Topic: Get rid of comments (Using NP++ or VLIDE)

[MP]

lol, while I could solve that I'm not going to encourage horrible coding style. 

[Lee Mac]

Here's another way:

Code: [Select]

(defun stripcomments ( lsp / des rgx rtn str tmp )
    (if (setq des (open lsp "r"))
        (progn
            (while (setq str (read-line des)) (setq tmp (vl-list* "\n" str tmp)))
            (close des)
            (cond
                (   (null (setq rgx (vlax-create-object "vbscript.regexp")))
                    (prompt "\nUnable to interface with RegEx object.")
                )
                (   (vl-catch-all-error-p
                        (setq rtn
                            (vl-catch-all-apply
                               '(lambda ( )
                                    (vlax-put-property rgx 'global actrue)
                                    (vlax-put-property rgx 'multiline actrue)
                                    (vlax-put-property rgx 'pattern "(\"(?:[^\\\\\"]|\\\\.)*\")|(?:;\\|[\\S\\s]+?\\|;)|(?:;[^\\n]*)")
                                    (vlax-invoke rgx 'replace (apply 'strcat (reverse tmp)) "$1")
                                )
                            )
                        )
                    )
                    (prompt (strcat "\nError: " (vl-catch-all-error-message rtn)))
                )
                (   (princ rtn)   )
            )
        )
    )
    (princ)
)
(vl-load-com) (princ)

[Grrr1337]

Great job MP and Lee Mac!
I should have included "{Challenge}" in the topic's name, since it looks like one.

Here's another way:
...

Approach, what exactly I had in mind:

If its possible with regular expressions, then by knowing the correct expression one could do it in a lisp routine through the regexp object and process that certain .lsp file. (as a regex dummy, just asking: anyone about to try?)

So thanks Lee, really apreciate this one! 

I have two (offtopic) questions, though:

• Whats the general use of regular expressions? Is it somewhat a very powerful wcmatch function?
  
• How/where one can visualise/test the regex pattern, so it works as expected?

The regex dummy asking, hope you don't mind (or anyone if could answer).

[MP]

There are a glut of regex testers -- regexstorm is not bad.

Note that in lisp backslashes and quotes etc. have to escaped, so a regex pattern like this:

("(?:[^\\"]|\\.)*")|(?:;\|[\S\s]+?\|;)|(?:;[^\n]*)

That is testable in a tool like regexstorm needs to look like this in lisp:

(\"(?:[^\\\\\"]|\\\\.)*\")|(?:;\\|[\\S\\s]+?\\|;)|(?:;[^\\n]*)

[Grrr1337]

Thanks MP, your comment here will help me solve this regex mystery till the end of 2017.
BTW every time I use something, my head associates the first type of problem/technique/solution with the guy(s) who helped me there(or introduced), i.e.:
  (<getridofcomments> MP LeeMac) (<regex> MP)
So I just carved these additional associations in my brain. 

[MP]

Ha, you're most welcome.

In case it wasn't obvious the regexstorm site has a reasonable regex reference.

[Grrr1337]

So overall a regex pattern like this, is something like a very powerful pattern-string-search function. And can be used to manipulate these certain fragments like replacing/removing them.

Does that sound like a valid general use of regular expressions? 

[MP]

A regular expression is a string that describes a match pattern. The match pattern provides a template that can be used to test another string, the search string, for a matching sub-string. In its simplest form, the match pattern string is just a sequence of characters that must be matched. For example, the pattern "fred" matches this exact sequence of characters and only this sequence. More sophisticated regular expressions can match against items such as file names, path names, and Internet URLs. Thus, the RegExp object is frequently used to validate data for correct form and syntax.

source

[Grrr1337]

Thanks again, Michael - I think all the stuff you posted will be enough.

[MP]

[Lee Mac]

Where RegEx testers are concerned, I've found RegExr to be good.

This is also amazing. 

[Grrr1337]

This is also amazing. 

At a first glance this book looks really enjoyable to read!
Thank you, Lee!

[Lee Mac]

This is also amazing. 

At a first glance this book looks really enjoyable to read!
Thank you, Lee!

You're most welcome - the 'book' is more a PDF of a slideshow, and is therefore best viewed in an appropriate PDF viewer by scrolling through with the pages fitting the full screen, so that you can see the 'animations'.

[Grrr1337]

You're most welcome - the 'book' is more a PDF of a slideshow, and is therefore best viewed in an appropriate PDF viewer by scrolling through with the pages fitting the full screen, so that you can see the 'animations'.

Yes I initially viewed it in the way you describe it - seems that its made for lecturing purposes.

For me its just amazing how good you are at so many aspects, so almost every time I browse some of your codes brings up the question: how?