Text parsing question

[allaboutsas]

I’m using a sample code from SAS here, want to get a different

result.

data _null_;

   ExpressionID = prxparse('/(?:s|,?)([crb]at) ?(?:,)?/');

   text = 'The woods have a bat, cat and a rat';

   start = 1;

   stop = length(text);

      /* Use PRXNEXT to find the first instance of the pattern, */

      /* then use DO WHILE to find all further instances.       */

      /* PRXNEXT changes the start parameter so that searching  */

      /* begins again after the last match.                     */

   call prxnext(ExpressionID, start, stop, text, position, length);

      do while (position > 0);

          fnd = prxposn(ExpressionID,1,text);

         found = substr(text, position, length);

         put fnd= found= position= length= start= stop=;

         call prxnext(ExpressionID, start, stop, text, position, length);

      end;

run;

/*The following lines are written to the SAS log:*/

/*   found=bat position=18 length=3*/

/*   found=cat position=23 length=3*/

/*   found=rat position=34 length=3*/

What I want to get is this instead:

Found=The woods have a bat

Found= cat and

Found= a rat

Basically use the found-word as a delimiter to strip out the string to parts

(as many as it finds, 3 in this case).

[Reeza]

WWhat's your delimiter? If it was bat/cat/hat your result would be :

the  woods have a bat

cat

and a rat

or possibly

the  woods have a bat

cat and a

rat

[allaboutsas]

You are right, should be:

the  woods have a bat

cat

and a rat

[Reeza]

Forget the sample code from SAS, what are you trying to accomplish overall. Can you provide more than one example? Would sat also be a delimiter?

[Astounding]

Let's add to the list.  Which of these should be considered delimiters?

at

cats

matter

Secretariat

wheat

[allaboutsas]

I have to use prxparse('/(?:\s|,?)([crb]at) ?(?:,)?/'); which means only cat|rat|bat are delimiters(words), just notice a typo in the original post, should be \s which means space, the real program is much more complicated than this one, goal is to get substrings from the big string, in a way of breaking the string by looking at any of these 3 words (in this sample, real case is much more).

[allaboutsas]

And I know in this case a word like brat will show up, that is fine. Thanks.

[Astounding · Accepted solution]

OK, keeping your program as intact as possible ...

Add one statement just before DO WHILE:

prior_position = 1;

Then inside the DO WHILE loop, replace FOUND= with:

found = substr(text, prior_position, position - prior_position + 3);

prior_position = position + 3;

You may get ", cat" instead of "cat", but that's probably a decent result.

Good luck.

[allaboutsas]

Thank you Astounding! I think that works.

[allaboutsas]

One more thing, is there a way to have the last found return 'and a rat abc' instead of 'and a rat'?

data _null_;

   ExpressionID = prxparse('/(?:\s|,?)([crb]at) ?(?:,)?/');

   text = 'The woods  have a bat, cat and a rat abc';

   start = 1;

   stop = length(text);

       /* Use PRXNEXT to find the first instance of the pattern, */

      /* then use DO WHILE to find all further instances.       */

      /* PRXNEXT changes the start parameter so that searching  */

      /* begins again after the last match.                     */

   call prxnext(ExpressionID, start, stop, text, position, length);

     prior_position = 1;

      do while (position > 0);

    fnd = prxposn(ExpressionID,1,text);

         found = substr(text, prior_position, position - prior_position + length(fnd)+1);

  prior_position = position + length(fnd)+1;

         put fnd= found= prior_position position= length= start= stop=;

         call prxnext(ExpressionID, start, stop, text, position, length);

      end;

run;

[Astounding]

No, it wouldn't be easy.  What would be easy would be to print one more line at the end:

Remaining text = abc