split and join in tcl and expect

For 2023 (and 2024 ...) - we are now fully retired from IT training.
We have made many, many friends over 25 years of teaching about Python, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Lua, Java, C and C++ - and MySQL, Linux and Solaris/SunOS too. Our training notes are now very much out of date, but due to upward compatability most of our examples remain operational and even relevant ad you are welcome to make us if them "as seen" and at your own risk.

Lisa and I (Graham) now live in what was our training centre in Melksham - happy to meet with former delegates here - but do check ahead before coming round. We are far from inactive - rather, enjoying the times that we are retired but still healthy enough in mind and body to be active!

I am also active in many other area and still look after a lot of web sites - you can find an index ((here))

Split and join in most languages convert strings of text into arrays / lists / collections of other sorts. But in Tcl, all variables are held as strings, so are split and join actually needed?

If you're working with a collection of single words - no embedded spaces, no special characters, space delimited, then running split and join in Tcl will return you a string that's identical to the one you sent to them ... but if you do have special characters involved, it's another matter:

Dorothy-2:tcl grahamellis$ tclsh

% set places [list Calne Devizes Melksham Corsham Bradford-on-Avon]

Calne Devizes Melksham Corsham Bradford-on-Avon

% join $places

Calne Devizes Melksham Corsham Bradford-on-Avon

% split [join $places]

Calne Devizes Melksham Corsham Bradford-on-Avon

% Dorothy-2:tcl grahamellis$

but

Dorothy-2:tcl grahamellis$ tclsh

% set places [list "404, The Spa" {"Well House Manor"} Bristol]

{404, The Spa} {"Well House Manor"} Bristol

% join $places

404, The Spa "Well House Manor" Bristol

% split [join $places]

404, The Spa {"Well} House Manor\" Bristol

% Dorothy-2:tcl grahamellis$

Because they're so often 'null' in their effect, you should test any code that uses lists very carefully, and with special characters too when you're working in Tcl.

I've added an example from this week's Tcl course here, and there are further string manipulation examples here and here. A further example here shows a case of handling a string as a list where you don't need to use split or join.
(written 2009-10-23)

Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles

T206 - Tcl/Tk - Lists
  [144] Tcl sandwich - lists in Tcl - (2004-12-08)
  [463] Splitting the difference - (2005-10-13)
  [781] Tcl - lappend v concat - (2006-06-27)
  [1282] Stringing together Tcl scripts - (2007-07-29)
  [1283] Generating traffic for network testing - (2007-07-29)
  [1334] Stable sorting - Tcl, Perl and others - (2007-09-06)
  [1402] Tcl - append v lappend v concat - (2007-10-23)
  [1405] Sorting in Tcl - lists and arrays - (2007-10-24)
  [1601] Replacing the last comma with an and - (2008-04-04)
  [2468] What are Tcl lists? - (2009-10-22)
  [3285] Extracting data from a string / line from file - Tcl - (2011-05-10)
  [3394] The difference between lists and strings - Tcl - (2011-08-16)
  [3415] User defined sorting and other uses of callbacks in Tcl and Tk - (2011-09-02)
  [3582] Tcl collections - lists, dicts and array - (2012-01-16)
  [3583] Expanding a list of parameters in Tcl - {*} and eval - (2012-01-17)
  [3618] lists and struct::list in Tcl - Introduction to struct::list and examples - (2012-02-18)
  [4209] Lists in Tcl - fundamentals in a commented source code example - (2013-11-16)
  [4454] Everything is a string - even a list - (2015-03-11)
  [4455] Working out distance between places, using OS grid references and a program in Tcl - (2015-03-11)

T205 - Tcl/Tk - String Handling in Tcl
  [404] How to check that a string contains a number in Tcl - (2005-08-06)
  [779] The fragility of pancakes - and better structures - (2006-06-26)
  [943] Matching within multiline strings, and ignoring case in regular expressions - (2006-11-25)
  [1403] Square Bracket protection in Tcl - (2007-10-23)
  [1410] Tcl / regsub - changing a string and using interesting bits - (2007-10-27)
  [3192] Tcl - Some example of HOW TO in handling data files and formats - (2011-03-04)
  [3576] Tcl - apparently odd behaviour of string trimleft - (2012-01-13)
  [4205] Regular Expression Substitution - Tcl - (2013-11-12)

Back to
A short form of if ... then ... else

Previous and next
or
Horse's mouth home

Forward to
Exploring Old Railways

Some other Articles

Tcl - uplevel to run code at calling level
Quick easy and dangerous - automated logins via Tcl / Expect
Using Tcl and Expect to automate repetitive jobs
Exploring Old Railways
split and join in tcl and expect
A short form of if ... then ... else
Windows 7 and Open Source Programming
Beyond the Pale
Tcl - catching an error before your program crashes

4759 posts, page by page

Link to page ... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 at 50 posts per page

This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at http://www.wellho.net/horse/ - the diary and writings of Graham Ellis. Every attempt was made to provide current information at the time the page was written, but things do move forward in our business - new software releases, price changes, new techniques. Please check back via our main site for current courses, prices, versions, etc - any mention of a price in "The Horse's Mouth" cannot be taken as an offer to supply at that price.

Link to Ezine home page (for reading).
Link to Blogging home page (to add comments).

You can Add a comment or ranking to this page

Like this? ??