£ $ % InStr Function RESOLVED

[Ricky1]

Im trying to use the InStr function with the above.

If Instr(ID, "£") Then Call 

If Instr(ID, """) Then Call

doesn't like my code. Im trying to c if ID contains of the below symbols. It errored when i used the pound sign.

" £ $ % ^ & * ( ) [ } [ { : ; ' , # ~ < > ? / | \

[Bombdrop]

Try the following you did not put a start pos in the instr function.

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim ID As String
    ID = "Bomb£Drop"
    
    If InStr(1, ID, "£") Then
        Debug.Print "Yep it's there"
    Else
        Debug.Print "sorry not there"
    End If
 
End Sub

Hope this helps!!

[Hack]

This will not only tell you if it is there, but how many times it appears in the string.

Option Explicit
 
Private Function FindChar(ByVal pstrText As String, pintChar As Integer) As Long
    Dim btyTextArray() As Byte
    Dim i As Long
    Dim lngCount As Long
    
    btyTextArray() = pstrText
    For i = 0 To UBound(btyTextArray) Step 2
        If btyTextArray(i) = pintChar Then lngCount = lngCount + 1
    Next
    FindChar = lngCount
    MsgBox lngCount
End Function
 
Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim lngFind As Long
'163 is the ascii for £ sign
lngFind = FindChar(Text1.Text, 163)
End Sub

[Ricky1]

Ok seems to work but how would i check to see if ID contained " symbol.

it doesn't like """

[Ricky1]

so it would make it alot easier if i foundout the ACSII for all the symbols. Then i would be able to use the normal InStr function ?

[Hack]

'In my post change
lngFind = FindChar(Text1.Text, 163)
'to
lngFind = FindChar(Text1.Text, 34)

[Hack]

so it would make it alot easier if i foundout the ACSII for all the symbols. Then i would be able to use the normal InStr function ?

It is very easy to accomplish this.

In the immediate window type:

?asc("?")

and hit enter. It will give you the ascii code for a question mark. Use that for any symbol for which you need the ascii code equivalent.

[Ricky1]

In the immediate window type: ??

[Hack]

In the immediate window type: ??

Yes...it is sometimes referred to as the "debug" window.

When you place Debug.Print Something in your code, the Immediate Window is where is shows up.

Do you know what I mean?

[Ricky1]

oh yeah i found it. I never have that window showing, Didn't know what it did.
Thanks.

[Ricky1]

sorry hack having problems with your code.

Could you do it so if it finds the Symbol i can add to If decision so if it exists DOTHIS, if not DOTHIS. And without the count bit, i don't need that.

[Hack]

Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim lngFind As Long
lngFind = FindChar(Text1.Text, 163)
If lngFind > 0 Then
   'the character is there at least once
   MsgBox "Yes sir.  That sucker is in that string."
Else
  'it is not found
  MsgBox "Nope.   I looked all over the place, and cant find it anywhere."
End If
End Sub

[RhinoBull]

I would try using Regular Expression instead.
Create a better InStr function with VBScript regular expressions .

[Ricky1]

i leave the original findchar function as it is?

[Hack]

i leave the original findchar function as it is?

I didn't bother to change it, but you can do an Exit Function as soon as lngCount = 1 if you would prefer.

[trisuglow]

Ok seems to work but how would i check to see if ID contained " symbol.

it doesn't like """

You need to code it like this:

Instr(ID,"""")

so it would make it alot easier if i foundout the ACSII for all the symbols. Then i would be able to use the normal InStr function ?

Run this code:

For i = 32 to 255
  Debug.Print i,Chr$(i)
Next

[penagate]

Hack, it would be more efficient to pass the string ByRef and the character as a Byte

[Ricky1]

wow im really confussed now. Can any1 post some code that will do the above for me. My first post.

Im going down a list of words and if it contains any of the below symbols

" £ $ % ^ & * ( ) [ } [ { : ; ' , # ~ < > ? / | \

remove that item from the original list and add it to another list.

