Help with String.split() for newline and spaces

[Missing Code]

What I am trying to do is take a string of numbers and convert it into an array, while cutting out the non-digits. Here is the format:

  1.0000000e+000  1.3668423e+000

  1.0000000e+000  1.3668423e+000

  1.0000000e+000  1.3668423e+000

   ...

So it's basically: Space, Space, Digit, Space, Space, Digit, Newline

Right now I am using the following code (myString is a String, and dataSet1 is an Array):

var reg:RegExp = new RegExp("\n  ");

myString = textLoader.data;
dataSet1 = myString.split(reg);

I've tried ("\n\s  ") and ("(\n)(\s*)") and lots of other combinations, but I cannot seem to grasp how to do multiple conditions in a regular expression. All I need it to do is eliminate all spaces and newlines and I should be good.

I appreciate any and all help, thanks.

[Adasha]

here ya go:

var reg:RegExp = /\n| /;
var arr:Array = myString.split(reg);

remember your array items will still be strings until you convert them to numbers

[Missing Code]

You are right, I need to convert my data into Nubmers (I think this is the appropriate data type). Is there a way for my to do a mass conversion on the Array, or can I do the conversion during the converstion from String to Array? Sorry, I know this isn't in the original question, but if you know how could you let me know, thanks!

[Guest · Accepted solution]

You could use the Array.map method to convert your strings. Something like this:

function str2Num(element:*, index:int, arr:Array):Number
{
   return Number(element);
}

var arr:Array;

arr = myString.replace(/^\s+/,"").replace(/\s+$/,"").split(/\s+/);

arr = map(str2Num,null);

// or combine all in one statement

arr = myString.replace(/^\s+/,"").replace(/\s+$/,"").split(/\s+/).map(str2Num,null);

[Missing Code]

Thanks for all of the help. I believe I will be able to fix everything now.

[Guest]

You're welcome.

[Guest]

This removes both leading and trailing whitespace and then splits on any sequence of one or more whitespace characters:

var arr:Array = myString.replace(/^\s+/,"").replace(/\s+$/,"").split(/\s+/);

[Missing Code]

Thank you, this seems to work perfectly. But I have one last question or two. In the regular expression, what spaces are being replaced with the replaces method and then what spaces are left to be split? I also don't understand how this removes newline character? Here's the data format in the String (read from a file if it makes a difference):

[SPACE][SPACE or -][Number][SPACE][SPACE or -][Number][\n]

[SPACE][SPACE or -][Number][SPACE][SPACE or -][Number][\n]

[SPACE][SPACE or -][Number][SPACE][SPACE or -][Number][\n]

...etc

I guess that /^\s+/ removes the first one or two spaces, and /\s+$/ removes newline, and /\s+/ takes care of the inbetween spaces? I'm really not clear on this even with my book that discusses regular expressions, I just don't understands how it knows to target what parts.

Thanks.

[Guest]

\s matches any whitespace character: space, tab, newline, return

/^\s+/  matches one or more whitespace characters at the beginning of the string

/\s+$/ matches one or more whitespace characters at the end of the string

var arr:Array = myString.replace(/^\s+/,"").replace(/\s+$/,"").split(/\s+/);

is the same as:

myString= myString.replace(/^\s+/,""); // remove leading whitespace
myString= myString.replace(/\s+$/,"") // remove trailing whitespace
var arr:Array= s.split(/\s+/); // split on remaining whitespace