MODULES Uize.String
SEARCHEXAMPLESSOURCETEST

1. Introduction

The Uize.String module eases working with strings, and supports trimming, camel-casing, multi-line indenting, starts-with / ends-with tests, and more.

DEVELOPERS: Chris van Rensburg

1.1. Examples

There are no dedicated showcase example pages for the Uize.String module.

SEARCH FOR EXAMPLES

Use the link below to search for example pages on the UIZE Web site that reference the Uize.String module...

SEARCH

1.2. Implementation Info

The Uize.String module defines the Uize.String package under the Uize namespace.

1.2.1. Features Introduced in This Module

1.2.2. Features Overridden in This Module

No features have been overridden in this module.

1.2.3. Features Inherited From Other Modules

This module has no inherited features.

1.2.4. Modules Directly Under This Namespace

1.2.5. Unit Tests

The Uize.String module is unit tested by the Uize.Test.Uize.String test module.

2. Static Methods

2.1. Uize.String.contains

Returns a boolean, indicating whether or not the specified source string contains the specified substring.

SYNTAX

containsBOOL = Uize.String.contains (sourceSTR,subSTR);

If a source string starts with or ends with a substring, then that source string also contains the substring. In other words, if Uize.String.startsWith (sourceStr,subStr) returns true, or if Uize.String.endsWith (sourceStr,subStr) returns true, then Uize.String.contains (sourceStr,subStr) must also return true.

EXAMPLES

Uize.String.contains ('JavaScript','Java');                 // returns true
Uize.String.contains ('JavaScript','JavaScript');           // returns true
Uize.String.contains ('JavaScript','Script');               // returns true
Uize.String.contains ('JavaScript','S');                    // returns true
Uize.String.contains ('JavaScript','ava');                  // returns true
Uize.String.contains ('JavaScript','');                     // returns true
Uize.String.contains ('','');                               // returns true
Uize.String.contains ('JavaScript','JAVASCRIPT');           // returns false
Uize.String.contains ('JavaScript','script');               // returns false
Uize.String.contains ('Java','JavaScript');                 // returns false
Uize.String.contains ('JavaScript','Java Script');          // returns false
Uize.String.contains ('JavaScript','JavaScript   ');        // returns false
Uize.String.contains ('JavaScript','   JavaScript');        // returns false
Uize.String.contains ('JavaScript','JavaScript Framework'); // returns false

NOTES

see the related Uize.String.startsWith and Uize.String.endsWith static methods
this method is case sensitive

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.2. Uize.String.endsWith

Returns a boolean, indicating whether or not the specified source string ends with the specified substring.

SYNTAX

endsWithBOOL = Uize.String.endsWith (sourceSTR,subSTR);

The test that this method performs is case and space sensitive. In cases where you need to test without regards to case or whitespace, it is best to construct a regular expression using the "$" (anchor to end) metacharacter and the i (case-insensitivity) switch.

EXAMPLES

Uize.String.endsWith ('JavaScript','Java');                 // returns false
Uize.String.endsWith ('Java','JavaScript');                 // returns false
Uize.String.endsWith ('JavaScript','JavaScript');           // returns true
Uize.String.endsWith ('JavaScript','Java Script');          // returns false
Uize.String.endsWith ('JavaScript','JavaScript   ');        // returns false
Uize.String.endsWith ('JavaScript','   JavaScript');        // returns false
Uize.String.endsWith ('JavaScript','JAVASCRIPT');           // returns false
Uize.String.endsWith ('JavaScript','Script');               // returns true
Uize.String.endsWith ('JavaScript','JavaScript Framework'); // returns false
Uize.String.endsWith ('JavaScript','');                     // returns true

NOTES

see the companion Uize.String.startsWith static method
see the related Uize.String.contains static method
when the value '' (empty string) is specified for the subSTR parameter, this method will return true (all strings can be said to end with an empty string)

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.3. Uize.String.hasPadding

Returns a boolean, indicidating whether or not the specified string has whitespace padding on either - or both - of its sides (ie. leading or trailing whitespace).

