Parse It! Parse It!

Script Tip…

Okay! It’s the final day of the Guitar Chord Script. The only thing left to do is parse the information from the array and give it to the showChord() function we hit upon last week.

For one last time, here’s the script and its effect:

     Click a chord on the right and watch the dots provide the pattern.

 

Frets = parser (chords[Text])

 
function parser (InString)  <br>{<br>
        var Sep = ";", NumSeps=1, Count, Start, ParseMark, parse; <br>
        for (Count=1; Count < InString.length; Count++)  <br>{<br>
                if (InString.charAt(Count)==Sep)<br>
                        NumSeps++;<br>
        }<br>
        parse = new Array ();<br>
        var Start=0, Count=1, ParseMark=0, LoopCtrl=1;<br>
        while (LoopCtrl==1)  <br>{<br>
                ParseMark = InString.indexOf(Sep, ParseMark);<br>
                TestMark=ParseMark;<br>
                if ((TestMark==0) || (TestMark==-1))<br>{<br>
                        parse[Count]= InString.substring (Start, InString.length);<br>
                        LoopCtrl=0;<br>
                        break;<br>
                }<br>
                parse[Count] = InString.substring (Start, ParseMark);<br>
                Start=ParseMark+1, ParseMark=Start, Count++;<br>
        }<br>
        parse[0]=Count;<br>
        return (parse);<br>
} 

 
chords["A13"]="1;3;20;22;23" 

 
document.guitar[parseInt(Frets[Count])].checked=true; 

 
[parseInt(Frets[Count])]

So, when this parser script runs through the A13 array item, it will loop through five times returning 1, then 3, then 20, then 22, then 23. With me? Then the line:

 
document.guitar[parseInt(Frets[Count])].checked=true;

 
function parser (InString)  <br>{<br>
        var Sep = ";", NumSeps=1, Count, Start, ParseMark, parse; <br>
        for (Count=1; Count < InString.length; Count++)  <br>{<br>
                if (InString.charAt(Count)==Sep)<br>
                        NumSeps++;<br>
        } 

You’re probably familiar with the next line. It’s one that sets variables and brings others into play. Look at it. I’ll refer to it again in a moment.

A For loop is brought into play. The variable “Count” is given the value of 1. As long as “Count” is less than the length of the InString text string, Count will be moved up one each time the loop occurs. That means that when Count is equal to the length of the text string, (1) the loop stops and (2) every character in the text string has been inspected, so we’re done!

Remember that each number in the text string is separated by a semicolon and the variable Sep is set to represent a semicolon. So, the next If statement asks if the next character in the text string is a semicolon (the command “charAt” returns the next character in a text string).

If the next character is a semicolon, then “NumSeps” should increase. Basically, if the character is a semicolon, we can’t use it, so it should go on to the next character. That way, only the numbers in the text string are evaluated. The semicolons are skipped over. Very clever.

Now this monster:

 
<font size="-1">parse = new Array ();<br>
        var Start=0, Count=1, ParseMark=0, LoopCtrl=1;<br>
        while (LoopCtrl==1)  <br>{<br>
                ParseMark = InString.indexOf(Sep, ParseMark);<br>
                TestMark=ParseMark;<br>
                if ((TestMark==0) || (TestMark==-1))<br>{<br>
                        parse[Count]= InString.substring (Start, InString.length);<br>
                        LoopCtrl=0;<br>
                        break;<br>
                }<br>
                parse[Count] = InString.substring (Start, ParseMark);<br>
                Start=ParseMark+1, ParseMark=Start, Count++;<br>
        }<br>
        parse[0]=Count;<br>
        return (parse);<br>
}

The next line is common. Variables are given values to be brought into play later.

Now we have a While loop coming into play. The While loop, you might remember, runs as long as the condition within its instance is true. In this case, While LoopCtrl is equal to 1, the loop rolls… and LoopCtrl is equal to 1 because the authors set it to 1 just above.

The next line sets the variable “ParseMark” to the location of the next character. That’s what the method indexOf does; it returns the location of the character the script is working on. It knows which character the script is working on because of the instance: (Sep, ParseMark).

Remember that Sep was set above. Think of it as the starting point for the full length of the string. By setting Sep one up each time, this loop reads the next value each time it rolls through. What it won’t read are the semicolons because we got rid of them in the function above, remember?

Next, we exchange the variable name “TestMark” for “ParseMark.” I’m not sure why other than that’s the author’s preference. That text mark is then tested to see if it is 0 or one less than 0 (-1). If it’s one less, then we must be at the beginning, so set parse[Count] to whichever is the smaller of Start and InString.length. It’s obviously Start, which is equal to 0.

Next, parse[Count] is set to the value of the character that is being looked at, “Start” is increased by 1, as is “Count,” and finally “parse[0]” is set to the next “Count” value in case the function loops through again.

The value found (parse) is returned.

The script loops through again and again, clipping off the next value between the semicolons and returning it so the correct radio button can be checked. The process happens again and again until the script runs out of numbers. No more numbers means there are no more radio buttons to highlight.

The chord is displayed.

Wow! That was a wicked script, huh? Next week we’ll get into something a little less hairy.

Next Time: Setting and Getting a Cookie