaticDetailLevel ( 0 )
)
Not showing is one tab character before the fist line and two tab characters before the other lines.
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:38 am
by AmigoJack
dforrest wrote:Your solution quotes the whole line.
You answered 2 different questions about lines with "Yes", hence I assumed just that. Remove
and
dforrest wrote:There are two tab characters at the beginning of the line(before "FileName (.." which are not showing in the examples I am typing in the post.
That's because you always use
instead of
Code: Select all
- the former is meant for text and citations, the latter for also keeping whitespaces (such as indents thru tabs).
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2020 12:26 pm
by dforrest
Thank you Jack but I am confused. Where do we go from here?
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2020 2:48 pm
by AmigoJack
From my perspective I explained and referenced everything precisely, unambiguously, and completely. Maybe you can elaborate on why you are confused (at which point, and what did you understood so far) and what you expect if you still want to go on.
In other words: "confused" and "go from here" is too vague and as helpful to me as if I'd "help" you with a reply of "it's all in the text" - it surely is accurate, but doesn't improve understanding in any way.
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2020 3:11 pm
by dforrest
Jack, I will state my initial query again and hope that this time I describe it correctly!
I have several lines in a file as the following two lines:
Code: Select all
FileName ( ..\\\\\\\\..\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-40055.s )
and
Code: Select all
FileName ( ..\\\\\\\\..\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-40124.s )
The space showing at the beginning of the line (before "FileName") comprises of two tab characters.
The line ends with the closing bracket.
I need to add double quotes to part of these lines, as the example below, without changing the five digit number, which is different in all of the many lines.
Code: Select all
FileName ( "..\\\\\\\\..\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-40055.s" )
I would be very grateful if you could assist with this.
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:49 pm
by AmigoJack
Concluded from what I wrote initially, plus removing the two characters from the start and end of the regular expression, enter the following two lines into the "Replace" dialog window:
Textbox "Find what" must have the following:
Code: Select all
(FileName \( \.\.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\.\.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-[0-9]{5}\.s \))
Textbox "Replace with" must have the following:
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2020 10:16 pm
by dforrest
Jack, we seem to be getting closer but this gives me:
Code: Select all
"FileName ( ..\\\\\\\\..\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-40055.s )"
where I need:
Code: Select all
FileName ( "..\\\\\\\\..\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-40055.s" )
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2020 10:55 pm
by AmigoJack
forrest, but you do realize that your first post wanted the opposite?
Then make it
Code: Select all
FileName \( (\.\.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\.\.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\routes\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Chiltern\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Dynatrax\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\DynaTrax-[0-9]{5}\.s) \)
and
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:08 pm
by dforrest
Jack, I realise that my first post was in error for which I apologies.
Your latest version does exactly what is needed and you have my sincere thanks for putting up with me and coming up with a solution.
David