I think we are splitting hairs here. I count $first as the first token, you don't. Or you figure that the final empty token shouldn't be counted? Either way not a significant problem in my mind.

Yes, tr is the fastest and best way to do a simple count of the x's. And yes, substr is the fastest way to get a fixed length thing at the beginning. The reason that I demo'd split was to show: a)how to get a non-fixed length thing at the beginning, b)how to access some of these other length "between the x's" fields. I'm sure that they have some meaning.

Update: I almost never use the -1 limit on split. I saw an opportunity to play with this and remind myself of how it worked. Once I had done that, I impulsively posted my "play". Wasn't meant to be "earth shattering" stuff, just an example of a not so common usage that is often forgotten.

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