How to Split NSString to multiple Strings after certain number of characters - ios

Question

I am developing an iOS app using Xcode 4.6.2.
My app receives from the server lets say for example 1000 characters which is then stored in NSString.
What I want to do is: split the 1000 characters to multiple strings. Each string must be MAX 100 characters only.
The next question is how to check when the last word finished before the 100 characters so I don't perform the split in the middle of the word?

Answer 1

A regex-based solution:
NSString *string = // ... your 1000-character input
NSString *pattern = #"(?ws).{1,100}\\b";
NSError *error = NULL;
NSRegularExpression *regex = [NSRegularExpression regularExpressionWithPattern: pattern options: 0 error: &error];
NSArray *matches = [regex matchesInString:string options:0 range:NSMakeRange(0, [string length])];
NSMutableArray *result = [NSMutableArray array];
for (NSTextCheckingResult *match in matches) {
[result addObject: [string substringWithRange: match.range]];
}
The code for the regex and the matches part is taken directly from the docs, so the only difference is the pattern.
The pattern basically matches anything from 1 to 100 characters up to a word boundary. Being a greedy pattern, it will give the longest string possible while still ending with a whole word. This ensures that it won't split any words in the middle.
The (?ws) makes the word recognition work with Unicode's definition of word breaks (the w flag) and treat a line end as any other character (the s flag).
Notice that the algorithm doesn't handle "words" with more than 100 characters well - it will give you the last 100 characters and drop the first part, but that should be a corner case.

Answer 2

(assuming your words are separated by a single space, otherwise use rangeOfCharacterFromSet:options:range:)
Use NSString -- (NSRange)rangeOfString:(NSString *)aString options:(NSStringCompareOptions)mask range:(NSRange)aRange with:
aString as #" "
mask as NSBackwardsSearch
Then you need a loop, where you check that you haven't already got to the end of the string, then create a range (for use as aRange) so that you start 100 characters along the string and search backwards looking for the space. Once you find the space, the returned range will allow you to get the string with substringWithRange:.
(written freehand)
NSRange testRange = NSMakeRange(0, MIN(100, sourceString.length));
BOOL complete = NO;
NSMutableArray *lines = [NSMutableArray array];
while (!complete && (testRange.location + testRange.length) < sourceString.length) {
NSRange hitRange = [sourceString rangeOfString:#"" options:NSBackwardsSearch range:testRange];
if (hitRange.location != NSNotFound) {
[lines addObject:[sourceString substringWithRange:hitRange];
} else {
complete = YES;
}
NSInteger index = hitRange.location + hitRange.length;
testRange = NSMakeRange(index, MIN(100, sourceString.length - index));
}

Answer 3

This can help
- (NSArray *)chunksForString(NSString *)str {
NSMutableArray *chunks = [[NSMutableArray alloc] init];
double sizeChunk = 100.0; // or whatever you want
int length = 0;
int loopSize = ceil([str length]/sizeChunk);
for (int index = 0; index < loopSize; index++) {
NSInteger newRangeEndLimit = ([str length] - length) > sizeChunk ? sizeChunk : ([str length] - length);
[chunks addObject:[str substringWithRange:NSMakeRange(length, newRangeEndLimit)];
length += 99; // Minus 1 from the sizeChunk as indexing starts from 0
}
return chunks;
}

Answer 4

use NSArray *words = [stringFromServer componentsSeparatedBy:#" "];
this will give you words.
if you really need to make it nearest to 100 characters, start appending strings maintaining the total length of the appended strings and check that it should stay < 100.