Make ME "recognize" dates??

[kunkel321]

Hi All,

I don't think this is possible, but thought I'd ask anyway...

Is there a way to have a macro "process" a sring of text and extract any dates?

My thought is that I would use some token such as **/**/** or maybe a regular expression like [0-9][0-9]/[0-9][0-9]/[0-9][0-9].

Macro Express would then recognize this pattern in the string of text and extract it as a substring.

I could then use the date in other macro commands.

===

An example of how this could be used is that I might get an email that says:

"Hey Steve we're all meeting at Site B on 2-17-08 to go over this and that. Please try to attend."

I could run this entire bit of text through a macro and ME would be able to pick out the date from the rest of it...

See what I mean?

===

Thoughts? Thanks -steve

[johnboy691]

Ok, I'll share what I have done to find some numbers in a string (possibly up to 69 characters in length). It was made a couple years ago when I was still green behind the ears when it came to ME. I'm sure there are better ways to do it, but it works for me and I haven't had the time to re-work it. Maybe it will give you an idea. I'm sure you can replace where I have my numbers with a date format. Now, I don't want anyone laughing at this I process over 40,000 claims a week using it.

 

What this scripting does is copies the line of information and then moves across the line character by character grabbing and comparing 4 characters at a time. In my world it is possible there could be three or four of these numbers in the row of the string copied. Hope this helps or gives you some ideas.

 

<TEXTTYPE:<SHIFTU>><MSD:100><TEXTTYPE:<ALT>ec><MSD:100><TVAR2:20:03:><MSD:100><REM2:Copies 1st four digits from T20 string><REM2:If T20 = nothing or is null, macro will break out of edit search and continue><REP3:01:000001:000001:00001:0:01:><IFVAR2:1:20:1:><BREAK><ENDIF><REM2:Modifies the first four digits of T20 to T14><TMVAR2:10:14:20:001:004:><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4051><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4054><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4050><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4056><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4065><IVAR2:10:01:4051><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4055><IVAR2:11:01:4055><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4026><IVAR2:12:01:4026><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4058><IVAR2:13:01:4058><ENDIF><REM2:Modifies the second four digits (5-8) of T20 to T14><TMVAR2:10:14:20:005:004:><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4051><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4054><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4050><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4056><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4065><IVAR2:10:01:4051><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4055><IVAR2:11:01:4055><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4026><IVAR2:12:01:4026><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4058><IVAR2:13:01:4058><ENDIF><REM2:Modifies 6th to 9th digits of T20 to T14><TMVAR2:10:14:20:006:004:><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4051><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4054><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4050><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4056><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4065><IVAR2:10:01:4051><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4055><IVAR2:11:01:4055><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4026><IVAR2:12:01:4026><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4058><IVAR2:13:01:4058><ENDIF>

 

goes on and then ends with....

 

<TEXTTYPE:<SHIFTU>><MSD:100><TEXTTYPE:<ALT>ec><MSD:100><TVAR2:20:03:><MSD:100><REM2:Copies 1st four digits from T20 string><REM2:If T20 = nothing or is null, macro will break out of edit search and continue><REP3:01:000001:000001:00001:0:01:><IFVAR2:1:20:1:><BREAK><ENDIF><REM2:Modifies the first four digits of T20 to T14><TMVAR2:10:14:20:001:004:><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4051><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4054><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4050><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4056><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4065><IVAR2:10:01:4051><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4055><IVAR2:11:01:4055><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4026><IVAR2:12:01:4026><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4058><IVAR2:13:01:4058><ENDIF><REM2:Modifies the second four digits (5-8) of T20 to T14><TMVAR2:10:14:20:005:004:><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4051><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4054><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4050><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4056><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4065><IVAR2:10:01:4051><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4055><IVAR2:11:01:4055><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4026><IVAR2:12:01:4026><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4058><IVAR2:13:01:4058><ENDIF><REM2:Modifies 6th to 9th digits of T20 to T14><TMVAR2:10:14:20:006:004:><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4051><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4054><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4050><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4056><OR><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4065><IVAR2:10:01:4051><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4055><IVAR2:11:01:4055><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4026><IVAR2:12:01:4026><ENDIF><IFVAR2:1:14:1:4058><IVAR2:13:01:4058><ENDIF> .......so on and so on.

[kunkel321]

Johnboy, this is awesome--thank you or the reply!

I took your model and tweeked it and came up with this

 

 

<CLIPC><TVAR2:04:03:><IVAR2:04:01:1><IVAR2:05:12:4><REP3:08:000002:000001:0005:1:01:T5><TMVAR2:10:05:04:N04:001:><IFVAR2:1:05:1:0><OR><IFVAR2:1:05:1:1><OR><IFVAR2:1:05:1:2><OR><IFVAR2:1:05:1:3><OR><IFVAR2:1:05:1:4><OR><IFVAR2:1:05:1:5><OR><IFVAR2:1:05:1:6><OR><IFVAR2:1:05:1:7><OR><IFVAR2:1:05:1:8><OR><IFVAR2:1:05:1:9><OR><IFVAR2:1:05:1:/><OR><IFVAR2:1:05:1:-><TMVAR2:08:06:05:000:000:><ELSE><ENDIF><IFVAR2:5:04:5:N5><EXITREP><ENDIF><NMVAR:08:04:0:0000001:0:0000000><ENDREP><TEXTTYPE:The number is %T6%.>

 

 

Directions

BEGIN

Just a "test" macro that extracts numbers from a bit of text.

 

1. From an editable text field, such a Note Pad,

2. Use mouse to highlight a line of text that contains numbers and letters.

3. Activate macro. (Hotkey activation recommended)

 

Marco will extract the characters "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0,/, and -" then type them out.

END

 

This still needs a lot of work before it can actually "recognize dates" ... but it's pretty cool nonetheless!

 

-steve