Howdy Monks,

I have a database of strings that can fit into a series of defined format classes. For example here are some examples, along with a description of the formats:

t(1;3)(q15;p13)   ==> t([int], [int])([p|q][int], p|q][int])
inv(1)(p13p11.1)  ==> inv([int])([p|q][int][p|q][int])
+3                ==> +[int]

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I need to be able to "round-trip" from these formats. That is, I need to be able to take a formatted string and determine:

  1. which class it falls into
  2. what are the values for each of the parameters

I also need to be able to take those same to data-types and create the formatted string -- that's what I mean by "round-tripping".

I have the regex's and logic set-up for doing the first part, but is there a way to combine that with the round-tripping? For example, can I use a reg-ex like the one below to create a new string by giving it values of $1, $2, $3, $4?

qr/^der\((.{1,2});(.{1,2})\)\(([p|q].*);([p|q].*)\)$/

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Alternately (and perhaps better), is there another way to get this done that stores the formats and "logic" in a single place? Any ideas/comments very much appreciated!

In reply to Parsing/Deparsing a Formatted String by AdriftOnMemoryBliss

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