SYNTAX

hasPaddingBOOL = Uize.String.hasPadding (sourceSTR);

EXAMPLES

Uize.String.hasPadding ('   leading whitespace');                  // returns true
Uize.String.hasPadding ('trailing whitespace     ');               // returns true
Uize.String.hasPadding ('   leading and trailing whitespace   ');  // returns true
Uize.String.hasPadding ('no         padding');                     // returns false
Uize.String.hasPadding ('   ');                                    // returns true
Uize.String.hasPadding ('');                                       // returns false

NOTES

see the related Uize.String.trim static method

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.4. Uize.String.hugJoin

Returns a string, that is the concatenation of the specified array of items, where a prefix and suffix can be specified for hugging each item in the array, and where an optional separator can additionally be specified.

SYNTAX

joinedSTR = Uize.String.hugJoin (itemsARRAY,itemPrefixSTR,itemSuffixSTR);

EXAMPLE 1

var actions = ['view','reset','save','open','close'];
alert (Uize.String.hugJoin (actions,'[ ',' ]'));

EXAMPLE 1 - OUTPUT

[ view ][ reset ][ save ][ open ][ close ]

VARIATION

joinedSTR = Uize.String.hugJoin (itemsARRAY,itemPrefixSTR,itemSuffixSTR,separatorSTR);

When the optional separatorSTR parameter is specified, then the items being joined will be separated by the specified separator string. This provides you with the functionality you would normally get from the built-in join instance method of the Array object.

Technically, the statement Uize.String.hugJoin (array,'','',separator) would be equivalent to the statement array.join (separator). But, if you just wanted to join an array with a separator string, then you would just use the join method, so the separatorSTR parameter is the last parameter and is optional for the Uize.String.hugJoin method, since the assumption is that you're likely using this method for its prefix/suffix feature.

EXAMPLE 2

var actions = ['view','reset','save','open','close'];
alert (Uize.String.hugJoin (actions,'[ ',' ]',' - '));

EXAMPLE 2 - OUTPUT

[ view ] - [ reset ] - [ save ] - [ open ] - [ close ]

EXAMPLE 3

var actions = ['view','reset','save','open','close'];
alert (Uize.String.hugJoin (actions,'\t','\n')); // on separate lines, indented

EXAMPLE 3 - OUTPUT

  view
  reset
  save
  open
  close

EXAMPLE 4

var actions = ['view','reset','save','open','close'];
alert (Uize.String.hugJoin (actions,'action: "','"\n','---------------\n'));

EXAMPLE 4 - OUTPUT

action: "view"
---------------
action: "reset"
---------------
action: "save"
---------------
action: "open"
---------------
action: "close"

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.5. Uize.String.joinUsingSuffixPriority

Returns a string, that is the concatenation of the two specified strings, limited to the specified maximum length, and such that the suffix string takes precedence if any characters must be lost in order to limit the length of the resulting string.

SYNTAX

joinedSTR = Uize.String.joinUsingSuffixPriority (prefixSTR,suffixSTR,maxLengthINT);

EXAMPLE

Uize.String.joinUsingSuffixPriority ('Some Greate Product Title',' - Customized',30);

In the above example, this method would produce the result 'Some Greate Produ - Customized'.

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.6. Uize.String.limitLength

Returns a string, that is the specified source string limited to the specified maximum length.

SYNTAX

limitedSTR = Uize.String.limitLength (sourceSTR,maxLengthINT);

If the string specified in the sourceSTR has to be truncated, it will be truncated to accommodate an ellipsis of "..." (three periods), such that the final length of the returned string is guaranteed to be no greater than the maximum length specified in the maxLengthINT parameter.

EXAMPLE

Uize.String.limitLength ('012345678901',15);        // returns '012345678901'
Uize.String.limitLength ('0123456789012',15);       // returns '0123456789012'
Uize.String.limitLength ('01234567890123',15);      // returns '01234567890123'
Uize.String.limitLength ('012345678901234',15);     // returns '012345678901234'
Uize.String.limitLength ('0123456789012345',15);    // returns '012345678901...'
Uize.String.limitLength ('01234567890123456',15);   // returns '012345678901...'
Uize.String.limitLength ('012345678901234567',15);  // returns '012345678901...'

