# How to split dot “.” only before equal “=” **URL:** \ **Category:** ruby-talk\ **Created:** [23 April 2011 17:05 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/how-to-split-dot-only-before-equal/62515 "2011-04-23T17:05:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sira\_PS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Sira\_PS](https://rubytalk.org/u/Sira_PS)\ **Post date:** [23 April 2011 17:05 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/how-to-split-dot-only-before-equal/62515/1 "2011-04-23T17:05:22Z")
I need to split dot only before equal to assign to hash e.g. Project.risksPotentialAfterSum=Pot. aft. result after split should be like this: {Project=\>{risksPotentialAfterSum=\>Pot. aft.}} for now I use str.split(/[.=]/,2) which is has a problem for the value which comes after equal sign. any ideas? > **···** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). ---
**Author:** ![7stud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/57b2e6/32.png) [@7stud](https://rubytalk.org/u/7stud)\ **Post date:** [23 April 2011 17:08 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/how-to-split-dot-only-before-equal/62515/2 "2011-04-23T17:08:48Z")
str = "Project.risksPotentialAfterSum=Pot. aft." pieces = str.split(/=/) puts pieces --output:-- Project.risksPotentialAfterSum Pot. aft. > **···** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Sira\_PS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Sira\_PS](https://rubytalk.org/u/Sira_PS)\ **Post date:** [23 April 2011 17:31 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/how-to-split-dot-only-before-equal/62515/3 "2011-04-23T17:31:22Z")
7stud, actually i need to split dot before equal sign except after equal sign the values i need are Project risksPotentialAfterSum Pot. aft. can i split it the get these result in the same time? > **···** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Sira\_PS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Sira\_PS](https://rubytalk.org/u/Sira_PS)\ **Post date:** [24 April 2011 08:02 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/how-to-split-dot-only-before-equal/62515/4 "2011-04-24T08:02:18Z")
I already got the solution. thx all > **···** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Roy\_Zuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ba8739/32.png) [@Roy\_Zuo](https://rubytalk.org/u/Roy_Zuo)\ **Post date:** [23 April 2011 17:38 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/how-to-split-dot-only-before-equal/62515/5 "2011-04-23T17:38:03Z")
You need regex lookahead syntax ruby-1.9.2-head \> str.split( /\.(?=[^=]\*=)/ ) =\> ["Project", "risksPotentialAfterSum=Pot. aft."] Roy > **···** > > On Sun, Apr 24, 2011 at 02:31:22AM +0900, Sira PS wrote: > > > 7stud, > > > > actually i need to split dot before equal sign except after equal sign > > > > the values i need are > > > > Project > > risksPotentialAfterSum > > Pot. aft. > > > > can i split it the get these result in the same time? > > > > -- > > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/\](http://www.ruby-forum.com/%5C). > > -- > \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ > / It now costs more to amuse a child than it once did to educate his \ > \ father. / > -------------------------------------------------------------------- >        \ ,\_\_, >         \ (oo)\_\_\_\_ >            (\_\_) )\ >               \>\>--|| \* ---
**Author:** ![7stud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/57b2e6/32.png) [@7stud](https://rubytalk.org/u/7stud)\ **Post date:** [23 April 2011 22:57 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/how-to-split-dot-only-before-equal/62515/6 "2011-04-23T22:57:06Z")
Sira PS wrote in post #994664: > 7stud, > > actually i need to split dot before equal sign except after equal sign > > the values i need are > > Project > risksPotentialAfterSum > Pot. aft. > > can i split it the get these result in the same time? str = 'projects.risks.Index.flash\_downloading=Downloading.test' pieces = str.split(/=/) more\_pieces = pieces[0].split(/[.]/) data = more\_pieces \<\< pieces[1] data.each\_slice(2) do |arr|   k, v = arr   if v.nil?     puts "#{k} =\> nil"   end end > **···** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/\](http://www.ruby-forum.com/%5C). ---
