RE: having to find an inv. # in a comment field :(

["Walden H. Leverich" <WaldenL@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>I can have 2 routines it sounds like?

You can have as many expressions as you need to identify the data. The
first invoice format is the simplest, and least likely to give false
positives.

I went to http://www.sweeting.org/mark/html/revalid.php and used the
following regular expression: 

X[A-Z]{2}\d{2}[A-Z]\d{3}L

And ran it against the following text: 

INVOICE# XKC03J143L
INVOICE # XTG05K023L
INVOICE #   XSC06A016L
INV# XKC03G091L
INV. XTC05L053L
INV 5400960
INVOICES XTC05F008L AND XTC05F012L (in this case, I want to write 2
records) INVOICE XTC05F009L INVOICE #'S 2107071, 2107073 & 2107079
INVOICE #'S XSC04H008L & XTC04H021L

And got the following:

Match 1: XKC03J143L
Match 2: XTG05K023L
Match 3: XSC06A016L
Match 4: XKC03G091L
Match 5: XTC05L053L
Match 6: XTC05F008L
Match 7: XTC05F012L
Match 8: XTC05F009L
Match 9: XSC04H008L
Match 10: XTC04H021L

Then I ran this regex against the same text: 

/d{7}

And got:

Match 1: 5400960
Match 2: 2107071
Match 3: 2107073
Match 4: 2107079

Now, obviously, if someone puts a 7 digit number into the field that
isn't an invoice number (say a phone # w/out any delimiters) it will
still show up. For example, my phone of 6273800 would show up, however
627-3800 would not. However, 5166273800 will also show up. But, if you
_know_ that you'll always have a space before and after the numbers you
would expand the regex to:

\b\d{7}\b

And you'd only match 7 digit number, more than 7 digits and it wouldn't
count. Obviously this is why the first invoice format is so much easier.

Oh, now of couse, you need to figure out how to use regular expressions
in RPG. <G>

-Walden

PS. That site isn't FF frieldly, so you'll have to use IE if you don't
already.

------------
Walden H Leverich III
Tech Software
(516) 627-3800 x3051
WaldenL@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.TechSoftInc.com

Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
(Whatever is said in Latin seems profound.)