Notice how, once the limit of 15 characters has been hit, all the resulting strings are only 15 characters long, with the last three characters being the ellipsis periods.

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.7. Uize.String.repeat

Returns a string, that is the specified source string repeated the specified number of times.

SYNTAX

repeatedSTR = Uize.String.repeat (sourceSTR,repeatTimesINT);

EXAMPLE 1

var hundredDashes = Uize.String.repeat ('-',100);

EXAMPLE 2

var paddingStr = Uize.String.repeat (' ',paddingAmount);

EXAMPLE 3

var tenBrTags = Uize.String.repeat ('<br/>',10);

The value of the sourceSTR parameter can contain any number of any characters. In the above example, a string containing ten br tags is being generated.

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.8. Uize.String.split

Splits the specified string value into an array of string elements, using the specified splitter string or regular expression.

SYNTAX

splitPartsARRAY = Uize.String.split (sourceSTR,splitterSTRorREGEXP);

2.8.1. Why Not Use the split Instance Method?

As you may be aware, JavaScript's built-in String object provides a split instance method.

Unfortunately, this method has poor implementations in some JavaScript interpreters that may lead to well written code behaving inconcistently and exhibiting buggy behavior in the faulty interpreters. The Uize.String.split method compensates for poor implementations by providing an implementation that is in strict accordance with the ECMA-262 specification.

2.8.2. Examples

2.8.2.1. Splitting Words Delimited by a Semi-colon

In this example, a string containing a list of fruit names separated by single semi-colons is being split using a string type splitter that is a single semi-colon.

EXAMPLE

fruits = Uize.String.split ('apple;orange;pear;peach;strawberry;watermelon',';');

After the above statement has been executed, the value of the fruits variable will be the array ['apple','orange','pear','peach','strawberry','watermelon'].

2.8.2.2. Splitting Words Delimited by One or More Non-Word Characters

In this example, a string containing a list of fruit names separated by various different delimiters that are one or more non-word characters is being split using a regular expression splitter that matches on one or more non-word characters.

EXAMPLE

fruits = Uize.String.split ('apple-|-orange,pear;peach<>strawberry...watermelon',/\W+/);

After the above statement has been executed, the value of the fruits variable will be the array ['apple','orange','pear','peach','strawberry','watermelon'].

2.8.2.3. Splitting A Multi-line String Into Separate Lines

In this example, a multi-line string is being split using a regular expression that supports a variety of different EOL (End Of Line) styles.

EXAMPLE

lines = Uize.String.split ('line 1\rline 2\nline 3\r\nline 4',/\r\n|[\r\n]/);

After the above statement has been executed, the value of the lines variable will be the array ['line 1','line 2','line 3','line 4']. The regular expression being used to split the multi-line string supports three different EOL styles: a carriage return (the '\r' character) followed by a line feed (the '\n' character), just a single carriage return character, or just a single line feed character.

2.8.2.4. Splitting Using a Regular Expression And Getting Captures

Because the Uize.String.split method is a strict implementation of the ECMA-262 specification for the split instance method of JavaScript's String object, it supports including the regular expression captures in the returned array.

So, for example, if we were splitting a multi-line string into separate lines and wanted to capture the specific line ending characters used for each of the lines (they may be inconcistent across all the lines of the multi-line string), then we can use the unique behavior of the Uize.String.split method as follows...

EXAMPLE

lines = Uize.String.split ('line 1\rline 2\nline 3\r\nline 4',/(\r\n|[\r\n])/);

After the above statement has been executed, the value of the lines variable will be the array ['line 1','\r','line 2','\n','line 3','\r\n','line 4']. Because the entire splitter regular expression is inside a capture (ie. the parentheses), the entire matched splitter is included in the returned array for each line of the multi-line string. When the Uize.String.split method builds up the result array, it follows the array element for each split part with elements for all the captures in the regular expression, in the order in which the captures occur in the regular expression.

2.8.2.5. Splitting Using a Regular Expression And Ignoring Captures

Because the Uize.String.split method includes captures from a regular expression splitter in the returned array, an extra step is needed if you wish to use parentheses for grouping in a regular expression but don't wish the captures to be included in the result array.

