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javaregexstringsubstringphrase

Retrieve string given search criteria. Brackets, quotations and more

I have the following string:

NoticeText:
    NoticeType [str] = USER_TYPING_ON
    Text [str] = "user is typing"
    EventInfo:
        PartyId [int] = 2
        EventType [str] = MESSAGE
        UserNickname [str] = "Michael"
        EventId [int] = 4
        Text [str] = "Hey, how are you?"
        MsgCheck [str] = NONE
        TimeOffset [int] = 23
        UserType [str] = AGENT
NoticeText:
    NoticeType [str] = USER_TYPING_ON
    EventInfo:
    PartyId [int] = 1
        EventType [str] = MESSAGE
        UserNickname [str] = "Bob Smith"
        EventId [int] = 6
        Text [str] = "I'm good, how are you?"
        MsgCheck [str] = NONE
        TimeOffset [int] = 28
        UserType [str] = CLIENT
        MessageType [str] = "text"

I need to be able to retrieve the sentence "I'm good, how are you?". I am completely stumped.

I tried to retrieve phrases after "Text [str] =", that gives back what I need. But it also gives back all other sentences after "Text [str] =".

One tip that might help you guys is the PartyId [int], field. 1 corresponds to the client. Which is the person's message that I need.

I just don't know how to narrow it down by that.

Please help!

Solution

  • Description

    ^NoticeText:(?:(?!\nNoticeText:).)*\n\s+EventInfo(?:(?!\nNoticeText:).)*\n\s+Text\s*\[str\]\s*=\s*"([^"]*)"(?:(?!\nNoticeText:).)*\nNoticeText:(?:(?!\nNoticeText:).)*\n\s+EventInfo(?:(?!\nNoticeText:).)*\n\s+Text\s*\[str\]\s*=\s*"([^"]*)"(?:(?!\nNoticeText:).)*

    Regular expression visualization

    ** To see the image better, simply right click the image and select view in new window

    Example

    Live Demo

    https://regex101.com/r/tD6uV9/1

    Sample text

    NoticeText:
    NoticeType [str] = USER_TYPING_ON
    Text [str] = "user is typing"
    EventInfo:
        PartyId [int] = 2
        EventType [str] = MESSAGE
        UserNickname [str] = "Michael"
        EventId [int] = 4
        Text [str] = "Hey, how are you?"
        MsgCheck [str] = NONE
        TimeOffset [int] = 23
        UserType [str] = AGENT
NoticeText:
    NoticeType [str] = USER_TYPING_ON
    EventInfo:
    PartyId [int] = 1
        EventType [str] = MESSAGE
        UserNickname [str] = "Bob Smith"
        EventId [int] = 6
        Text [str] = "I'm good, how are you?"
        MsgCheck [str] = NONE
        TimeOffset [int] = 28
        UserType [str] = CLIENT
        MessageType [str] = "text"

    Sample Matches

    • Capture group 0 gets the both NoticeText blocks
    • Capture group 1 gets the first Text [str] after the EventInfo in the first NoticeText
    • Capture group 2 gets the second Text [str] after PartyID in the second NoticeText
    MATCH 1
Capture Group 1.    [246-263]   `Hey, how are you?`
Capture Group 2.    [566-588]   `I'm good, how are you?`

