Struggling with some LotusScript Pattern Matching

HCL Domino Domino Forum
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I usually like to think of myself as a semi-decent LotusScript resource but this particular problem has me stumped.

Essentially I am reading two distinct sets of documents into an array of a data type I have defined. The first time I am reading prototype details and an estimated price, the second time I am reading product details and an actual price.

I did not write the source and cannot change it’s data structure to give myself some identifying key.

Sounds simple enough except that the only key I can use to match line for line (and thus get the correct order) is whether or not the text description & values are ‘similar’ - it may have changed slightly but should be in the general vacinity.

I’ve built my array from the prototype now I want to get something like (in plain english)

If Prototype Description is Like Product Description Then set Actual Cost to Product Cost Else scan next entry…

…unfortunately the descriptions can also be a subset of each other. I think i’m stumped, and have taken the easy position 1 corresponds to position 1 ideal… which may not always be the case. Any of the experts out there have an opinion?

Thanks,

C>

P.S. Sorry to go on a bit…

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Subject: Struggling with some LotusScript Pattern Matching…

To determine how well the descriptions match, you could count how many words match. Or you could use @Soundex to make spellings less critical. Or you could go looking on the Internet for standard algorithms. For example, I quickly found one here.To pair off products and prototypes, you could simply match them in the order that they come. This does not guarantee the best fit, but it might be good enough. Again, there are probably standard allocation algorithms to be found.

Both problems – matching and allocation – are huge complex topics.