Re: Extract number from character field

[Jim Langston <jlangston@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Actually, you are right.  I was answering a different question.
If I had to do what you are attempting to do this is how I would do
it.

Number of decimals = 1
Start at the right most character in the string
Loop1
  If it is a number, exit loop
  back up one character.  If at position 0 exit, no number found
  goto loop

Store a variable with the length of my temp variable (say n=15)
Loop2
  Move the character into the nth place in my temp variable
  Loop3
    Back up one character.  If at position 0 end loop
    If character is a number
      subtract 1 from n
       if n = 0 exit, number too big
       goto loop2
    If character is a ',' goto loop3
    If character is a '.'
       Number of Decimals = Length of Temp Variable - n
       goto Loop3
    end loop

Number = atof(Temp Variable) / (1 * Number of Decimals)

You get the general idea.

yes, it is a pain.  The main reason it is a pain is because 1. You don't
know where in the string the number will occur.  2. You don't know if
the number is going to have .'s or ,'s

Regards,

Jim Langston

Jeff Crosby wrote:

> > > But what if the source string was "12,435"?
>
> I'm sorry, I didn't explain myself well enough (or didn't read your
> original post closely enough to see the positions were hardcoded).  What
> I meant was, what if sometimes the commas are there and sometimes not?
> As in "12345" one time and "12,345" the next.
>
> -Jeff
> jlcrosby@fwi.com
> Voice: 219-422-7531  Fax: 219-426-0212
>
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