Python

Removing a substring from string

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Join Date: Nov 2009

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Reputation: wrobl1rt is an unknown quantity at this point

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wrobl1rt

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Removing a substring from string

Nov 2nd, 2009

I am trying to remove a specific substring from a string... Here are the doctests. I'm just absolutely stumped. Can someone point me in the right direction on where to start?

def remove(sub, s):

"""
>>> remove('an', 'banana')
'bana'
>>> remove('cyc', 'bicycle')
'bile'
>>> remove('iss', 'Mississippi')
'Mippi'
"""

def remove_all(sub, s):
"""
>>> remove('an', 'banana')
'ba'
>>> remove('cyc', 'bicycle')
'bile'
>>> remove('iss', 'Mississippi')
'Mippi'
"""

if __name__ == '__main__':
import doctest
doctest.testmod()

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Join Date: Jul 2008

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Gribouillis Gribouillis is offline

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Posting Shark

Nov 2nd, 2009

A possible implementation of remove_all

 Help with Code Tags 
 python Syntax (Toggle Plain Text) 
import re
 
def remove_all(sub, s):
    """
>>> remove_all('an', 'banana')
'ba'
>>> remove_all('cyc', 'bicycle')
'bile'
>>> remove_all('iss', 'Mississippi')
'Mippi'
"""
 
    return re.sub(re.escape(sub), '', s)
 
 
if __name__ == '__main__':
    import doctest
    doctest.testmod()
import re

def remove_all(sub, s):
    """
>>> remove_all('an', 'banana')
'ba'
>>> remove_all('cyc', 'bicycle')
'bile'
>>> remove_all('iss', 'Mississippi')
'Mippi'
"""

    return re.sub(re.escape(sub), '', s)


if __name__ == '__main__':
    import doctest
    doctest.testmod()

Note that a regex is compiled on each call.

Last edited by Gribouillis; Nov 2nd, 2009 at 5:11 pm.

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Join Date: Nov 2009

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wrobl1rt

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Nov 2nd, 2009

Thank you!! would you mind explaining why the implementation of return re.sub(re.escape(sub), '', s) works for the remove_all function specifically?

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Gribouillis Gribouillis is offline

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Posting Shark

Nov 2nd, 2009

In fact, there is a simpler method

 Help with Code Tags 
 python Syntax (Toggle Plain Text) 
def remove_all(sub, s):
    """
>>> remove_all('an', 'banana')
'ba'
>>> remove_all('cyc', 'bicycle')
'bile'
>>> remove_all('iss', 'Mississippi')
'Mippi'
"""
    return s.replace(sub, '')
 
if __name__ == '__main__':
    import doctest
    doctest.testmod()
def remove_all(sub, s):
    """
>>> remove_all('an', 'banana')
'ba'
>>> remove_all('cyc', 'bicycle')
'bile'
>>> remove_all('iss', 'Mississippi')
'Mippi'
"""
    return s.replace(sub, '')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    import doctest
    doctest.testmod()

I don't understand your question, re.sub replaces every occurrence of a pattern by a given string, that's how it works.

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Join Date: Nov 2009

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wrobl1rt

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Newbie Poster

Nov 2nd, 2009

oh ok... the book I am going by gave me these problems when I haven't learned about re.sub yet. Ive looked back and it was not even mentioned.

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masterofpuppets masterofpuppets is offline

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Posting Whiz in Training

Nov 3rd, 2009

you could also try this:

 Help with Code Tags 
 Python Syntax (Toggle Plain Text) 
def remove( s, rem ):
    newS = ""
    i = 0
    while i < len( s ):
        if s[ i : i + len( rem ) ] == rem:
            i += len( rem )
        else:
            newS += s[ i ]
            i += 1
    print newS
 
s = "Mississippi"; r = "iss"
remove( s, r )
def remove( s, rem ):
    newS = ""
    i = 0
    while i < len( s ):
        if s[ i : i + len( rem ) ] == rem:
            i += len( rem )
        else:
            newS += s[ i ]
            i += 1
    print newS
    
s = "Mississippi"; r = "iss"
remove( s, r )

the old facion way

My site ->> http://8masterofpuppets8.webs.com/
"My belief is stronger than your doubt."

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vegaseat

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DaniWeb's Hypocrite

Nov 3rd, 2009

If
remove('an', 'banana') --> 'bana'
then this should be
remove('iss', 'Mississippi') --> 'Missippi'
So you can use ...

 Help with Code Tags 
 Python Syntax (Toggle Plain Text) 
def remove(sub, s):
    # replace first sub with empty string
    return s.replace(sub, "", 1)
 
# test
print( remove('an', 'banana') )        # --> bana
print( remove('iss', 'Mississippi') )  # --> Missippi
def remove(sub, s):
    # replace first sub with empty string
    return s.replace(sub, "", 1)

# test
print( remove('an', 'banana') )        # --> bana
print( remove('iss', 'Mississippi') )  # --> Missippi

If you want to remove all subs, then use -1 in replace() which actually is the default value ...

 Help with Code Tags 
 Python Syntax (Toggle Plain Text) 
def remove_all(sub, s):
    # replace all sub with empty string
    return s.replace(sub, "", -1)
 
# test
print( remove_all('an', 'banana') )        # --> ba
print( remove_all('iss', 'Mississippi') )  # --> Mippi
def remove_all(sub, s):
    # replace all sub with empty string
    return s.replace(sub, "", -1)

# test
print( remove_all('an', 'banana') )        # --> ba
print( remove_all('iss', 'Mississippi') )  # --> Mippi

Python comes with a wealth of thoroughly tested string functions, might as well use them.