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String Parsing Class (supports quoted strings)

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3.89/5 (24 votes)
14 Mar 2002 198.4K   1.3K   44   48
Parse strings with specified delimiter and specified quote character
  • Download source files - 102 Kb
  • Introduction

    How many times have you wanted to parse a string and had to re-write a little function here or there to extract what you want? This class is exactly what you've been waiting for.

    How To Use CQStringParser

    Add the following include:

    #include "QStringParser.h"
    And where it's needed, do something like this (I used this code to test the class):
    CString sTest = "abc,def,\"efg,hij\",klm,nop,\"qrstuv\",wxyz";
    
    CQStringParser p(sTest, ',', '\"');
    
    CString sBuffer = "";
    int nCount = p.GetCount();
    
    if (nCount > 0)
    {
        for (int i = 1; i <= nCount; i++)
    {
            sBuffer += (p.GetField(i) + CString("\n"));
        }
    AfxMessageBox(sBuffer);
    
    CString sTemp;
    int nElement;
    sTemp = p.Find("efg", &nElement);
    
    if (nElement > 0)
    {
        sBuffer.Format("Found string - %s", sTemp);
        AfxMessageBox(sBuffer);
        }
    else
    {
        AfxMessageBox("No matching string found ('efg').");
    }
    
    sTemp = p.FindExact("abc",&nElement);
    if (nElement > 0)
    {
        sBuffer.Format("Found string - %s", sTemp);
        AfxMessageBox(sBuffer);
    }
    else
    {
        AfxMessageBox("No exactly matching string found ('efg').");
    }
    }
    else
    {
        AfxMessageBox("No strings parsed.");
    }
    

    You can (of course) easily create an array of CQStringParser objects if needed, and read in an entire delimited file before processing the parsed strings. Alternatively, you can use the same object over and over again with different strings.

    The parsed fields begin at element #1 because I store the original string in element 0.

    How To Use CQStdStringParser

    Add the following include:

    #include "QStdStringParser.h"

    And where it's needed, do something like this (I used this code to test the class):

    std::string sTest = "abc,def,\"efg,hij\",klm,nop,\"qrstuv\",wxyz";
    
    CQStdStringParser p(sTest, ',', '\"');
    

    The strings being passed into the class and retrieved from the class are of type std:string, but other than that, the class functions identically to its MFC-specific cousin (which works with CStrings).

    Updates

    06 May 2001 - As I use my classes they mature and grow, and CQStringParser is no exception. In this iteration, I've simplified the code by eliminating the overloaded constructor and parsing functions. I've also added new functionality. You can now Add, Set (change), Insert, and Delete fields from the parsed string. The demo (link at top this article) includes a simple dialog-based application which allows you to play around with the primary functionality of the class. As usual, the class is fully documented. Have a ball.

    10 August 2001 - I recently had reason to need the use of this class in a NON-MFC evnironment, and in order to facilitate this requirement, I created a new version of the class that uses STL instead of the MFC collection classes. The demo program now contains both the CQStringParser class, as well as the CQStdStringParser class. The only externally obvious difference is that the strings you pass in and get back are of type std::string instead of CString. The method names and class functionality are otherwise identical to the original class.

    15 March 2002 - Fixed a parsing bug in the string parser classes, and changed the sample app to allow you to change the quote and/or delimiter character in the dialog box.

    License

    This article has no explicit license attached to it but may contain usage terms in the article text or the download files themselves. If in doubt please contact the author via the discussion board below.

    A list of licenses authors might use can be found here


    Written By
    Software Developer (Senior) Paddedwall Software
    United States United States
    I've been paid as a programmer since 1982 with experience in Pascal, and C++ (both self-taught), and began writing Windows programs in 1991 using Visual C++ and MFC. In the 2nd half of 2007, I started writing C# Windows Forms and ASP.Net applications, and have since done WPF, Silverlight, WCF, web services, and Windows services.

    My weakest point is that my moments of clarity are too brief to hold a meaningful conversation that requires more than 30 seconds to complete. Thankfully, grunts of agreement are all that is required to conduct most discussions without committing to any particular belief system.

    Comments and Discussions

     
    Generalparsing wrong Pin
    ohh5-Aug-10 1:44
    ohh5-Aug-10 1:44 
    GeneralBelated Thanks! Pin
    baloneyman7-Feb-09 14:27
    baloneyman7-Feb-09 14:27 
    Questionletterlike sysbol? Pin
    manh_duc1-Mar-07 13:45
    manh_duc1-Mar-07 13:45 
    AnswerRe: letterlike sysbol? Pin
    #realJSOP1-Mar-07 23:08
    mve#realJSOP1-Mar-07 23:08 
    GeneralAddField has a problem with empty original string Pin
    Hans-Georg Ulrich11-Aug-04 23:19
    Hans-Georg Ulrich11-Aug-04 23:19 
    GeneralJapanese text parsing Pin
    r_senthil1924-Jul-03 14:46
    r_senthil1924-Jul-03 14:46 
    Generalbug fix Pin
    Edwin Geng20-Jul-03 0:27
    Edwin Geng20-Jul-03 0:27 
    QuestionNew Bug ?? Pin
    Corneliu Tusnea19-Sep-02 21:23
    Corneliu Tusnea19-Sep-02 21:23 
    AnswerRe: New Bug ?? Pin
    #realJSOP22-Nov-06 4:00
    mve#realJSOP22-Nov-06 4:00 
    GeneralFound some bugs Pin
    Amoc9-Jul-02 3:13
    Amoc9-Jul-02 3:13 
    GeneralRe: Found some bugs Pin
    #realJSOP10-Jul-02 4:01
    mve#realJSOP10-Jul-02 4:01 
    GeneralVery useful thanks Pin
    Member 9620-Jun-02 8:50
    Member 9620-Jun-02 8:50 
    GeneralRe: Very useful thanks Pin
    #realJSOP22-Jun-02 2:35
    mve#realJSOP22-Jun-02 2:35 
    GeneralNice, but... Pin
    supertedusa30-May-02 10:34
    supertedusa30-May-02 10:34 
    GeneralRe: Nice, but... Pin
    #realJSOP30-May-02 13:22
    mve#realJSOP30-May-02 13:22 
    GeneralRe: Nice, but... Pin
    supertedusa30-May-02 14:06
    supertedusa30-May-02 14:06 
    GeneralRe: Nice, but... Pin
    #realJSOP31-Jul-07 5:09
    mve#realJSOP31-Jul-07 5:09 
    GeneralWow - a Linux Guy Pin
    #realJSOP15-Mar-02 3:52
    mve#realJSOP15-Mar-02 3:52 
    GeneralBugs present Pin
    11-Mar-02 3:20
    suss11-Mar-02 3:20 
    GeneralRe: Bugs present Pin
    #realJSOP15-Mar-02 2:48
    mve#realJSOP15-Mar-02 2:48 
    GeneralExcellent Pin
    User 988527-Oct-01 7:56
    User 988527-Oct-01 7:56 
    GeneralRe: Excellent Pin
    #realJSOP28-Nov-01 7:03
    mve#realJSOP28-Nov-01 7:03 
    GeneralNeed help please Pin
    3-Sep-01 15:16
    suss3-Sep-01 15:16 
    GeneralRe: Need help please Pin
    #realJSOP14-Oct-01 4:46
    mve#realJSOP14-Oct-01 4:46 
    QuestionHow delimiter is also string (e.g.. @$)?? Pin
    27-Aug-01 13:07
    suss27-Aug-01 13:07 

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