EXAMPLE

words = Uize.String.split ('solar<_-_>power<_-_-_>will<_-_-_-_>win',/<(?:-=)+->/);

After the above statement has been executed, the value of the words variable will be the array ['solar','power','will','win']. The regular expression is using a group to allow matching of one or more of the substring '-='. However, we don't want those matched characters to pollute the result array - we only want the words that are split out from the string. To accomplish this, we use a feature of regular expressions that allows a group to not be treated as a capture, simply by prefixing the contents of the group expression (ie. the stuff inside the group's parentheses) with the special characters ?: - this tells the regular expression engine to not capture the characters matched by the group.

2.8.3. Splitter Ommitted From Result

The splitter string or regular expression match is not included in the string elements of the returned array.

So, for example, the statement Uize.String.split ('foo#bar','#') would return the array value ['foo','bar'] - the splitter, which is a '#' (pound) character string literal in this case, is stripped from the values of the returned array elements.

With a regular expression splitter, the entire substring matched by the regular expression will be omitted. So, for example, the statement Uize.String.split ('foo####bar',/#+/) would return the array value ['foo','bar'] - the splitter, which is a /#+/ (one or more pound characters) regular expression in this case, strips out all the contiguous pound characters from the values of the returned array elements.

The only way to include the substring matched by a splitter is to use a regular expression splitter and to enclose the entire regular expression in parentheses - this invokes the behavior of including regular expression captures in the result array. The matched substrings are still not included as part of the split values, but as separate elements of the result array - between the elements for the split values (see the example Splitting Using a Regular Expression And Getting Captures).

2.8.4. Compensates for Poor Implementations

The Uize.String.split method is implemented in strict accordance with the ECMA-262 specification (ie. the JavaScript language specification).

The Uize.String.split method addresses poor implementations of the split instance method of JavaScript's built-in String object in some JavaScript interpreters, such as Microsoft's JScript interpreter that is used by Internet Explorer and WSH (Windows Script Host). Specifically, the Uize.String.split method addresses two known issues when using a regular expression splitter: incorrect dropping of empty split values and incorrect omission of captures in the result array.

2.8.4.1. Incorrect Dropping of Empty Split Values

Microsoft's JScript interpreter exhibits an issue where empty split values are omitted when a regular expression splitter is used (but not when a string splitter is used).

EXAMPLE

result = 'foo,,bar'.split (/,/);

In the above example, a string is being split using a regular expression splitter that matches a single comma. In compliant JavaScript interpreters, the above statement would produce a result array with the value ['foo','','bar'] - exactly the same result as if you used a simple string splitter (ie. 'foo,,bar'.split (',')).

For a reason that is hard to fathom, the JScript interpreter omits the second empty string element to produce, instead, the result ['foo','bar']. It's hard to justify or defend this implementation choice, as it wreaks havoc with using the split instance method to parse lists of values that were serialized using the Array object's join instance method, and where some of the values were empty strings.

The Uize.String.split method fixes this issue, so it can be used in Internet Explorer and WSH (Windows Script Host) to safely split strings using a regular expression splitter.

2.8.4.2. Incorrect Omission of Captures in the Result Array

While the split instance method of JavaScript's built-in String object is supposed to include captures from a regular expression splitter in the returned array, this behavior is not supported by some JavaScript interpreters - notably Microsoft's JScript interpreter.

This means that the statement 'line 1\rline 2\nline 3\r\nline 4'.split (/(\r\n|[\r\n])/) would return the result array ['line 1','line 2','line 3','line 4'] in the JScript interpreter, and not the array ['line 1','\r','line 2','\n','line 3','\r\n','line 4'] as it should. The Uize.String.split method fixes this issue, so it can be used in Internet Explorer and WSH (Windows Script Host) to safely split strings using a regular expression splitter.

NOTES

compare to the Uize.String.splitInTwo static method

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.9. Uize.String.splitInTwo

Returns an array of exactly two elements, representing the two segments of the specified source string after splitting it using the specified splitter string.

