RE: RPGLE pgm to parse a string

Terry

>> You can populate an array with the positions of a
>> search argument with a string using the SCAN op code.  

Thanks for that, in 20+ years of programming RPG I had never noticed that -
just goes to show you never stop learning.

Stiju,

Using the SCAN op code as Terry suggests, the following sub-procedure seems
to do what I think you want:

     H DFTACTGRP(*NO)

     D ParseIt         pr           255a   Varying
     D  iString                    1024a   Value
     D  iSep                          1a   Value Options(*NoPass)

     D wResult         s             32a

      * Expect *NULL as only two words in string...
     C                   Eval      wResult=ParseIt('The_Cat')
     C     wResult       Dsply

      * Expect "The" as only three words in string...
     C                   Eval      wResult=ParseIt('The_Cat_Sat')
     C     wResult       Dsply

      * Expect "Cat" as third last word in string...
     C                   Eval      wResult=ParseIt('The_Cat_Sat_On')
     C     wResult       Dsply

      * Expect *NULL as only two words in string...
     C                   Eval      wResult=ParseIt('_Cat_Sat')
     C     wResult       Dsply

      * Expect *NULL as third last word is missing...
     C                   Eval      wResult=ParseIt('The__Cat_Sat')
     C     wResult       Dsply

      * Expect "The" as third last word in string...
     C                   Eval      wResult=ParseIt('The-Cat-Sat':'-')
     C     wResult       Dsply

     C                   Eval      *InLr = *On

     p ParseIt         b

     D ParseIt         pi           255a   Varying
     D  iString                    1024a   Value
     D  iSep                          1a   Value Options(*NoPass)

     D Pos             s              5  0 Dim(1024)
     D Ix              s              5  0

     D wSep            s              1a
     D Error           c                   Const('*ERROR')
     D Null            c                   Const('*NULL')
     D Pos1            s              5  0
     D Pos2            s              5  0
     D Pos3            s              5  0
     D wPos            s              5  0

      * Check the number of parameters passed...

     C                   Select
     C                   When      %Parms = 1
     C                   Eval      wSep = '_'
     C                   When      %Parms = 2
     C                   Eval      wSep = iSep
     C                   Other
     C                   Return    Error
     C                   EndSl

      * Scan the string for all occurrences of the separator
      * character.  The first element of the Pos array will hold
      * the first occurrence, the second the second, etc.  All
      * elements after the last occurrence of the separator character
      * will be zero...

     C     wSep          Scan      iString       Pos


      * There need to be at least two separator characters from the
      * end of the string.  If there are three or more then we need
      * return the value between the 3rd and 2nd separators, but if
      * there are only two and the second starts in position 2 or
      * later then the word we want starts in position 1...

     C                   Eval      Pos1 = 0
     C                   Eval      Pos2 = 0
     C                   Eval      Pos3 = 0

      * First we need to find the last occurrence of the separator
      * character...

     C                   Eval      Ix = 1
     C     *Zero         Lookup    Pos(Ix)                                91

      * ...and then Determine the last three occurrences of
      * the separator character in the string, Pos1 being the
      * last occurrence...

     C                   If        Ix > 1
     C                   Eval      Pos1 = Pos(Ix-1)
     C                   EndIf

     C                   If        Ix > 2
     C                   Eval      Pos2 = Pos(Ix-2)
     C                   EndIf

     C                   If        Ix > 3
     C                   Eval      Pos3 = Pos(Ix-3)
     C                   EndIf

      * Return a value depending on the contents of Pos3 and Pos2...

     C                   Select
     C                   When      Pos3 = 0 and Pos2 = 0
     C                   Return    Null
     C                   When      Pos3 = 0 and Pos2 > 1
     C                   Return    %Subst(iString:1:Pos2 - 1)
     C                   When      Pos3 > 1 and Pos2 = Pos3 + 1
     C                   Return    Null
     C                   When      Pos3 > 1 and Pos2 > Pos3 + 1
     C                   Return    %Subst(iString:Pos3+1:Pos2-Pos3-1)
     C                   Other
     C                   Return    Null
     C                   EndSl

     p ParseIt         e

It returns the third last delimited "word" from the string and allows you to
specify the delimiter.  If no delimiter is specified then "_" is used.  If
there are fewer than three delimited "words" in the string then "*ERROR" is
returned.

All the best

Jonathan