findtext() backwards searching. in BYOND Discussion

ID:132863
 
Sep 5 2009, 3:37 am
It would be pretty nifty if you could get findtext to search backwards, I could simulate that myself by reversing the string but a built in feature would be nice :)
#1 Sep 5 2009, 5:10 am
Wah? So you could search for "olleh" in "hello" and it would find it? Purpose?
#2 Sep 5 2009, 5:15 am
In response to Falacy (#1)
Falacy wrote:
Wah? So you could search for "olleh" in "hello" and it would find it? Purpose?

Not exactly.

Here's an example, to get the extension name of a file I have to do this, currently:

/*
        This procedure takes a string as an argument and returns the string in reversed format
        
        For example: StringReverse("hello") would return "olleh"
    */
                
    StringReverse(string)
        .=""
        for(var/i=length(string);i>0;i--)
            .+=copytext(string, i, i+1)
            
    /*
        This procdure takes a string (filename) as an argument and returns the extension of the file
    */      
    
    GetExtension(string)
        if(findtext(string, "."))
            . = copytext(string, GetLastInstance(string, "."))
            
    /*
        This procedure returns the position of the last instance of 'instanceOf'
    */      
    
    GetLastInstance(string, instanceOf)
        . = (length(string)+1) - findtext(StringReverse(string), instanceOf)


When with this new feature I could do this:

proc
        
    GetExtension(string)
        . = findtext(string, ".", 0, 1) //0 - so start at the end and 1 to finish at the start (going backwards)
        . = copytext(string, .)


See a benefit?
#3 Sep 5 2009, 5:21 am
In response to Haywire (#2)
Haywire wrote:
Here's an example, to get the extension name of a file I have to do this, currently:

or you could just do one of these:
copytext(FileName,findtext(FileName,"."),0)
copytext(FileName,length(FileName)-3,0)


See a benefit?

Not so much in that scenario =P
#4 Sep 5 2009, 5:22 am (Edited on Sep 5 2009, 8:44 am)
In response to Falacy (#3)
Falacy wrote:
Haywire wrote:
Here's an example, to get the extension name of a file I have to do this, currently:

or you could just do one of these:
> copytext(String,findtext(String,"."),0)
> copytext(String,length(String)-3,0)
>


See a benefit?

Not so much in that scenario =P

Firstly, an extension can be more than 3 characters and secondly a file name could consist of more than 1 dot, for example (lol.lol.lol.txt), with your method I would get (lol.lol.txt), I want (.txt)
#5 Sep 5 2009, 5:25 am
In response to Haywire (#4)
[link]

Second point made by Hiead.
#6 Sep 5 2009, 8:53 am
In response to Haywire (#5)
Since string manipulation isn't really one of BYOND's strong points, I don't think implementing this as a hard-coded solution would garner much gain.
#7 Sep 5 2009, 8:54 am
In response to Metamorphman (#6)
If something isn't your strong point wouldn't you work on it?

That makes sense.
#8 Sep 5 2009, 8:58 am
In response to Haywire (#7)
This isn't going to make BYOND's string manipulation any faster as a whole, but it will make it easier to use. When I say string manipulation isn't a strong point, I mean that its not going to be so much of a gain when you can use a hard-coded method to gain what, like 0.01 second on the soft-coded method.

For a good feature, a mixture of efficiency, speed and ease of use are needed, and this feature isn't pretty light on 2/3 of those parts.
#9 Sep 5 2009, 9:18 am
In response to Haywire (#7)
You deleted the thing I was about to reply to <.< anyway:
proc/ReverseFindText(Whole,Part)
    if(findtext(Whole,Part))
        for(var/i=length(Whole)-length(Part)+1; i>0; i--)
            if(findtext(Whole,Part,i))  return  i

mob/verb/FindExt()
    var/FileName="You.Fail.At.Naming.Files.EpicFail"
    world<<copytext(FileName,ReverseFindText(FileName,"."))
#10 Sep 5 2009, 9:20 am
In response to Falacy (#9)
Falacy wrote:
You deleted the thing I was about to reply to <.< anyway:
> proc/ReverseFindText(Whole,Part)
>   if(findtext(Whole,Part))
>       for(var/i=length(Whole)-length(Part)+1; i>0; i--)
>           if(findtext(Whole,Part,i))  return  i
> 
> mob/verb/FindExt()
>   var/FileName="You.Fail.At.Naming.Files.EpicFail"
>   world<<copytext(FileName,ReverseFindText(FileName,"."))
>

Yes, what about that?
#11 Sep 5 2009, 9:21 am
In response to Haywire (#10)
Haywire wrote:
Yes, what about that?

There's your <s>reverse</s> backwards searching findtext() proc, shuffle along =P
#12 Sep 5 2009, 9:22 am
In response to Falacy (#11)
Falacy wrote:
Haywire wrote:
Yes, what about that?

There's your reverse findtext() proc, shuffle along =P

That wasn't my point, yes, a soft-coded version could be implemented like you and I just did, I'm just asking for a hard-code version, it seems you are against this though :S
#13 Sep 5 2009, 9:23 am
In response to Haywire (#12)
Haywire wrote:
That wasn't my point, yes, a soft-coded version could be implemented like you and I just did, I'm just asking for a hard-code version, it seems you are against this though :S

Meh, not really, just not really for it either =P
Since as you said, we can easily make the procs ourselves, why bother having them do it?
#14 Sep 5 2009, 9:26 am
In response to Falacy (#13)
Falacy wrote:
Haywire wrote:
That wasn't my point, yes, a soft-coded version could be implemented like you and I just did, I'm just asking for a hard-code version, it seems you are against this though :S

Meh, not really, just not really for it either =P
Since as you said, we can easily make the procs ourselves, why bother having them do it?

A lot of features can be written ourselves, what's the point of them?

I'll tell you, it's easier to do something, it's pretty much more convenient, this isn't a must-feature, but it'd be pretty cool to have it, simple.
#15 Sep 5 2009, 9:29 am
In response to Haywire (#14)
Haywire wrote:
A lot of features can be written ourselves, what's the point of them?
I'll tell you, it's easier to do something, it's pretty much more convenient, this isn't a must-feature, but it'd be pretty cool to have it, simple.

Welp, I wrote one, just copy and paste it into your project and it'll do what theirs would, with no real effort from you =P
And no, most features shouldn't be things we can do ourselves. Feature requests should be reserved for things that are either entirely impossible, or are so complicated/inefficient to do on our own that's its not even wroth the effort, but that would be simple (or at least simpler) for them to implement. They should also have a vast amount of practical uses, that would effect a large portion of the dev community, which this one would at least meet that requirement.
#16 Sep 5 2009, 11:28 am
In response to Haywire (#4)
Remember some files don't have an extension too :p
#17 Sep 5 2009, 11:30 am
In response to Chowder (#16)
Chowder wrote:
Remember some files don't have an extension too :p

if(findtext(fname, "."))
#18 Sep 5 2009, 11:38 am
In response to Haywire (#17)
Err..Right, Good job o.o