Stripping whitespace

[Reedick, Andrew]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: python-list-bounces+jr9445=att.com at python.org [mailto:python-
> list-bounces+jr9445=att.com at python.org] On Behalf Of ryan k
> Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 3:24 PM
> To: python-list at python.org
> Subject: Re: Stripping whitespace
> 
> On Jan 23, 3:02 pm, John Machin <sjmac... at lexicon.net> wrote:
> > On Jan 24, 6:57 am, ryan k <r... at ryankaskel.com> wrote:
> >
> > > So yea i will just have to count dashes.
> >
> > Read my lips: *you* counting dashes is dumb. Writing your code so
> that
> > *code* is counting dashes each time it opens the file is smart.
> 
> Okay it's almost working ...
> 

Why is it that so many Python people are regex adverse?  Use the dashed
line as a regex.  Convert the dashes to dots.  Wrap the dots in
parentheses.  Convert the whitespace chars to '\s'.  Presto!  Simpler,
cleaner code.

import re

state = 0
header_line = ''
pattern = ''
f = open('a.txt', 'r')
for line in f:
	if line[-1:] == '\n':
		line = line[:-1]

	if state == 0:
		header_line = line
		state += 1
	elif state == 1:
		pattern = re.sub(r'-', r'.', line)
		pattern = re.sub(r'\s', r'\\s', pattern)
		pattern = re.sub(r'([.]+)', r'(\1)', pattern)
		print pattern
		state += 1

		headers = re.match(pattern, header_line)
		if headers:
			print headers.groups()
	else:
		state = 2
		m = re.match(pattern, line)
		if m:
			print m.groups()


f.close()



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