parsing a response line from sysfiletree - REXX

Glenn Knickerbocker wrote:
> Actually, though, are there file systems that can have a blank at the
> start of a *fully-qualified* file name? That's what sysreftree returns.

Windows XP Professional:

C:\temp\blanks>dir
Volume in drive C is C: Drive
Volume Serial Number is 8017-F8A8

Directory of C:\temp\blanks

09/07/2008 08:34 <DIR> .
09/07/2008 08:34 <DIR> ..
09/07/2008 08:33 0 a file
09/07/2008 08:34 0 noblanks.file
2 File(s) 0 bytes
2 Dir(s) 39,151,828,992 bytes free

As I said earlier, having leading blanks in a filename is simply begging
for problems. I'd be the last person to fail such a request. :-)

--
Steve Swift
http://www.swiftys.org.uk/swifty.html
http://www.ringers.org.uk

Glenn Knickerbocker wrote
>> parse var string date time size attrs 0 (attrs) +7 filename
>
> --except for keeping extra stuff in ATTRS; you want a dot before the 0.

The correct solution to this problem is to change SysFileTree to return only
one blank between the attributes and the filename; then a simple parse
provides the right answer, with leading blanks in the name preserved:

parse var string date time size attrs filename

However, compatibility considerations suggest that SysFileTree would not be
changed in that way (although it could be done via a new option that the
invoker specified). For the same reason, SysFileTree will not return MORE or
LESS attributes than it does at the moment (again unless controlled by a new
option), so the use of the explicit "7" in the parse is safe.

Can you explain the purpose of putting a dot before the "0"? I cannot see
that it is needed (but I am always happy to learn something new).

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

On Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:36:40 +0100, Steve Swift wrote:
>Glenn Knickerbocker wrote:
>> Actually, though, are there file systems that can have a blank at the
>> start of a *fully-qualified* file name? That's what sysreftree returns.
>
>C:\temp\blanks>dir
>09/07/2008 08:33 0 a file
>09/07/2008 08:34 0 noblanks.file

Fine, but there's no leading blank in the *fully-qualified* file name
"C:\temp\blanks\ a file".

¬R Around here, the fun is always filled with blanks.
http://users.bestweb.net/~notr/arkville.html --Theresa Willis

On Wed, 9 Jul 2008 10:19:05 +0100, CyberSimian wrote:
>Can you explain the purpose of putting a dot before the "0"?

Examine the contents of ATTRS and you'll see. Without the dot, you're
setting ATTRS to everything that follows one blank after the third word.

¬R Plus meditandum, minus misculandum.
(Marty Shapiro, deftly translated by Sean Fitzpatrick)

In <VLSdnfMqTbEQH-nVnZ2dnUVZ8q7inZ2d@bt.com>, on 07/09/2008
at 10:19 AM, "CyberSimian" <CyberSimian3@BeeTeeInternet.com> said:

>The correct solution to this problem is to change SysFileTree to return
>only one blank between the attributes and the filename; then a simple
>parse provides the right answer, with leading blanks in the name
>preserved:

>parse var string date time size attrs filename

No; you still need to remove an extraneous leading blank.

--
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Glenn Knickerbocker wrote:
> Examine the contents of ATTRS and you'll see. Without the dot, you're
> setting ATTRS to everything that follows one blank after the third word.

I have now done that, and I see what you mean! Thanks for pointing out this
error.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

CyberSimian wrote:

> /* following works correctly */
> parse var string date time size attrs 0 (attrs) +7 filename

Unfortunately this seems "hard coded" to the platform on which the SysFileTree output was generated. For ooRexx on Linux, I needed:

parse var string date time size attrs . 0 (attrs) +13 filename

to get the filename correctly.

It was necessary to add a . after the attrs word to keep that entry clean.

It would be nice to automate the correct +? finding in some way.

--
Michael Lueck
Lueck Data Systems
http://www.lueckdatasystems.com/

Michael Lueck wrote:
> Unfortunately this seems "hard coded" to the platform on which the
> SysFileTree output was generated. For ooRexx on Linux, I needed:
>
> parse var string date time size attrs . 0 (attrs) +13 filename

How about the solution shown below. To work correctly, it requires that the
attributes (Windows or Linux) are always followed by TWO blanks, and the
parsing trigger is a string with two blanks (if you are viewing this post
using a proportionally-spaced font, the trigger might look like a single
blank, but it really is two).

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

-------------------------------------------------------
/* parstest.rex */

/* "file" has 5 blanks at the start */
file=' abc.xyz'
string='2008-07-02 12:10:00 1000 ADHRS '||file

say 'SysFileTree data in Windows format using +7 as parsing trigger'
parse var string date time size attrs . 0 (attrs) +7 filename
say 'date: "'date'"'
say 'time: "'time'"'
say 'size: "'size'"'
say 'attrs: "'attrs'"'
say 'file: "'filename'"'

say 'SysFileTree data in Windows format using " " as parsing trigger'
parse var string date time size attrs . 0 (attrs) ' ' filename
say 'date: "'date'"'
say 'time: "'time'"'
say 'size: "'size'"'
say 'attrs: "'attrs'"'
say 'file: "'filename'"'

say 'SysFileTree data in Linux format using " " as parsing trigger'
string='2008-07-02 12:10:00 1000 drwxrwxrwx '||file
parse var string date time size attrs . 0 (attrs) ' ' filename
say 'date: "'date'"'
say 'time: "'time'"'
say 'size: "'size'"'
say 'attrs: "'attrs'"'
say 'file: "'filename'"'
----------------------------------------------------------------

CyberSimian wrote:
> How about the solution shown below.
> say 'SysFileTree data in Linux format using " " as parsing trigger'
> parse var string date time size attrs . 0 (attrs) ' ' filename

That works on Linux for me, so I assume it will also work on Windows.

Thanks! :-)

--
Michael Lueck
Lueck Data Systems
http://www.lueckdatasystems.com/