StringTokenizer problem

StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer(input);
                 
                while (st.hasMoreTokens()) {
                    
                    System.out.println(st.nextToken());
                /* 
                    jTextFirstName.setText(st.nextToken());
                    jTextLastName.setText(st.nextToken());
                    jTextHKID.setText(st.nextToken());
                    jTextPhone.setText(st.nextToken());
                    jTextAddress.setText(st.nextToken());
                    jComboDistrict.setSelectedItem(st.nextToken());
                 
                    jFormattedDOB.setText(st.nextToken());
                    jTextAge.setText(st.nextToken()); //??
                    jComboSex.setSelectedItem(st.nextToken());
                    jTextQualification.setText(st.nextToken());
                    jTextEmail.setText(st.nextToken());
                    jComboHospName.setSelectedItem(st.nextToken());
                 */   
                    
                    
                    
                    
                    
                    
	      }

While this input is taken from Excel, in the field called Qualification and Address, there may be some spaces in between, so the tokenizer recognizes the contents of those fields as
2 tokens. How do I avoid that from happening?
Thanks
Jack

Why are you using a tokenizer in the first place? Have you read its documentation?
One possibility: Export the spreadsheet file as a CSV and get yourself a CSV parsing program.

Campbell Ritchie wrote:Why are you using a tokenizer in the first place? Have you read its documentation?
One possibility: Export the spreadsheet file as a CSV and get yourself a CSV parsing program.

still trying

public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
                TextTransfer tx = new TextTransfer();
                String input = tx.getClipboardContents();
                
                StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer(input);
                
                
                 
                while (st.hasMoreTokens()) {
                    
                    
                 
                    jTextFirstName.setText(st.nextToken("\t\0"));
                    jTextLastName.setText(st.nextToken("\t\0"));
                    jTextHKID.setText(st.nextToken("\t\0"));
                    jTextPhone.setText(st.nextToken("\t\0"));
                    jTextAddress.setText(st.nextToken("\t\0"));
                    jComboDistrict.setSelectedItem(st.nextToken("\t\0"));
                 
                     
                    jFormattedDOB.setText(st.nextToken("\t\0"));
                    jTextAge.setText(st.nextToken("\t\0")); //??
                    jComboSex.setSelectedItem(st.nextToken("\t\0"));
                    jTextQualification.setText(st.nextToken("\t\0"));
                    jTextEmail.setText(st.nextToken("\t\0"));
                    
                    String str = st.nextToken();
                    jComboHospName.setSelectedItem(str.trim());
                 
                     
                    
                    
                    
                    
                    
	      }
            }
        });

Although this recognizes spaces in between, but this doesn't recognize completely empty fields.
Is there improvement that I can make?
Thanks
Jack

Exporting data from spreadsheets etc is very flaky'; there is tight coupling between the structure of the spreadsheet and the output. You would have to make sure there are no empty fields. Are you really using tab-null as the delimiter?
Why don’t you use a CSV as your output?

Campbell Ritchie wrote:Exporting data from spreadsheets etc is very flaky'; there is tight coupling between the structure of the spreadsheet and the output. You would have to make sure there are no empty fields. Are you really using tab-null as the delimiter?
Why don’t you use a CSV as your output?

Dear Campbell,
Rather than exporting into a csv file for further processing, I am actually importing the clipboard data into the java application and break down the input into various fields, just for convenience. I thought you already knew, but in case you could misunderstand my intent.
Thanks
Jack

Yes, it was obvious you were taking data from the clipboard. Not that I have seen the text transfer class before. I was wondering whether that is the bext method, because it is so easy to turn spreadsheets into CSVs and vice versa. Don’t know what to do about your blanks. Sorry.

Campbell Ritchie wrote:Yes, it was obvious you were taking data from the clipboard. Not that I have seen the text transfer class before. I was wondering whether that is the bext method, because it is so easy to turn spreadsheets into CSVs and vice versa. Don’t know what to do about your blanks. Sorry.

I've converted everything now. But just one thing
If I have a set of data like this, the parser will get confused.

