cleaning data (array related)

[tester]

I can't find it, so I'm not sure whether I posted this question earlier, or just started to write the post, and closed the browser in the middle. Mixed memories about arrays confuse me even more.

I guess this is again ruby question. Cleaning data from non-numeric characters, spaces and so on. While it's not a big deal with anything after numers (standard green prims can do this by default), I don't know how to remove anything prior do that data.

Let say that I have an array written like this:

11asd,12bcv3,crd13, 14,15

A real mess, but it should end like this:

11,12,13,14,15

So all non-numeric characters (except comma - yep, this time comma) prior to first numeric substring (at index), and after it - are removed.

The cleaning has to do with possible user interactions with data, that are entered manually. I used harsh example; usually it will be all sort of typos.

[Nubeat7]

it is string related in your example and you can use .gsub for it

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output @in.gsub(/[A-z]/, '')

problem here is that there are no special signs included like "!","?",.... will still be there, and only all alphabeticals are deleted.. would need some search in regex

[tester]

Thanks, but there is small thing. What about non-letter non-numeric characters? Like /.:'\ and so on? From what I see, adding items to [] part - uses them as filter (so it works for some signs), but there are some limitations, like slashes /\ and few others. Is there a pattern definition, that removes all except numbers (and optionally commas; this part can be eventually remultiplexed via green prims)?

Or different way - "pass through only numbers and commas" instead of "remove all except numbers and commas"?

//edit: it looks that it can go through a parser.

[Nubeat7]

oh got it, instead of matchevery character in the brackets you can do a ^ befor so it matches every character NOT in the brackets

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output @in.gsub(/[^0-9,]/, '')

http://www.tutorialspoint.com/ruby/ruby ... ssions.htm

[tester]

I see, thanks, will use yours.
Meanwhile I did this one (but seems to not work correctly).

[billv]

What about non-letter non-numeric characters? Like /.:'\ and so on?

Delete special characters with...

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output @str.gsub("\/","")

or

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output @str.gsub("\"","")

[tester]

I think what Nubeat7 proposed would be better here, because it limits the choice to showing numbers and selected characters instead of removing the "unknown party".

[billv]

Yes...I'm just addressing the special character removal.
I imagine you would probably map them all together next.

[tester]

Sure, I understand. Just pointed it to others who read.