Parsing text file into list with delimiter with python

Question

I have a text file as a database for properties of periodic elements using ~ as a delimiter to separate properties and | to separate different elements which looks like this:

1~Hydrogen~H~1.008~1~1|2~Helium~He~4.002~18~1|3~Lithium~Li~6.94~1~2|

and so on... I am trying to parse the whole thing into a list that looks like this:

["1~Hydrogen~H~1.008~1~1", "2~Helium~He~4.002~18~1", "3~Lithium~Li~6.94~1~2"]

This is the code have, and I am intentionally making it a class:

class Parser:
    def __init__(self, path):
        self.file = open(path, "r")
        self.unparsed_info = self.file.read()
        self.element_list = ['']

    def parse_file(self, delimiter):
        for elements in self.unparsed_info.split(delimiter):
            self.element_list.insert(eval(elements.strip(delimiter)))

    def print_unparsed(self):
        print(self.unparsed_info)

    def print_parsed(self):
        print(self.element_list)

    def close_file(self):
        self.file.close()

Element_properties = Parser("element_properties.txt")
Element_properties.parse_file('|')
Element_properties.print_parsed()
Element_properties.close_file()

But as many of you can probably tell, this prints the entire text file into every element of the list. How can I change the parse_file function so that it only puts one segment into each element of the element_list?

Why would you pass the parse_file unparsed_info, when you could reference it with self.unparsed_info in the classmethod. — UglyCode
– UglyCode, Commented Oct 27, 2017 at 20:39
@Unatiel I don't think I do. It was an attempt at modifying an answer from another question that didn't work. — Ben Price
– Ben Price, Commented Oct 27, 2017 at 20:40
self.unparsed_info.split(delimiter) should give you a list. You dont' have to loop through to create another list. — UglyCode
– UglyCode, Commented Oct 27, 2017 at 20:44

Enmerkar · Accepted Answer · 2017-10-27 20:47:00Z

1

I would just append to self.element_list. That would look something like this:

def __init__(self, path):
    self.file = open(path, "r")
    self.unparsed_info = self.file.read()
    self.element_list = [] # Make an empty list

def parse_file(self, string, delimiter):
    for elements in string.split(delimiter):
        e = elements.strip(delimiter)
        if e != '': # Check for empty strings
            self.element_list.append(e) #Append to list

Here's my output:

['1~Hydrogen~H~1.008~1~1', '2~Helium~He~4.002~18~1', '3~Lithium~Li~6.94~1~2']

answered Oct 27, 2017 at 20:47

Enmerkar

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Comments

voiDnyx · Accepted Answer · 2017-10-27 20:46:01Z

0

Maybe like this:

def parse_file(self, delimiter):    
        self.element_list = [x for x in self.unparsed_info.split(delimiter) if len(x) > 0]

answered Oct 27, 2017 at 20:46

voiDnyx

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