data parsing

[Mike Fletcher]

Here's some ideas (untested, of course):

import string
lines = open( filename ).readlines()
records = map( string.split, lines, ['|']*len(lines))
results = []
while records:
	currentresult = [ string.join(records[0], ';')]
	del records[0]
	while records and not records[0][0]:
		currentresult.append( string.join(records[0], ';') )
		del records[0]
	results.append( string.join( currentresult, '|'))
open( newfilename, 'w').write( string.join( results, '\n'))

Try that in the interactive interpreter to get a feel for what's happening.
Hopefully it'll get you started.  Good luck,
Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: Gnanasekaran Thoppae [mailto:gnana at mips.biochem.mpg.de]
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2001 12:42 PM
To: python-list at cwi.nl
Subject: data parsing


Hi,

I have some data in a file 'test', which contains:

Joe|25|30|49|40|
|28|39|71||
|30|29|||
Malcolm|43|60|56||
|28|37|||
Amy||70|45||
|40|30||40
|40||30||

This is basically a multi line (record) values that belong
to the first line that starts with a filled field.

This is part belongs to joe 'Joe'

Joe|25|30|49|40|
|28|39|71||
|30|29|||

This to 'Malcolm'
Malcolm|43|60|56||
|28|37|||

and the rest to Amy.

I want to parse this data and format it in this way:

Joe|25;28;30|30;39;29|49;71|40|
Malcolm|43;28|60;37|56||
Amy|40;40|70;30|45;;30|;40;|

Basically speaking, I am trying to cluster multi record
data into one field, each seperated by a delimiter ';' and
if the field is empty, an empty ; will enable later on to
decode the field as empty field ''.

Thanks.

-gnana



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