Find and replace with values from array with gsub

Ruby
1

Hello,

I may be over thinking this situation, so I need another person to
give me a hint. I have an app that has a database of baseball players.
I’m trying to create a feature where you can copy and paste your blog
text, the feature will scan the text and return the text with the
proper html links of my app that point to the player. For example, I’m
a blog writer, I create a entry with one sentence “I am a big fan of
Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada of the Yankees” and I click submit. I’m
basically trying to create this:

#This code is taking the sentence and scanning it for two words that
are next to each other that have the first letter capitalized
@full_text = params[:q]
@full_text_array = @full_text.scan(/([A-Z]+[a-zA-Z]* [A-Z]+[a-zA-
Z]*)/)

I then run each name in the array through my ferret search and it will
return proper html link to the player in my DB and insert that into a
new array (@new_link_array)
link = link_to “#{master.nameFirst} #{master.nameLast}”,
:controller => :masters,
:action => :show,
:playerID => “#{master.playerID}”,
:nameFirst => “#{master.nameFirst}”.gsub(“.”,“”),
:nameLast => “#{master.nameLast}”.gsub(" “, “”).gsub(”'",
“”)

Now this is where I’m stuck. I don’t understand how to take the
original sentence and replace “Derek Jeter” and “Jorge Posada” with
the linked name.

I’ve done this:
<%= @full_text.gsub(@full_text_array[0].to_s,
@new_link_array[0]).gsub(@full_text_array[1].to_s, @new_link_array[1])
%>

I run into a few problems here and I’d appreciate a better way to
write and scale this for multiple names (hundreds maybe).

2

@full_text_array.each_with_index do |original_name, i|
@full_text.gsub!(original_name, @new_link_array[i])
end

Although if you have “Derek Jeter Derek Jeter” fifty times in a row
you’ll end up doing a lot of extra work. You might want to do something
like:

results = @full_text.scan(/([A-Z]+[a-zA-Z]* [A-Z]+[a-zA-Z]*)/)

names_links = {}

results.each do |name|
unless names_links[name]
names_links[name] = method_to_construct_link_for_name(name)
end
end

results.each_pair |name, link|
@full_text.gsub!(name, link)
end

3

Raul J. wrote:

@full_text_array.each_with_index do |original_name, i|
@full_text.gsub!(original_name, @new_link_array[i])
end

Although if you have “Derek Jeter Derek Jeter” fifty times in a row
you’ll end up doing a lot of extra work. You might want to do something
like:

results = @full_text.scan(/([A-Z]+[a-zA-Z]* [A-Z]+[a-zA-Z]*)/)

names_links = {}

results.each do |name|
unless names_links[name]
names_links[name] = method_to_construct_link_for_name(name)
end
end

results.each_pair do |name, link|
@full_text.gsub!(name, link)
end

Stupid hitting submit before I meant to. The first post contains at
least one typo, and also I meant to add that I hope that helps.

-Raúl

4

Thanks for your help. I’m still seeing a small problem:

My original input is: “I am a big fan of Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada
of the Yankees”

Output is: I am a big fan of Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada of the
Yankees I am a big fan of Jorge Posada and Jorge Posada of the
Yankees
How do I fix that last loop to provide me with the correct return?

Thanks in advance. You’ve been a lot of help!

-A

5

Gah! The last little bit should be:

names_links.each_pair do |name, link|
@full_text.gsub!(name, link)
end

results is an array, not a hash, so it wouldn’t make much sense to run
each pair on it.

Sorry about that. I really wish there were a way to edit posts.

6

I’m trying to debug this right now, but I’m hoping that I could use a
lending hand:

Input1: I am a big fan of Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada of the Yankees
Output1: I am a big fan of Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada of the Yankees
I am a big fan of Jorge Posada and Jorge Posada of the Yankees (all
names have the proper links)

I then switch the names around

Input2: I am a big fan of Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter of the Yankees
Output2: I am a big fan of Derek Jeter and Derek Jeter of the Yankees
I am a big fan of Derek Jeter and Derek Jeter of the Yankees

-A