How read data between <w:r> in text?

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Hi
I would like use regex for parse string. I need get string between <w:r> in string under a question. I know how get data only between <w:t> using pattern <w:t>.*?</w:t>

Problem is because <w:r> have inside another object (<w:t> and <w:rPr>) and I don't know how get whole string between <w:r> and </w:r>.
Can you help me, how can read data between <w:r> and </w:r>?

Thank you

XML

  <w:p w:rsidR="006C121D" w:rsidRDefault="00A462A4">
  <w:pPr>
  <w:rPr>
  <w:lang w:val="en-US" />
  </w:rPr>
  </w:pPr>
  <w:bookmarkStart w:id="0" w:name="_GoBack" />
  <w:bookmarkEnd w:id="0" />
  <w:r>
  <w:rPr>
  <w:lang w:val="en-US" />
  </w:rPr>
  <w:t>TOPIC</w:t>
  </w:r>
  </w:p>

[edit]Code block added - OriginalGriff[/edit]

Posted 1-Nov-14 23:52pm

smoula99

Updated 2-Nov-14 0:55am

v7

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Comments

Afzaal Ahmad Zeeshan 2-Nov-14 5:57am

What do you mean between and ? can you use "" to qoute the characters. The better thing is to use <code> tags to view the codes in your post.

OriginalGriff 2-Nov-14 6:01am

Even with tags encoded, your sample doesn't contain the data you are looking for - so we can't really tell what your problem is.
Perhaps if you show us the raw input data, the regex you use, and the results it gives, together with the result you want we might be able to help?

Use the "Improve question" widget to edit your question and provide better information.

smoula99 2-Nov-14 6:30am

Hi
How get data between <w:r> and </w:r> using regex?

Thank you

BillWoodruff 2-Nov-14 9:22am

0. would a solution that used plain-old-C#-programmig, or Linq, rather than a RegEx be okay ?

1. exactly what do you want: a List<string> where each element is the content between <w:r> and </w:r> ?

2. is it possible you will have nested 'wr tags: if so, does that matter ?

3. is it possible you'll have the open 'wr tag, but no matching close 'wr tag ?

2 solutions

Solution 1

First of all, the example you have given is not unstructured text but formatted xml.

I would advice to load the xml document and the read the elements or attributes whichever is applicable.

Google[^] can give you a head start. So, try it out and if you still have issues, questions then come back and someone here would be willing to help!

Posted 1-Nov-14 23:58pm

Manas Bhardwaj

Updated 2-Nov-14 0:59am

v2

Comments

George Jonsson 2-Nov-14 6:14am

I second that.

smoula99 2-Nov-14 7:39am

Hi
Yes, this text is XML (from DOCX file). But I don't use XDocument or another class for work with XML, but I need work with this as text (not XML). Because I will work with restriction I must use only Regex.

Best regards

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OriginalGriff · Accepted Answer · 2014-11-02T00:53:00

Solution 2

How get data between <w:r> and </w:r> using regex?

Personally, I'd go with Manas' solution and process the file properly as an XML document. The results you will get are likely to be much, much better, and a lot more maintainable.

But...

(?<=<w:r>).*?(?=</w:r>)

Should do it.

If you are going to play with regexes, then get a copy of Expresso [^] - it's free, and it examines and generates Regular expressions. I use it a lot, and wish I'd written it!

[edit]Where the heck did that come from?[/edit]

Posted 2-Nov-14 0:53am

OriginalGriff

Updated 2-Nov-14 0:55am

v2

Comments

smoula99 2-Nov-14 7:14am

When I use your pattern, match result is a NULL.

What I doing wrong?
On this site is possible valid result (https://www.myregextester.com/index.php)

Raw Match Pattern:
(?<=<w:r>).*?(?=)
Matches Found:
NO MATCHES.

OriginalGriff 2-Nov-14 7:29am

NULL is not likely - it's going to depend on exactly what you are doing.
Show the code that uses the Regex!

smoula99 2-Nov-14 7:31am

When click on this site (https://www.myregextester.com/index.php) options a "C#.NET", this give a source code in C#.

