CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#arraysstringlistloops
Nexuz
Nexuz

Reputation: 192

Add string to List<string>

I'm working on a method which takes a string and separates it into numerous items and then stores it inside of an array. I then perform a check to see if the array contains more than two items and if it does I assign specific items within an array to corresponding strings i.e. assign first item to forename, last item to surname and all other items to middle-name.

My issue relates to retrieving each of the items within the array which are not the first or last items and then assigning them in the correct order to a string. Below you can see that I have attempted to grab each item within the name array and assign the result to a list which can then be converted into a single string, but with no luck. What I am looking for is a solution to this problem.

    public string SplitName(string text)
    {
        string forename;
        string middlename;
        string surname;

        var name = text.Split(' ');

        if (name != null)
        {
            if (name.Length > 2)
            {
                forename = name[0];
                surname = name[name.Length - 1];

                List<string> temp = new List<string>();

                for (int i = 1; i < name.Length - 1; i++)
                {
                    // Assign each item to middlename
                }

                text = string.Format("{0} {1} {2}", forename, middlename, surname);
            }
        }
        else
        {
            text = "INVALID";
        }

        return text;
    }

Upvotes: 0

Views: 261

Answers (5)

Jon
Jon

Reputation: 437336

If all you want to do is keep the first and last tokens separately and treat everything else as the middle name it would be much simpler to use a regular expression:

var regex = new Regex(@"^(\S+)\s+(?:(.*?)(?:\s+)?)(\S+)$");
var match = regex.Match("foo bar baz");

if (match.Success) {
    var firstName = match.Groups[1].Value;
    var middleName = match.Groups[2].Value;
    var lastName = match.Groups[3].Value;
}
else {
    // there were no spaces, i.e. just one token
}

The regular expression matches two runs of non-space characters at the ends with \S+. It optionally matches anything else that happens to be between them with the pattern (?:(.*?)(?:\s+)?), where the important part is (.*?) (match anything, non-greedy in order to not munch up any spaces before the last name) and the rest is mostly red tape (non-capturing groups, optional spaces before the lastname).

Upvotes: 3

Kamil Budziewski
Kamil Budziewski

Reputation: 23087

This will add all middlenames to middlename separated with space and trim last space

for (int i = 1; i < name.Length - 1; i++)
{
    middlename+=name[i]+" ";
}
middlename = middlename.Trim(); // just for sure

If you need something else please specify your question

if your name is

aa bb cc dd ee

midlename will be

bb cc dd

Upvotes: 2

Sean Kornish
Sean Kornish

Reputation: 838

First, you need to initialize the string variable, then you can just append all "middle" items to it.

    public string SplitName(string text)
    {
        string forename = string.Empty;
        string middlename = string.Empty;
        string surname = string.Empty;

        var name = text.Split(' ');

        if (name != null)
        {
            if (name.Length > 2)
            {
                forename = name[0];
                surname = name[name.Length - 1];

                List<string> temp = new List<string>();

                for (int i = 1; i < name.Length - 1; i++)
                {
                    middlename += name[i];
                }

                text = string.Format("{0} {1} {2}", forename, middlename, surname);
            }
        }
        else
        {
            text = "INVALID";
        }

        return text;
    }

Upvotes: 2

Alessandro D&#39;Andria
Alessandro D&#39;Andria

Reputation: 8868

Try with this:

public string SplitName(string text)
{
    string forename;
    string middlename;
    string surname;

    var name = text.Split(' ');

    if (name != null)
    {
        if (name.Length > 2)
        {
            forename = name[0];
            surname = name[name.Length - 1];
            middlename = string.Join(" ", name.Skip(1).Take(name.Length - 2));

            text = string.Format("{0} {1} {2}", forename, middlename, surname);
        }
    }
    else
    {
        text = "INVALID";
    }

    return text;
}

But this return exactly the same string.

Upvotes: 2

Ibasa
Ibasa

Reputation: 627

Use String.Join (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/tk0xe5h0.aspx) 

public string SplitName(string text)
{
    string forename;
    string middlename;
    string surname;

    var name = text.Split(' ');

    if (name != null)
    {
        if (name.Length > 2)
        {
            forename = name[0];
            surname = name[name.Length - 1];

            middlename = string.Join(" ", name, 1, name.Length - 2);

            text = string.Format("{0} {1} {2}", forename, middlename, surname);
        }
    }
    else
    {
        text = "INVALID";
    }

    return text;
}

Change the first parameter of join (" ") if you want them to be joined using a different string. Currently a name "Bob Jack Willis Mills" will create a middlename "Jack Willis". If you want "Jack, Willis" use ", " as the separator.

Upvotes: 6

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