Regular Expression Problem Topic is solved

[Galenmacil]

Hello,

I am about to give up on this simple regular expression substitution that work fine anywhere else but not with AutoHotkey:

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Text := "This is a test to see`nhow removing splitted lines using`nregular expression looks like when written to a log:`n`nExample 1`n`n`nExample 2`n`nEnd"

Log_Text := StrReplace(Text, "(`n)+", " ")

The idea is to remove all linefeed `n sequence from a string so that when printed to a log it shows on a single line... The regular expression in the code above do not work...

Help would be appreciated.

[Datapoint]

StrReplace is for plain text, try RegExReplace instead.

[andymbody]

try RegExReplace instead.

Just in case the vertical whitespace contains a character other than just LF (`n)

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Text := "This is a test to see`nhow removing splitted lines using`nregular expression looks like when written to a log:`n`nExample 1`n`n`nExample 2`n`nEnd"
Log_Text := RegExReplace(Text, "\R+", " ")
MsgBox % "[" . Log_Text . "]"

[Xtra]

Keep it simple:

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Log_Text := StrReplace(Text, "`n", " ")

Click the word StrReplace in the code box to read more about it in the AHK Documentation.

[andymbody]

Keep it simple:

Wouldn't this cause multiple spaces where there are multiple LF? I'm not at my computer, so unable to test it.

[Xtra]

Keep it simple:

Wouldn't this cause multiple spaces where there are multiple LF? I'm not at my computer, so unable to test it.

I scrolled to the far right and see them in the example now. Yes it would. You could StrReplace() the 2 spaces into one after but then might as well use RegexReplace(). It would be about the same speed.

[Galenmacil]

Oh boy... I made (kind of) a fool of myself: Yes "StrReplace()" is for plain text string replacement . What I needed, as Datapoint succinctly shows, was

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RegExReplace(Text, "(`n)+", " ")

As Xtra also said "Keep it simple.": So Initially the function used was

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StrReplace(Text, "`n", " ")

but this would add unneeded extra space if, like in my example, a string contains many succesive 'n...


I was trying to fix this small part of my script for like 3 hours! I guess at one point your brain can't see clearly.

Back in "the old days" (in the early 90's) when I was coding in plain C (not C++) I would get stuck on a "problem" where the solution was always really obvious and simple, like here. Many times it happened to me... And many times I said to myself "I got to remember that the devil is in the details!"

So, yeah: The goblins are in the details indeed.

Thanks for anyone submitting replies here.