OriginalGriff 2-Nov-14 7:45am

No, I don't go to random websites! :laugh:
And I need to see the exact code you used to test the regex, not what a different systems regex processor thinks will happen.

smoula99 2-Nov-14 7:48am

String sourcestring = "source string to match with pattern";
Regex re = new Regex(@"(?<=<w:r>).*?(?=)");
MatchCollection mc = re.Matches(sourcestring);
int mIdx=0;
foreach (Match m in mc)
{
for (int gIdx = 0; gIdx < m.Groups.Count; gIdx++)
{
Console.WriteLine("[{0}][{1}] = {2}", mIdx, re.GetGroupNames()[gIdx], m.Groups[gIdx].Value);
}
mIdx++;
}

OriginalGriff 2-Nov-14 7:59am

And you can't see any difference between that regex and the one I wrote?
I can...

smoula99 2-Nov-14 8:01am

Both regex are same. But don't work with pattern who you wrote.

OriginalGriff 2-Nov-14 8:12am

No, both of yours are the same. And no, they don't work.
The one I wrote is different to the ones you write and work fine with the sample data you provided.
So either you are using a different regex (as your code shows) or your data is not the same as the data you are testing with (and that is different in your code samples as well).

Hence: we need to see exactly the code you are using in your C# application, and the data you feed to it!

smoula99 2-Nov-14 10:12am

Hi
Can you provide your code? My string is longer, I give there only part of code. But when I test only short part, still not working.
I don't know what I work bad?

Best regars

OriginalGriff 2-Nov-14 10:26am

My code won't help - it's pretty much what the site you use recommends but with my regex string.
I need to see exactly what the code fragment you tried looks like, and what data you provided. Because the problem is with one of them and without them I'm just guessing! :laugh:

smoula99 2-Nov-14 10:38am

My code is this:
string text = readZipFile(@"d:\test.docx");
string pat = @"(?<=<w:r>).*?(?=)";

System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex r = new System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex(pat, System.Text.RegularExpressions.RegexOptions.IgnoreCase);

foreach (System.Text.RegularExpressions.Match ma in System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex.Matches(text, pat))
{
ma.Value.ToString();
}
I use .net 4.0

Best regards

OriginalGriff 2-Nov-14 11:02am

OK, two things to start looking at:
1) What - exactly - does readZipFile return? Use the debugger to look at the returned data.
2) Look at your regex string - a quick scan here says (and I have to be circumspect here as HTML processors absorb tag characters) that it has the first less than as an ampersand followed by "lt;" - this may be an artefact, it should be a less than character in your code. The HTML processor has swallowed the second and third less than to greater than inclusive - they should again be less that, which I can believe.

smoula99 2-Nov-14 11:16am

readZipFile return text string from docx (word/document.xml). When I debug and look returned data - everything is OK.
Now I try Expresso 3.0 program. I give your pattern and use SPLIT and I got result what I want.
But when I use
string[] substrings = System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex.Split(text, pat);
I got different result how give me Expresso program.

What I have bad in regex split syntax?

OriginalGriff 2-Nov-14 11:31am

Because Split doesn't return matches - Split uses the matches to break the strings, and throws away the matched information in must the same way string.Split does:
string[] parts = "1;2;3".Split(';');
returns three strings:
"1"
"2"
"3"
and discards the semicolons separating them.
If you want to returned the information, you need to use the Match or Matches method instead.
If you have the regex string in Expresso, then "Tools" "View code" will give you working samples to insert in your app.

smoula99 2-Nov-14 12:41pm

I don't understood. I look code from Expresso. Only different is in the setting
public static Regex regex = new Regex("<w:r>(.*?)", RegexOptions.CultureInvariant | RegexOptions.Compiled );

But when I use this code in my program, still don't work :(
Why???

Best regards

smoula99 2-Nov-14 12:57pm

Hi OriginalGriff

You have right in data. I don't understood. When I open file and give to my Expresso it work.
When I read file in c# and in debug mode get data and give to Expresso it not work.
Problem is in the read data :(

OriginalGriff 2-Nov-14 13:42pm

That I can't help with from here! :laugh:
Check the file itself, and look at the code that reads it - by comparing that with the data you actually get, you may be able to see a pattern.