Thanks
Jack

Jacky Luk wrote:I've converted everything now. But just one thing
If I have a set of data like this, the parser will get confused.
7,10,"10, High Street"

Which parser are you using ? Any properly designed CSV parser will handle that (assuming you want it split into three tokesn - 7, 10 and 10, High Street). Take a look at the suggested ones in the Excel section of AccessingFileFormats

Joanne Neal wrote:

Jacky Luk wrote:I've converted everything now. But just one thing
If I have a set of data like this, the parser will get confused.
7,10,"10, High Street"

Which parser are you using ? Any properly designed CSV parser will handle that (assuming you want it split into three tokesn - 7, 10 and 10, High Street). Take a look at the suggested ones in the Excel section of AccessingFileFormats

Hello Joanne,
Actually I possess a parser of my own which looks like the following:

import java.awt.datatransfer.Clipboard;
import java.awt.datatransfer.ClipboardOwner;
import java.awt.datatransfer.Transferable;
import java.awt.datatransfer.StringSelection;
import java.awt.datatransfer.DataFlavor;
import java.awt.datatransfer.UnsupportedFlavorException;
import java.awt.Toolkit;
import java.io.*;

public final class TextTransfer implements ClipboardOwner {
 
   /**
   * Empty implementation of the ClipboardOwner interface.
   */
   public void lostOwnership( Clipboard aClipboard, Transferable aContents) {
     //do nothing
   }

/**
  * Place a String on the clipboard, and make this class the
  * owner of the Clipboard's contents.
  */
  public void setClipboardContents( String aString ){
    StringSelection stringSelection = new StringSelection( aString );
    Clipboard clipboard = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getSystemClipboard();
    clipboard.setContents( stringSelection, this );
  }

/**
  * Get the String residing on the clipboard.
  *
  * @return any text found on the Clipboard; if none found, return an
  * empty String.
  */
  public String getClipboardContents() {
    String result = "";
    Clipboard clipboard = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getSystemClipboard();
    //odd: the Object param of getContents is not currently used
    Transferable contents = clipboard.getContents(null);
    boolean hasTransferableText =
      (contents != null) &&
      contents.isDataFlavorSupported(DataFlavor.stringFlavor)
    ;
    if ( hasTransferableText ) {
      try {
        result = (String)contents.getTransferData(DataFlavor.stringFlavor);
      }
      catch (UnsupportedFlavorException ex){
        //highly unlikely since we are using a standard DataFlavor
        System.out.println(ex);
        ex.printStackTrace();
      }
      catch (IOException ex) {
        System.out.println(ex);
        ex.printStackTrace();
      }
    }
    return result;
  }
}

protected void addBindings() {
        
          
        jSplitPane1.getInputMap().put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(
                                        KeyEvent.VK_V, Event.CTRL_MASK),
                                        "check");
        
        jSplitPane1.getActionMap().put("check", new AbstractAction() {
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
                TextTransfer tx = new TextTransfer();
                String input = tx.getClipboardContents();
                
                StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer(input);
                
                
                 
                while (st.hasMoreTokens()) {
                    
                    
                 /*
                    jTextFirstName.setText(st.nextToken(","));
                    jTextLastName.setText(st.nextToken(","));
                    jTextHKID.setText(st.nextToken(","));
                    jTextPhone.setText(st.nextToken(","));
                    jTextAddress.setText(st.nextToken(","));
                    jComboDistrict.setSelectedItem(st.nextToken(","));
                 
                     
                    jFormattedDOB.setText(st.nextToken(","));
                    jTextAge.setText(st.nextToken(",")); //??
                    jComboSex.setSelectedItem(st.nextToken(","));
                    jTextQualification.setText(st.nextToken(","));
                    jTextEmail.setText(st.nextToken(","));
                    
                    String str = st.nextToken();
                    jComboHospName.setSelectedItem(str.trim());
                    */
                 
                    System.out.println(st.nextToken(","));
                     
                    
                    
                    
                    
                    
	      }
            }
        });
         
    }

Jacky Luk wrote:Actually I possess a parser of my own

But that's not a CSV parser. The CSV specification is not as simple as it first appears and, as you have found, you certainly need something that does more than just split a string whenever it finds a comma.

Joanne Neal wrote:Take a look at ... AccessingFileFormats

Thanks, Joanne. Fabulous page! And kudos to whoever wrote it. Bookmarked.

Winston