RE: Removing punctuation (not using arrays)

["Bob Cozzi" <cozzi@xxxxxxxxx>]

Yes, but you'd have to perform a loop for each different character you
want to delete.

Bob

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@midrange.com
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@midrange.com] On Behalf Of Tracy Ball
Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 6:05 PM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: RE: Removing punctuation (not using arrays)


The %scan and %replace is easy enough, however, will it eliminate the
extra spaces?

Example: "THIS, IS. A, TEST. ONLY"

Even using %xlate can give me this in two statements: "THIS  IS  A  TEST
ONLY"

But what I need is this: "THIS IS A TEST ONLY"


-Tracy
 Ext. 3107


-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Klement [mailto:klemscot@klements.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 6:52 PM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: Removing punctuation (not using arrays)



On Tue, 14 Jan 2003, Tracy Ball wrote:
>
> If I have this field value "RABBIT PACK, 6PC. WINE TOOL KIT", is there

> a better method of removing the comma and period characters and 
> discarding the extra spaces created without using an array routine of 
> reading one byte at a time, translating the unwanted characters to 
> "blanks" and then reloading the field via array positions?

Instead of reading it one byte at a time, you COULD use the %scan BIF
(or SCAN op-code) to find each punctuation character... the down-side to
this is that it has to search the entire string over and over for each
punctuation symbol you want to remove, which could end up being a
performance issue (especially if the string is very large)

Still, if this interests you, try searching the archives for the %scan
and %replace BIFs... I'm sure you'd find an example.

>
> Can I use the %xlate and %trim %bifs to shorten this task?  I don't 
> have REXX, so that is not an option.
>

The BIFs that I would use would actually be %subst and %replace.   I
would
still loop through every character, and use %replace to remove the
characters that I don't want.

Here's some sample code that illustrates how I'd do it:

     D x               S             10I 0
     D len             S             10I 0
     D string          s            100A

     c                   eval      string = '"RABBIT PACK, 6PC. WINE
TOOL KIT"'
     c                   eval      len = %len(%trimr(string))
     c                   eval      x = 1

     c                   dow       x <= len

     c                   if        %subst(string:x:1) = '.'
     c                               or %subst(string:x:1) = ','
     c                               or %subst(string:x:1) = ';'
     c                               or %subst(string:x:1) = '"'
     c                   eval      string = %replace('': string: x: 1)
     c                   else
     c                   eval      x = x + 1
     c                   endif

     c                   enddo

     c                   eval      *inlr = *on


Note that it doesn't advance to the next position unless no %replace was
necessary.  This is because the %replace moved all of the characters to
the left one space, so you'll already be on the next position.

Hope this is helpful.


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