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blackhawkmx
Smarty Regular
Joined: 20 May 2005
Posts: 76
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 Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 2:12 am Post subject: exclude all middile initials with or without a per |
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how can i tell regex_replace to exclude all middle initials in a name?
i.e. larry t. brown or larry t brown should reas as larry brown
thanks!
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mohrt
Administrator
Joined: 16 Apr 2003
Posts: 7368
Location: Lincoln Nebraska, USA
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| Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:30 am Post subject: |
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Something like (php):
| Code: | | $name = preg_replace('!(\w+) \w\. (\w+)!','$1 $2',$name); |
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bimal
Smarty Elite
Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 423
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 11:14 am Post subject: Function to remove middle initials |
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dot (.) looks to be an optional part. Hence, need to append ?. Please see the regex portion: \w\.? for this. Here is a full code.
| Code: | <?php
# mi = middle initials
function remove_mi($name='')
{
$name = preg_replace('!(\w+) \w\.? (\w+)!','$1 $2',$name);
return($name);
}
# Testing...
$names = array(
'larry t. brown',
'larry t brown',
);
foreach($names as $i => $name)
{
$name_nomi = remove_mi($name);
echo("\n{$name}: {$name_nomi}");
}
?> |
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mitchenall
Smarty Pro
Joined: 27 Feb 2004
Posts: 107
Location: London, UK
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 12:04 pm Post subject: |
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Seeing as there is no standard to how people write their names, neither of the above is correct.
What about people with double-barrelled names? What about people with multiple middle initials? Worse, people who actually use their second name, and have the initial at the start (J. Edgar Hoover). Extreme, perhaps, but this isn't the only time I've seen a name presented in this way.
So, what are you actually looking to remove? Take the following examples...
John A Smith
John A. Smith
John A.W. Smith
John AW Smith
J. Alan W Smith
Only the first two are matched with the above regex's. Do people have multiple middle initials? Well, I do, and I know of plenty of others.
You also don't specify whether your names are properly capitalised. If they are, writing an effective regex might be easier.
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mohrt
Administrator
Joined: 16 Apr 2003
Posts: 7368
Location: Lincoln Nebraska, USA
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:35 pm Post subject: |
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Yes it is nearly impossible to catch every type of name situation. My regex is meant to be a guide to get going in the right direction. What about no middle name? Multiple spaces? 4, 5 or more names? To match any of these:
| Code: | John Smith
John A Smith
John A. Smith
John A.W. Smith
John AW Smith
J. Alan W Smith
Billy Joe Jim A. Bob
Fee Foo Fum |
You can try (untested):
| Code: | | $name = preg_replace('!((?:[\w\.]\s+)*[\w\.]+)\s+(?:\w\.?)?\s+([\w\.]+)!','$1 $2',$name); |
This assumes you always want to remove the 2nd from last name. |
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jpiercemaine
Smarty Regular
Joined: 24 Sep 2009
Posts: 82
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| Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:27 pm Post subject: why not explode? |
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Split the white space and concat:
PHP:
| Code: |
$nameArr=explode(' ', $name);
$lastindex=count($nameArr)-1;
$newname=$nameArr[0] + ' ' + $nameArr[$lastindex];
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Untested![/code]
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