# Offset Separator

    class offset_separator

The `offset_separator` class is an implementation of the TokenizerFunction concept that can be used with the tokenizer class to break text up into tokens. The `offset_separator` breaks a sequence of `Char`'s into strings based on a sequence of offsets. For example, if you had the string "12252001" and offsets (2,2,4) it would break the string into 12 25 2001. Here is an example.

## Example

    // simple_example_3.cpp
    #include<iostream>
    #include<boost/tokenizer.hpp>
    #include<string>

    int main(){
       using namespace std;
       using namespace boost;
       string s = "12252001";
       int offsets[] = {2,2,4};
       offset_separator f(offsets, offsets+3);
       tokenizer<offset_separator> tok(s,f);
       for(tokenizer<offset_separator>::iterator beg=tok.begin(); beg!=tok.end();++beg){
         cout << *beg << "\n";
       }
    }

## Construction and Usage

The offset_separator has 1 constructor of interest. (The default constructor is just there to make some compilers happy). The declaration is below

    template<typename Iter>
    offset_separator(Iter begin,Iter end,bool bwrapoffsets = true, bool breturnpartiallast = true)

Parameter | Description
begin, end | Specify the sequence of integer offsets.
bwrapoffsets | Tells whether to wrap around to the beginning of the offsets when the all the offsets have been used. For example the string "1225200101012002" with offsets (2,2,4) with bwrapoffsets to true, would parse to 12 25 2001 01 01 2002. With bwrapoffsets to false, it would parse to 12 25 2001 and then stop because all the offsets have been used.

breturnpartiallast

Tells whether, when the parsed sequence terminates before yielding the number of characters in the current offset, to create a token with what was parsed, or to ignore it. For example the string "122501" with offsets (2,2,4) with breturnpartiallast set to true will parse to 12 25 01. With it set to false, it will parse to 12 25 and then will stop because there are only 2 characters left in the sequence instead of the 4 that should have been there.

To use this class, pass an object of it anywhere a TokenizerFunction is required. If you default constructruct the object, it will just return every character in the parsed sequence as a token. (ie it defaults to an offset of 1, and bwrapoffsets is true).

## Model of

TokenizerFunction

© Copyright John R. Bandela 2001. Permission to copy, use, modify, sell and distribute this document is granted provided this copyright notice appears in all copies. This document is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty, and with no claim as to its suitability for any purpose.