need simple parsing ability

[george young]

[python 2.3.3, x86 linux]
For each run of my app, I have a known set of (<100) wafer names.
Names are sometimes simply integers, sometimes a short string, and
sometimes a short string followed by an integer, e.g.:

  5, 6, 7, 8, 9, bar, foo_6, foo_7, foo_8, foo_9, foo_10, foo_11

I need to read user input of a subset of these.  The user will type a
set of names separated by commas (with optional white space), but there
may also be sequences indicated by a dash between two integers, e.g.: 

   "9-11"       meaning 9,10,11
   "foo_11-13"  meaning foo_11, foo_12, and foo_13.
   "foo_9-11"   meaning foo_9,foo_10,foo_11, or 
   "bar09-11"   meaning bar09,bar10,bar11

(Yes, I have to deal with integers with and without leading zeros)
[I'll proclaim inverse sequences like "foo_11-9" invalid]
So a sample input might be:

   9,foo7-9,2-4,xxx   meaning 9,foo7,foo8,foo9,2,3,4,xxx

The order of the resultant list of names is not important; I have
to sort them later anyway.

Fancy error recovery is not needed; an invalid input string will be
peremptorily wiped from the screen with an annoyed beep.

Can anyone suggest a clean way of doing this?  I don't mind
installing and importing some parsing package, as long as my code
using it is clear and simple.  Performance is not an issue.


-- George Young
-- 
"Are the gods not just?"  "Oh no, child.
What would become of us if they were?" (CSL)