String Comparisons returning score

[Jay Parlar]

I do believe that the difflib library is what you desire, and more specifically, SequenceMatcher from said library. If I 
remember correctly, it's described quite well in the documentation. Hope this helps!

> Is there an approved standard library/function/algarithm for comparing
> two similar strings and returning a percentage match?
> 
> I am aware of soundEx.py / .c  which is based on the grammar and
> phonetics of words, but from what I have read it seems to be flawed..
> and thus removed from the python standard library.
> 
> I have noticed similar techniques in other languages which are based
> on shift matrixes, working out the minimum number of changes to
> transform string A into string B.
> 
> I am more looking for one which looks at 
> words/
> chars/
> char-order/
> length/
> similarity
> perhaps omitting spaces, and a common library (the,a,and,mr,mrs......)
> with a weighted scoring mechanism...
> 
> Thanks in advance...
> Clayton Brown / Emmie Osawa


Jay Parlar
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Software Engineering III
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

"Though there are many paths
At the foot of the mountain
All those who reach the top
See the same moon."