Alastair,
My favorite command language REXX has a marvelous function:
SPACE(string,n,pad)
Formats the blank-delimited words in "string" with n "pad:
characters between each word.
for example SET VAR vTval = 'aa bb cc dd'
set var vcln = (SPACE(.vTval,1,' '))
show var vcln
'aa bb cc dd'
Jim Bentley
--- Alastair Burr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> ----------------------------I don't know why this appeared for
> a second time - I didn't re-send it intentionally - so
> apologies all round.
>
> However, it gives me the opportunity to reply to Ben, Mike &
> Larry:
>
> Thanks for your responses.
>
> I prefer the while loop to my goto so that's an improvement -
> thanks Ben & Larry.
>
> I looked at the SSTRIP(I) functions when I was searching for a
> function that I was sure must exist to do what I wanted. I
> concluded that I could take out all the spaces but that
> wouldn't leave me a way to use SSUB. Thanks Mike, if I'm
> missing a way to do what I want with it please let me know.
>
> I had already discovered the problem with SLOC and double
> spaces after I posted originally and before Larry's comments.
> I'd got around it by replacing all spaces with a | and then
> getting rid of the double ones - much as suggested.
>
> It seems obvious to ask why SLOC has a problem identifying two
> spaces? Is it an R:Base problem or a Windows/general computing
> one? IF it's an R:Base one does it need reporting or is RBTI
> aware already?
>
> Also, is there a need for a function that can take out the
> words from a string regardless of the number of spaces between
> them? A sort of "Super-SLOC" that, perhaps, works on any
> number of spaces rather than the comma (or whatever the
> delimit is set to)?
>
> Regards,
> Alastair.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Alastair Burr
> To: RBASE-L Mailing List
> Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 8:31 AM
> Subject: [RBASE-L] - Removing multiple spaces from a string
>
>
> I am trying to remove all double spaces in text in order to
> replace the remaining single spaces with a comma so that I can
> use SSUB on the converted string.
>
> The target string (vVarData) may have an unknown number of
> spaces between the words. There's no pattern from one string
> to another. In theory there's no limit to the length of any
> space although, in practice, it's likely only to be a few
> space "characters".
>
> I expected to be able to come up with something rather more
> eloquent than this:
>
> SET VAR vVarData = (TRIM(.vVarData))
> LABEL lSpaces
> SET VAR vCount = 0
> SET VAR vCount = (SLOC(.vVarData, ' '))
> IF vCount <> 0 THEN
> SET VAR vVarData = (SRPL(.vVarData, ' ', ' ', 0))
> GOTO lSpaces
> ENDIF
> SET VAR vVarData = (SRPL(.vVarData, ' ', ',', 0))
> SET VAR vWord3 = (SSUB(.vVarData, 3))
> SET VAR vWord4 = (SSUB(.vVarData, 4))
> SET VAR vWord6 = (SSUB(.vVarData, 6))
>
> Am I missing a more obvious method to get the end result?
>
> Regards,
>
> Alastair
>
>
>
> ----------------------------
>
> Alastair Burr
>
> St. Albans, UK.
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> -----------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
Jim Bentley
American Celiac Society
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
tel: 1-504-737-3293
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