**Author:** ![7stud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/57b2e6/32.png) [@7stud](https://rubytalk.org/u/7stud)\ **Post date:** [25 April 2011 21:27 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/how-to-split-dot-only-before-equal/62515/7 "2011-04-25T21:27:19Z")
Sira PS wrote in post #994664: > 7stud, > > actually i need to split dot before equal sign except after equal sign > > the values i need are > > Project > risksPotentialAfterSum > Pot. aft. > > can i split it the get these result in the same time? That isn't necessary: str = 'projects.risks.Index.flash\_downloading=Downloading.test' key\_str, val = str.split('=') keys = key\_str.split(/[.]/) temp = master = {} last = keys.last keys.each do |key|   if key == last     temp[key] = val   else     temp = temp[key] = {}   end end p master --output:-- {"projects"=\>{"risks"=\>{"Index"=\>{"flash\_downloading"=\>"Downloading.test"}}}} > **···** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/\](http://www.ruby-forum.com/%5C). ---
**Author:** ![Forum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/43a26b/32.png) [@Forum](https://rubytalk.org/u/Forum)\ **Post date:** [24 April 2011 07:33 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/how-to-split-dot-only-before-equal/62515/8 "2011-04-24T07:33:15Z")
actually the lookahead can be a little simpler here, (?=.\*=) does the trick, or did I miss any particular edge case you had in mind. Please note that [^=]\*= can \*always\* be expressed as .\*??= and often, that is unless backtracking can occur, as .\*?=. There is an edge case in which neither of our regexen might deliver the required result, "a.b=c.d=e", but as there is no spec, there is no solution 😉 Cheers Robert > **···** > > On Sat, Apr 23, 2011 at 7:38 PM, Roy Zuo \ wrote: > > > You need regex lookahead syntax > > > > ruby-1.9.2-head \> str.split( /\.(?=[^=]\*=)/ ) ---
**Author:** ![7stud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/57b2e6/32.png) [@7stud](https://rubytalk.org/u/7stud)\ **Post date:** [26 April 2011 00:46 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/how-to-split-dot-only-before-equal/62515/9 "2011-04-26T00:46:58Z")
7stud -- wrote in post #994963: > ...and you can even get rid of that ugly if check every time through the loop: str = 'projects.risks.Index.flash\_downloading=Downloading.test' key\_str, val = str.split('=') keys = key\_str.split(/[.]/) temp = master = {} last = keys.pop keys.each do |key|   temp = temp[key] = {} end temp[last] = val p master --output:-- {"projects"=\>{"risks"=\>{"Index"=\>{"flash\_downloading"=\>"Downloading.test"}}}} > **···** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/\](http://www.ruby-forum.com/%5C). ---
**Author:** ![Forum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/43a26b/32.png) [@Forum](https://rubytalk.org/u/Forum)\ **Post date:** [24 April 2011 08:09 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/how-to-split-dot-only-before-equal/62515/10 "2011-04-24T08:09:40Z")
> > You need regex lookahead syntax > > > > ruby-1.9.2-head \> str.split( /\.(?=[^=]\*=)/ ) > > actually the lookahead can be a little simpler here, (?=.\*=) does the > trick, or did I miss any particular edge case you had in mind. Sorry I git confused below > Please note that [^=]\*= can \*always\* be expressed as .\*??= and often, With .\*?? I meant (?\>.\*?)=, which is not really worth of replacing [^=]\*= (but might come in handy if = were a complex subexpression). I am not so sure about \*always\* either as there might be further context which forces the .\*? part to be too greedy, maybe. > **···** > > On Sun, Apr 24, 2011 at 9:33 AM, Robert Dober \ wrote: > > > On Sat, Apr 23, 2011 at 7:38 PM, Roy Zuo \ wrote: > > -- > The 1,000,000th fibonacci number contains '42' 2039 times; that is > almost 30 occurrences more than expected (208988 digits). > N.B. The 42nd fibonacci number does not contain '1000000' that is > almost the expected 3.0e-06 times.