String problem

[srestmeyer]

It's been a long time since I have done any LiSP programming but I can't seem to get a simple string command to work.

When I enter

 (strcat "(Tabloid (11x17\")")

it returns

"(Tabloid (11x17\")"

How do it get it to return?

"(Tabloid (11x17")"

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Scott

[hmsilva]

Scott,

try using the (strcat "(Tabloid (11x17\")"), inside a text command

i.e.
(setq str (strcat "(Tabloid (11x17\")"))
(Command "text" pause "" "" str "")

the text string will be (Tabloid (11x17")

Henrique

[Lee_Mac]

Scott,

In AutoLISP, the double-quote character is the string delimiter character, hence, to use this character within a string, it must be prefixed with an escape character in the form of a backslash in order to mark it as a literal double-quote.

Observe:

_$ (progn (princ "(Tabloid (11x17\")") (princ))
(Tabloid (11x17")

 Note also that the strcat function is not required since you are not concatenating strings.

[srestmeyer]

Thanks, but that doesn't work. I need it to return "Tabloid (11 x 17")".

I keep getting "Tabloid (11x17\")"

I don't know why the backslash keeps showing as text when I enter (setq paper_size "Tabloid (11x17\")")

Scott

[srestmeyer]

Thanks, but that doesn't work. I need it to return "Tabloid (11 x 17")".

I keep getting "Tabloid (11x17\")"

I don't know why the backslash keeps showing as text when I enter (setq paper_size "Tabloid (11x17\")")

the only reason I put in the strcat was because I couldn't get the text to come out right.

Thanks

Scott

[Lee_Mac]

What code are you using to output the string?

[srestmeyer]

I don't understand the question. Please elaborate.

[hmsilva]

For testing, copy/paste at the command line

(alert "Tabloid (11x17\")")

Henrique

[fred]

It is working, its just displaying it as its coded...

Try this:

(setq paper_size "Tabloid (11x17\")")

(princ paper_size)(terpri)

[Kent1Cooper]

---

@hmsilva wrote:
For testing, copy/paste at the command line
(alert "Tabloid (11x17\")")

---

And, to further illustrate the point, try that without the backslash:
(alert "Tabloid (11x17")")

The alert that comes up ends with the 7, because without the backslash to tell it to read the double-quote as a character in the string, it reads it as the marker for the end of the string.

[Kent1Cooper]

---

@srestmeyer wrote:

.... I keep getting "Tabloid (11x17\")"

I don't know why the backslash keeps showing as text when I enter (setq paper_size "Tabloid (11x17\")")

....

---

Another way to think about it:  the backslash isn't "showing" as a character, but rather, the backslash and the double-quote, combined, are one character in AutoLisp string-formatting terms.  When you apply that string within something else [a Text or Mtext command as textual content, an (alert) or (prin...) or (prompt) function, etc.], the combination goes back to being just the double-quote character, because the "clue" that the backslash provides has done its job and is no longer part of the string in those applications.

[srestmeyer]

Sorry for the false alrm guys. It turns out my troubleshooting skills were to blame. I was only looking at the string returned, not running that string thru the program. When I realized that I needed the backslash It all came back to me.

Thanks again for all the quick responses. As usual, this forum did not disappoint me.

[christopher.l.evans]

---

@srestmeyer wrote:

Thanks, but that doesn't work. I need it to return

I keep getting "Tabloid (11x17\")"

I don't know why the backslash keeps showing as text when I enter (setq paper_size "Tabloid (11x17\")")

the only reason I put in the strcat was because I couldn't get the text to come out right.

Thanks

Scott

---

If I'm following correctly try the following

(setq paper_size "\"Tabloid \(11 x 17\"\)\"")

that will return "Tabloid (11 x 17")"