RegExp Replace - Insert Whitespace

[HurleyShanabarger]

Hi there,

i have the following data:

WORD_1  :         RESULT_1
ANYLETTER_2                    :  RESULT_2
WORDNEXT_3            :        RESULT_3
SOMEWORDMORE_4          :         RESULT_4
ONLY_5      :           RESULT_6

The charset before whitespace and colon is know (can be matched using "\w+") but the length is different. The goal is to align the colons per row and also the words (again matchable using \w+) after the colon:

WORD_1         : RESULT_1
ANYLETTER_2    : RESULT_2
WORDNEXT_3     : RESULT_3
SOMEWORDMORE_4 : RESULT_4
ONLY_5         : RESULT_6

Align after the colon is easy, but is there any way to achieve it with a single regular expression?

StringRegExpReplace($Value, "(\w{6})\h+\:\h*(.*)", "$1         : $2", 0)

Thank you!

[jchd]

A little more involved than a one-liner:

Local $sValue = _
"WORD_1  :         RESULT_1" & @CRLF & _
"ANYLETTER_2                    :  RESULT_2" & @CRLF & _
"WORDNEXT_3            :        RESULT_3" & @CRLF & _
"SOMEWORDMORE_4          :         RESULT_4" & @CRLF & _
"ONLY_5      :           RESULT_6"

Local $aValues = StringRegExp($sValue, "(\w+)[\h:]+(\w+)", 3)
Local $size
For $i = 0 To UBound($aValues) - 1 Step 2
    If StringLen($aValues[$i]) > $size Then $size = StringLen($aValues[$i])
Next
Local $sFormatted
For $i = 0 To UBound($aValues) - 1 Step 2
    $sFormatted &= StringFormat("%-" & $size & "s : %s\r\n", $aValues[$i], $aValues[$i + 1])
Next

ConsoleWrite($sFormatted)

No single regexp can scan the data to determinate the longest first word of each line and then go backwards to reformat stuff.

You can as well make the first regexp collect only first words but you still have to go thru the resulting array to chase the max size, like in code above. Of course you could do the same in a more pedestrian way with more code, keeping track of max size so far. Anyway, after that you can replace the second For loop by a StringRegexpReplace to do the formatting, in place of the second For loop. That's just a matter of taste.

[Malkey]

Here is another method following the same logic as  jchd's example.

#include <String.au3>

Local $str = _
        "WORD_1  :         RESULT_1" & @CRLF & _
        "ANYLETTER_2                    :  RESULT_2" & @CRLF & _
        "WORDNEXT_3            :        RESULT_3" & @CRLF & _
        "SOMEWORDMORE_4          :         RESULT_4" & @CRLF & _
        "ONLY_5      :           RESULT_6"
        
Global $max = 0
Execute(StringRegExpReplace($str, "(?m)(\w+)(\h+.+\v*)", '__MaxLen(''$1'')& ') & "''") ; Get maximium number of characters of the first word in all lines.
;ConsoleWrite($max & @CRLF)

Local $sFormated = Execute(StringRegExpReplace($str, "(\w+)(\h+:\h+)(\w+\v*)", "'$1'&_StringRepeat(' ', $max - StringLen('$1'))& ' : $3'&") & "''")

ConsoleWrite($sFormated & @CRLF)


Func __MaxLen($sWord)
    If StringLen($sWord) > $max Then $max = StringLen($sWord)
EndFunc   ;==>__MaxLen

 

And, an abbreviation of the above script.

; https://www.autoitscript.com/forum/topic/197984-regexp-replace-insert-whitespace/?do=findComment&comment=1420097
Local $str = _
        "WORD_1  :         RESULT_1" & @CRLF & _
        "ANYLETTER_2                    :  RESULT_2" & @CRLF & _
        " WORDNEXT_3            :        RESULT_3 " & @CRLF & _
        "SOMEWORDMORE_4          :         RESULT_4" & @CRLF & _
        "ONLY_5      :           RESULT_6"

Local $max = 0

; Get $max, the maximium number of characters of the first word in all lines.
Execute(StringRegExpReplace($str, "(\w+).+\v*", '(Stringlen(''$1'')>$max?Assign("max",Stringlen(''$1'')):"")&') & "''")
;ConsoleWrite($max & @CRLF)

Local $sFormatted = Execute(StringRegExpReplace($str, "(\w+)\h*:\h*(\w+.*\v*)", 'StringFormat("%-"&$max&"s : %s","$1","$2")&') & "''")

ConsoleWrite($sFormatted & @CRLF)

 

Edited March 2, 2019 by Malkey
Added abbreviated script. Tidied RE pattern.