# Help me **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [July 23, 2007, 1:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-me/110116 "2007-07-23T13:41:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/geetha)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 1:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-me/110116/1 "2007-07-23T13:41:21Z")
Hi, I am doing string search is one html file usign ruby. If the seach sting is htmlentities means I have not match that word. How can i do it. Please any one help me… regards, S.Sangeetha. ---
**Author:** ![geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/geetha)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-me/110116/2 "2007-07-23T13:56:00Z")
On 7/23/07, geetha [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Hi, > I am doing string search is one html file usign ruby. > If the seach sting is htmlentities means I have not match that word. > How can i do it. Please any one help me… > > regards, > S.Sangeetha. We might be able to help you better if you post the data and what you expect to get out from it exactly. Robert ---
**Author:** ![geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/geetha)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-me/110116/3 "2007-07-23T14:32:43Z")
On 7/23/07, Robert D. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > expect to get out from it exactly. > > Robert > > – Robert: If search string has html entities, then do not proceed with search. Well, its very hard to define if query string has HTML entities or not? For example, do you consider following string has HTML entities? b = “hello world and so what; and \< and there we go \>” dunno yes and no, but if your answer is yes, and string `b` HAS HTML entities then: require ‘cgi’ escaped\_html = CGI::escapeHTML(b) if escaped\_html != b # string contains html entities end if you want a strict validation of HTML tags, and whether query is a valid HTML, then hpricot may help. – Let them talk of their oriental summer climes of everlasting conservatories; give me the privilege of making my own summer with my own coals. [http://blog.gnufied.org](http://blog.gnufied.org) ---
**Author:** ![geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/geetha)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-me/110116/4 "2007-07-23T14:52:40Z")
On 7/23/07, hemant [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > We might be able to help you better if you post the data and what you > > not? For example, do you consider following string has HTML entities? > > # string contains html entities > > end > > if you want a strict validation of HTML tags, and whether query is a > valid HTML, then hpricot may help. Some tips on asking questions: 1. Have a meaningful subject or else your question will look like spam. 2. Also please respond to answers that people are posting in response to your question. 3. Robert suggestions. – Let them talk of their oriental summer climes of everlasting conservatories; give me the privilege of making my own summer with my own coals. [http://blog.gnufied.org](http://blog.gnufied.org) ---
**Author:** ![geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/geetha)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 4:12pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-me/110116/5 "2007-07-23T16:12:47Z")
On 7/23/07, Alex Y. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > > > > > > Well, its very hard to define if query string has HTML entities or > > not? > > No it’s not… Honestly, its up to user. Unless we are talking about valid XHTML, which is definitely defined. > irb(main):002:0\> re = REXML::Text::REFERENCE I thought about this, when I was posting that response, but somehow i felt user is not looking for valid HTML, but just if it contains HTML entities or not? ---
**Author:** ![geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/geetha)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-me/110116/6 "2007-07-25T17:02:37Z")
Hpricot is certainly one tool you should consider. also Rexml and Scrubyt. Scrubyt is more for web-scraping but if you can scrape it, you can remove it too. ---
**Author:** ![geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@geetha](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/geetha)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-me/110116/7 "2007-07-23T15:53:42Z")
hemant wrote: > > We might be able to help you better if you post the data and what you > > not? > > No it’s not… > For example, do you consider following string has HTML entities? > > b = “hello world and so what; and \< and there we go \>” > > dunno yes and no, but if your answer is yes, > Then you’d be wrong. irb(main):001:0\> require ‘rexml/text’ =\> true irb(main):002:0\> re = REXML::Text::REFERENCE =\> /(?:&([\w:][-\w\d.:]\*);|&#\d+;|&#x[0-9a-fA-F]+;)/ irb(main):003:0\> “this & that” =~ re =\> 5 irb(main):004:0\> “hello world and so what; and \< and there we go \>” =~ re =\> nil Admittedly I’m not scanning for all defined HTML entities, just for valid XML entities, but given that one’s a superset of the other, and undefined entity references probably shouldn’t occur within a valid HTML document anyway, it’s good enough for most purposes…