SYNTAX

twoPartsARRAY = Uize.String.splitInTwo (sourceSTR,splitterSTR);

EXAMPLE

var nameValue = Uize.String.splitInTwo ('TITLE: The Matrix: Reloaded',': ');

In the above example, the nameValue variable would be left with the array value ['TITLE','The Matrix: Reloaded']. In contrast, the built-in split method of the String object would produce the three element array ['TITLE','The Matrix','Reloaded'] when splitting the above string using ': '.

If the splitter string is not found within the source string, then the returned array will contain the entire source string for its first element, and an empty string for its second element.

EXAMPLE

var nameValue = Uize.String.splitInTwo ('TITLE',': ');

In the above example, the nameValue variable would be left with the array value ['TITLE',''].

VARIATION

twoPartsARRAY = Uize.String.splitInTwo (sourceSTR,splitterREGEXP);

When a splitterREGEXP parameter is specified, the sourceSTR value will be split on the regular expression, and the two resulting parts will exclude the substring that was matched by the splitter regular expression.

EXAMPLE

var nameValue =
  Uize.String.splitInTwo ('TITLE   :   The Matrix: Reloaded',new RegExp ('\\s*:\\s*')
;

In the above example, the nameValue variable would be left with the array value ['TITLE','The Matrix: Reloaded']. In this case, the regular expression specified for the splitterREGEXP parameter matches a substring of any number of spaces, followed by a colon, followed by any number of spaces - in other words, a colon with optional padding. The two parts of the result will not include the whitespace padding around the colon, since it was part of the splitter match.

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.10. Uize.String.startsWith

Returns a boolean, indicating whether or not the specified source string starts with the specified substring.

SYNTAX

startsWithBOOL = Uize.String.startsWith (sourceSTR,subSTR);

The test that this method performs is case and space sensitive. In cases where you need to test without regards to case or whitespace, it is best to construct a regular expression using the "^" (anchor to beginning) metacharacter and the i (case-insensitivity) switch.

EXAMPLES

Uize.String.startsWith ('JavaScript','Java');                 // returns true
Uize.String.startsWith ('Java','JavaScript');                 // returns false
Uize.String.startsWith ('JavaScript','JavaScript');           // returns true
Uize.String.startsWith ('JavaScript','Java Script');          // returns false
Uize.String.startsWith ('JavaScript','JavaScript   ');        // returns false
Uize.String.startsWith ('JavaScript','   JavaScript');        // returns false
Uize.String.startsWith ('JavaScript','JAVASCRIPT');           // returns false
Uize.String.startsWith ('JavaScript','Script');               // returns false
Uize.String.startsWith ('JavaScript','JavaScript Framework'); // returns false
Uize.String.startsWith ('JavaScript','');                     // returns true

NOTES

see the companion Uize.String.endsWith static method
see the related Uize.String.contains static method
when the value '' (empty string) is specified for the subSTR parameter, this method will return true (all strings can be said to start with an empty string)

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.11. Uize.String.toCamel

Returns a string, that is the specified source string converted to a camelCase formatted string.

SYNTAX

camelCaseSTR = Uize.String.toCamel (sourceSTR);

This method removes all non-word characters separating words in the source string, capitalizes the first letters of the words, and lowercases all other letters.

EXAMPLES

Uize.String.toCamel ('encode HTML entity');    // returns 'encodeHtmlEntity'
Uize.String.toCamel ('XML document');          // returns 'xmlDocument'
Uize.String.toCamel ('XML document',true);     // returns 'XmlDocument'
Uize.String.toCamel ('city, state, zip');      // returns 'cityStateZip'
Uize.String.toCamel ('www.uize.com');          // returns 'wwwUizeCom'
Uize.String.toCamel ('theme/css/button.css');  // returns 'themeCssButtonCss'
Uize.String.toCamel ('nav-arrow-horz-next');   // returns 'navArrowHorzNext'
Uize.String.toCamel ('json 2 XML');            // returns 'json2Xml'
Uize.String.toCamel ('--hyphens-are-cool--');  // returns 'hyphensAreCool'

The above example illustrates how the method will behave with a variety of input values.

