Creating a Table from Mtext

So I have already created a routine that will insert a keynote table with a certain numerical block in the each row of the 1st column. For example, a 4 row table with 4 square blocks numbered 1-4. This routine is awesome to use when first starting projects, the issue is on past projects that someone instead used mtext. What I am wanting to do is to convert this mtext into a table. Once I can extract each line of the mtext I am fine with the code, but I'm having issues with how to handle the information. The text string might read when dumping the text string

"[url="file://\\A1;\\pxt30;PROPOSED"]\\A1;\\pxt30;PROPOSED[/url] USE A TABLE\\P\\PPROPOSED TABLE\\P\\THIS IS AN EXAMPLE"

. I want to extract the text and insert it into column 2 of my table, where \\P\\ is what differentiates what would be in each column. To do this I have a few questions 1)How can I find the #of \\P\\ in the text (that way I can make a table with +1 that amount of rows). 2) How can I copy what is just between the \\p\\ so that each row in column 2 reads that information. In this example, I would have row 1: PROPOSED USE A TABLE, row 2:PPROPOSED TABLE, and row 3: THIS IS AN EXAMPLE.

The one you want is a Vl command and it returns the starting character, will try to find.

from help

pattern is not found; the first character of the string is position 0.

Examples

(vl-string-search "foo" "pfooyey on you")

1

(vl-string-search "who" "pfooyey on you")

nil

(vl-string-search "foo" "fooey-more-fooey" 1)

11

; note problem with p & P need to strcase it so always P
(setq str "[url="file://\\A1;\\pxt30;PROPOSED"]\\A1;\\pxt30;PROPOSED[/url] USE A TABLE\\P\\PPROPOSED TABLE\\P\\THIS IS AN EXAMPLE")

Command: (vl-string-search "[url="file://\\p"]\\p[/url]" str)
4
Command: (vl-string-search "[url="file://\\P"]\\P[/url]" str 7)
31

The one you want is a Vl command and it returns the starting character, will try to find.

 

 

 

; note problem with p & P need to strcase it so always P
(setq str "[url="file://\\A1;\\pxt30;PROPOSED"]\\A1;\\pxt30;PROPOSED[/url] USE A TABLE\\P\\PPROPOSED TABLE\\P\\THIS IS AN EXAMPLE")

Command: (vl-string-search "[url="file://\\p"]\\p[/url]" str)
4
Command: (vl-string-search "[url="file://\\P"]\\P[/url]" str 7)
31

(setq
       info (vl-string-search "[url="file://\\P\\"]\\P\\[/url]" (vla-get-textstring obj)))

. How can I find the location of every paragraph/empty space?

Here is a string split function that may help:

; Based on code by Luis Esquivel. See: https://www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=7272.msg90039#msg90039
; (KGA_String_Split "aabbaaccaa" "aa" nil) => ("" "bb" "cc" "")
; (KGA_String_Split "aabbaaccaa" "AA" nil) => ("aabbaaccaa")
; (KGA_String_Split "aabbaaccaa" "AA" T)   => ("" "bb" "cc" "")
; (KGA_String_Split "aabbaaccaa" "" nil)   => nil
(defun KGA_String_Split (str sub ignoreCaseP / i j len lst srchStr)
 (if (/= 0 (setq len (strlen sub)))
   (progn
     (if ignoreCaseP
       (progn
         (setq srchStr (strcase str))
         (setq sub (strcase sub))
       )
       (setq srchStr str)
     )
     (setq i 0)
     (while (setq j (vl-string-search sub srchStr i))
       (setq lst (cons (substr str (1+ i) (- j i)) lst))
       (setq i (+ j len))
     )
     (reverse (cons (substr str (1+ i)) lst))
   )
 )
)

If you look at the command check the help I did not mention that you can imply a start position in the string (vl-string-search "\\p" str startposition)

so (vl-string-search "\\p" str) start at very first character note help this is 0 but if left out starts at beginning.

find 1st \\p returns 4 use substr to make a list

so (vl-string-search "\\p" str 6) use substr & cons to add to list a 2nd line

so (vl-string-search "\\p" str 33) use substr & cons to add to list a 3rd line

keep repeating till no more