[REBOL] Building an Associate List from a string
From: tim::johnsons-web::com at: 20-Oct-2003 17:12
Hello REBOLS:
I need some advice :-)
I've written a function that converts a delimited string into
an associative list.
Code and example console session is below:
;; =============================================================
make-al: function[ {Builds an associative list from a delimited string}
str[string!] {delimited string}
/with delimiter[string! char!] {custom delimiter (TAB is default)}
/default _dval[any-type!] {custom default value (NONE is default)}
][tmp al-block sep dval][
sep: either with[to-string delimiter][to-string TAB]
dval: either default[_dval][none]
al-block: copy []
tmp: parse/all str sep
if not even? length? tmp[append tmp dval]
foreach [name value] tmp[
append al-block to-word name
append al-block value
]
al-block
]
test: "age^-54^-name^-Tim Johnson^-occuptation^-coder"
probe make-al test
;; = Console session ===========================================
== [age "54" name "Tim Johnson" occuptation "coder"]
;; Now, so far it is a piece of cake, but this is where
;; I falter:
I would like to employ a strategy that converts any value
to the best guess for a rebol datatype. IOWS, "54"[string!]
would become 54[integer!]
It occurs to me that a brute-force method would be to process
via a nested attempt[any[]] loop.
Any more "elegant" ideas?
thanks
tim
--
Tim Johnson <[tim--johnsons-web--com]>
http://www.alaska-internet-solutions.com