[vox-tech] Matching Contents of Lists

[Lango, Trevor M.]

First I apologize for the lame "reply" format - I am forced to use Microsoft Outlook Web Access (shudder) at work and wouldn't you know - it doesn't offer any options for mail format...?  
 
 
> Based on your rules above, TALL0047A and TAL0047A do in fact match

No, actually - however many characters are present in each have to match.  If the number of alpha characters in the first set of each field in the two lists differ - no match.

> Are you really saying:

> From both items
> remove trailing alphas
 
No.  If trailing alphas are present they must also match.
 

> take the last 4 digits
> remove any leading zeros
 
Yes.

> Do the strings always start with alphas? Or are there sometimes numerics
> within the first 1-4 characters?
 
Yes - always start with alphas.


>Is there stuff between the leading and ending portions, such that the
> entries may be more than 10 characters long?

There will never be more than 4 leading alphas, 5 numerics, and 2 trailing alphas.
 
 
 

________________________________

From: vox-tech-bounces at lists.lugod.org on behalf of Jay Strauss
Sent: Fri 7/8/2005 8:49 AM
To: lugod's technical discussion forum
Subject: Re: [vox-tech] Matching Contents of Lists



>
> Examples of matching:
>
> TALL0047A    TALL047A    match
> TALL0047A    TAL0047A     not a match
> TALL0047A    TAL0470A     not a match
>
>
> The contents will always be one to four alpha characters followed by one
> to four numeric characters possibly followed by one or two alpha
> characters.
>
> A match would be defined as the following criteria being met:
>
> - The last one to four digits being identical (excluding leading zeroes)
> - The first one to four letters being identical

I think your rules need more flushing out because based on your rules
you can get many entries in list 1 to match a single entry in list 2

 > TALL0047A    TALL047A    match
 > TALL0047A    TAL0047A            not a match

Based on your rules above, TALL0047A and TAL0047A do in fact match

Are you really saying:

 From both items
remove trailing alphas
take the last 4 digits
remove any leading zeros
if the remaining digits match from both items move on to the front of
the string
if the leading alphas match (i.e. have the same length and same
sequence) then you have a full match

Do the strings always start with alphas? Or are there sometimes numerics
within the first 1-4 characters?

Is there stuff between the leading and ending portions, such that the
entries may be more than 10 characters long?


Jay


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