What is the best way to look for number in a string?

[dvertz]

I currently have this code, but it fails in this circumstance.

(setq L:POS 1)
(setq L:ELSTR "(-10.9)")

(while (< L:POS (strlen L:ELSTR))
  (if (numberp (read (substr L:ELSTR L:POS 1)))
    (setq L:POS (strlen L:ELSTR))
    (setq L:CHR (substr L:ELSTR 1 L:POS))
  )
  (setq L:POS (1+ L:POS))
)

I have tracked down the error to:
(read (substr L:ELSTR L:POS 1))
; error: malformed list on input

And (substr L:ELSTR L:POS 1) returns:
"("

The end result I need is to extract the negative number from inside the parenthesis. But I also need it to extract the number if the parenthesis are not there. Or extract the number if its positive instead of negative.

Thanks.

[ВeekeeCZ · Accepted solution]

By ASCII number?

https://lee-mac.com/parsenumbers.html

>>  (car (LM:parsenumbers "(-10.9)"))
>> -10.9

[dvertz]

Thanks BeekeeCZ

Of course Lee-Mac would have the code. That guy has helped me out on so many occasions.