parseCharInput.R

parseCharInput <- function(
    input,                             # Comma separated character vector
                                       # to split into numeric values.
    convertToNumeric = TRUE,           # Convert to numeric at the end?
    sort             = FALSE,          # Sort the values ?
    expected,                          # Expected length of the output
    msg              = "wrong length", # Error message when wrong length
    checkdup         = FALSE, 
    missingMsg       = 'Unknown',      # Error message if missing input
    checkProb        = FALSE,          # Check that this sums up to one
    valid            = FALSE
    ){
    ###############################################################################
    # Mango Solutions, Chippenham SN14 0SQ 2006
    # parseCharInput.R Fri Wed Jun 06 12:55:37 BST 2007 @538 /Internet Time/
    #
    # Author: Romain
    ###############################################################################
    # DESCRIPTION: parses a csv character string
    # KEYWORDS: check, component:support
    ###############################################################################
    
    missing(input) && ectdStop(missingMsg)
    
    if(is.null(input)) return(NULL)
    
    out <- if(is.numeric(input)) {
        input
    } else {
        # Handles the commas (TESTFIX):
        if(any(regexpr(",$", input) > 0))
            ectdStop("Traling comma not accepted")

        if(any(regexpr("^,", input) > 0))
            ectdStop("Leading comma not accepted")

        if(any(regexpr(",{2,}", input) > 0))
            ectdStop("The separator should only be **one** comma")
          
        # A numeric value is made numbers, dots, plus, minus and
        # possibly e for the scientific notation (is there a need
        # to be more clever with the scientific notation?)
        if(convertToNumeric && any(regexpr("[^0-9eE\\.,[:space:]\\+\\-]", input)>0)) 
            ectdStop("Impossible to convert to numbers")
        out <- unlist(strsplit(input, "[[:space:]]*,[[:space:]]*"))
        if(convertToNumeric) {
            out <- as.numeric(out)  
        }
        out
    }
      
    valid && validNames( out )
    
    if(!missing(expected) && length(out) != expected)
      ectdStop(msg)
    if(checkdup && any(duplicated(out)))
      ectdStop( "Duplicated values in " %.% deparse(substitute(input)))
    
    # Convert to numeric and sort if required.
    if(checkProb  ){
      if(!is.numeric(out) || sum(out) != 1 )
        ectdStop("Parsed values don't sum up to one")
    }
    if(sort) {
      sort(out) 
    } else {
      out
    }
}