    Explanation

    NODE                     EXPLANATION
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  ^                        the beginning of the string
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  NoticeText:              'NoticeText:'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  (?:                      group, but do not capture (0 or more times
                           (matching the most amount possible)):
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    (?!                      look ahead to see if there is not:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      \n                       '\n' (newline)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      NoticeText:              'NoticeText:'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    )                        end of look-ahead
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    .                        any character except \n
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  )*                       end of grouping
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \n                       '\n' (newline)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \s+                      whitespace (\n, \r, \t, \f, and " ") (1 or
                           more times (matching the most amount
                           possible))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  EventInfo                'EventInfo'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  (?:                      group, but do not capture (0 or more times
                           (matching the most amount possible)):
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    (?!                      look ahead to see if there is not:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      \n                       '\n' (newline)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      NoticeText:              'NoticeText:'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    )                        end of look-ahead
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    .                        any character except \n
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  )*                       end of grouping
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \n                       '\n' (newline)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \s+                      whitespace (\n, \r, \t, \f, and " ") (1 or
                           more times (matching the most amount
                           possible))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  Text                     'Text'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \s*                      whitespace (\n, \r, \t, \f, and " ") (0 or
                           more times (matching the most amount
                           possible))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \[                       '['
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  str                      'str'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \]                       ']'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \s*                      whitespace (\n, \r, \t, \f, and " ") (0 or
                           more times (matching the most amount
                           possible))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  =                        '='
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \s*                      whitespace (\n, \r, \t, \f, and " ") (0 or
                           more times (matching the most amount
                           possible))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  "                        '"'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  (                        group and capture to \1:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    [^"]*                    any character except: '"' (0 or more
                             times (matching the most amount
                             possible))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  )                        end of \1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  "                        '"'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  (?:                      group, but do not capture (0 or more times
                           (matching the most amount possible)):
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    (?!                      look ahead to see if there is not:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      \n                       '\n' (newline)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      NoticeText:              'NoticeText:'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    )                        end of look-ahead
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    .                        any character except \n
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  )*                       end of grouping
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \n                       '\n' (newline)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  NoticeText:              'NoticeText:'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  (?:                      group, but do not capture (0 or more times
                           (matching the most amount possible)):
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    (?!                      look ahead to see if there is not:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      \n                       '\n' (newline)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      NoticeText:              'NoticeText:'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    )                        end of look-ahead
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    .                        any character except \n
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  )*                       end of grouping
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \n                       '\n' (newline)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \s+                      whitespace (\n, \r, \t, \f, and " ") (1 or
                           more times (matching the most amount
                           possible))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  EventInfo                'EventInfo'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  (?:                      group, but do not capture (0 or more times
                           (matching the most amount possible)):
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    (?!                      look ahead to see if there is not:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      \n                       '\n' (newline)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      NoticeText:              'NoticeText:'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    )                        end of look-ahead
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    .                        any character except \n
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  )*                       end of grouping
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \n                       '\n' (newline)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \s+                      whitespace (\n, \r, \t, \f, and " ") (1 or
                           more times (matching the most amount
                           possible))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  Text                     'Text'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \s*                      whitespace (\n, \r, \t, \f, and " ") (0 or
                           more times (matching the most amount
                           possible))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \[                       '['
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  str                      'str'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \]                       ']'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \s*                      whitespace (\n, \r, \t, \f, and " ") (0 or
                           more times (matching the most amount
                           possible))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  =                        '='
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  \s*                      whitespace (\n, \r, \t, \f, and " ") (0 or
                           more times (matching the most amount
                           possible))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  "                        '"'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  (                        group and capture to \2:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    [^"]*                    any character except: '"' (0 or more
                             times (matching the most amount
                             possible))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  )                        end of \2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  "                        '"'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  (?:                      group, but do not capture (0 or more times
                           (matching the most amount possible)):
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    (?!                      look ahead to see if there is not:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      \n                       '\n' (newline)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
      NoticeText:              'NoticeText:'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    )                        end of look-ahead
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    .                        any character except \n
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  )*                       end of grouping
----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Alternatively

    If you had a long list of these NoticeText blocks then you could just parse them all with this simplified version of the same expression.

    ^NoticeText:(?:(?!\nNoticeText:)[\s\S])*\n\s+Text\s*\[str\]\s*=\s*"([^"]*)"(?:(?!\nNoticeText:)[\s\S])*

    Regular expression visualization

    With this version I'm using the Global Flag and the Multiline Flag

    Example

    With the same sample text from above Capture Group 0 gets the single NoticeText, and Capture group 1 only gets the last Text [str] value in the block

    Sample Matches

    MATCH 1
Capture Group 1.    [246-263]   `Hey, how are you?`

MATCH 2
Capture Group 1.    [566-588]   `I'm good, how are you?`

    Live Demo

    https://regex101.com/r/uW6cV6/1