[penagate]

Property Get hasIllegalChars(ByRef pszSearch As String) As Boolean
Static chIllegals() As Byte, fRun As Boolean
Dim chBuf() As Byte, i As Long, j As Long
 
    If (Not fRun) Then
        chIllegals = [color=dimgray]"""£$%^&*()[}[{:;'[/color][color=dimgray],#~<>?/|\"[/color]
        fRun = True
    End If
 
    chBuf = pszSearch
 
    For i = 0 To UBound(chBuf) Step 2
        For j = 0 To UBound(chIllegals)
            If (chBuf(i) = chIllegals(j)) Then
                hasIllegalChars = True
                Exit Property
            End If
        Next j
    Next i
End Property

[Ricky1]

wow pengate looks great. Any chance of a little explanation and where i would remove the string and add it to the other list ? i have never used propertys before.

[penagate]

Sure,

You would need to loop through your list and call the validation method I posted for each list item. If it returns True, then add it to the other list and remove it from the original.

e.g.

Dim i As Long
    Do
        If (hasIllegalChars(List1.List(i))) Then
            List2.AddItem List1.List(i)
            List1.RemoveItem i
          Else
            i = i + 1
        End If
    Loop Until (i = List1.ListCount - 1)

Bear in mind a Property Get method, when used this way, is just like a function. I tend to use property gets when no actual action is taken (ie. a passive function), and functions when they actually do something as well as returning a result.

[Ricky1]

Property Get hasIllegalChars(ByRef pszSearch As String) As Boolean
Static chIllegals() As Byte, fRun As Boolean
Dim chBuf() As Byte, I As Long, j As Long

    If (Not fRun) Then
        chIllegals = """£$%^&*()[}[{:;',#~<>?/|\"
        fRun = True
    End If

    chBuf = pszSearch

    For I = 0 To UBound(chBuf) Step 2
        For j = 0 To UBound(chIllegals)
            If (chBuf(I) = chIllegals(j)) Then
                hasIllegalChars = True
                Exit Property
            End If
        Next j
    Next I
End Property

Public Sub RemoveSymbols()
Dim X As Long
Dim Str As String

X = lstIDs.ListCount - 1

lstIDs.ListIndex = X

Do Until X = -1
If (hasIllegalChars(lstIDs.List(X))) Then
    lstSymbols.AddItem lstIDs.List(X)
    lstIDs.RemoveItem X
Else
    I = I + 1
End If

Loop

End Sub

i used the above code and had the following in my list

£$£kjffgdf
gdfgfd%*%
gdfgdf*&*
^&*(^df

and it frooze on me.....

[penagate]

That's becase you tried to make the loop go backwards, but left it as i = i + 1 instead of i = i -1

[penagate]

If you want to loop backwards (which is actually more efficient now I think about it):

Dim i As Long
Do
    If (hasIllegalChars(List1.List(i))) Then
            List2.AddItem List1.List(i)
            List1.RemoveItem i
    End If
    i = i -1
Loop Until i = -1

You obviously aren't using Option Explicit, otherwise it would have caught that you tried to increment I instead of X

[Hack]

Hack, it would be more efficient to pass the string ByRef and the character as a Byte

Why?

[penagate]

Hack, it would be more efficient to pass the string ByRef and the character as a Byte

Why?

When you pass something ByVal, you pass it directly to the function. In the case of a string that means copying the string contents and allocating two new (hidden) pointer variables, which is a two stack allocations and one heap allocation. Very slow. On the other hand when you pass a string ByRef, you pass only its address in memory to the function. That means only one pointer allocation is made and the string contents are not copied.

I realise that looks like a load of gibberish so quite simply: if passing something to a function is like giving it an apple, ByVal is making a copy of the original apple and then giving it to the function, whereas ByRef is just telling it where the original one is.

Passing the character as a byte instead of an integer, in Hack's algorithm, eliminates the implicit integer to byte cast when you compare the character code passed against each byte in the buffer. This is a significant saving because it reduces the time spent in every loop iteration.