VARIATION

camelCaseSTR = Uize.String.toCamel (sourceSTR,capFirstCharBOOL);

By default, the first letter of the camelCased string is lowercase, although the optional capFirstCharBOOL parameter allows control over this behavior. Specify the value true for this parameter and the first letter of the camelCased string will be uppercase.

VARIATION

camelCaseSTR = Uize.String.toCamel (stringSegmentsARRAY);

In addition to being able to camelCase a source string, the Uize.String.toCamel method can also generate a camelCase string from an array of string segments.

EXAMPLE

Uize.String.toCamel (['city','state','zip']);  // returns 'cityStateZip'

VARIATION

camelCaseSTR = Uize.String.toCamel (stringSegmentsARRAY,capFirstCharBOOL);

Naturally, the optional capFirstCharBOOL parameter can also be used when the stringSegmentsARRAY parameter is specified.

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.12. Uize.String.trim

Returns a string, that is the specified source string minus any whitespace padding to the left and right of the first and last non-whitespace characters, respectively.

SYNTAX

trimmedSTR = Uize.String.trim (sourceSTR);

EXAMPLES

Uize.String.trim ('  THIS IS A STRING  ');      // returns 'THIS IS A STRING'
Uize.String.trim ('\tTHIS IS A STRING\t');      // returns 'THIS IS A STRING'
Uize.String.trim ('\n\nTHIS IS A STRING\n\n');  // returns 'THIS IS A STRING'
Uize.String.trim ('  \t \n\n \t');              // returns ''

2.12.1. Working with Multi-line Strings

This method regards linebreak characters as whitespace.

Therefore, this method cannot be used to trim whitespace padding on a line by line basis. To trim line by line, use the Uize.String.Lines.trim method implemented in the Uize.String.Lines module that is dedicated to working with multi-line strings.

NOTES

see the companion Uize.String.trimLeft and Uize.String.trimRight static methods
see the related Uize.String.hasPadding static method

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.13. Uize.String.trimLeft

Returns a string, that is the specified source string minus any whitespace padding to the left of the first non-whitespace character or the end of the string (ie. leading whitespace).

SYNTAX

leftTrimmedSTR = Uize.String.trimLeft (sourceSTR);

EXAMPLES

Uize.String.trim ('  THIS IS A STRING  ');      // returns 'THIS IS A STRING  '
Uize.String.trim ('\tTHIS IS A STRING\t');      // returns 'THIS IS A STRING\t'
Uize.String.trim ('\n\nTHIS IS A STRING\n\n');  // returns 'THIS IS A STRING\n\n'
Uize.String.trim ('  \t \n\n \t');              // returns ''

2.13.1. Working with Multi-line Strings

This method regards linebreak characters as whitespace.

Therefore, this method cannot be used to trim whitespace padding on a line by line basis. To left trim line by line, use the Uize.String.Lines.trimLeft method implemented in the Uize.String.Lines module that is dedicated to working with multi-line strings.

NOTES

see the companion Uize.String.trim and Uize.String.trimRight static methods

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

2.14. Uize.String.trimRight

Returns a string, that is the specified source string minus any whitespace padding to the right of the last non-whitespace character or the start of the string (ie. trailing whitespace).

SYNTAX

rightTrimmedSTR = Uize.String.trimRight (sourceSTR);

EXAMPLES

Uize.String.trim ('  THIS IS A STRING  ');      // returns '  THIS IS A STRING'
Uize.String.trim ('\tTHIS IS A STRING\t');      // returns '\tTHIS IS A STRING'
Uize.String.trim ('\n\nTHIS IS A STRING\n\n');  // returns '\n\nTHIS IS A STRING'
Uize.String.trim ('  \t \n\n \t');              // returns ''

2.14.1. Working with Multi-line Strings

This method regards linebreak characters as whitespace.

Therefore, this method cannot be used to trim whitespace padding on a line by line basis. To right trim line by line, use the Uize.String.Lines.trimRight method implemented in the Uize.String.Lines module that is dedicated to working with multi-line strings.

NOTES

see the companion Uize.String.trim and Uize.String.trimLeft static methods

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module

3. Static Properties

3.1. Uize.String.moduleName

IMPLEMENTATION INFO

this feature was introduced in this module