Sad Person with an XML file and 500 numbers

jjaggii

Hi
I have been given his XML file…

<?xml version=“1.0”?>
<root>
<batch>
<sample number=“6153950253” result=“positive” />
</batch>
</root>

…and I have to create 500 rows (easy enough) but I then have to cut and paste 500 unique numbers into the position between the double quotes. I first asked Google my question was sent here. Having had a read I see N++ has a column mode so I am wondering if I can create my rows and paste in my 500 numbers? Failing that is there a way to to do this?
Thank you.

Jim Dailey

@jjaggii You can indeed cut and paste columns of text.

There are a few ways to make a rectangular selection:

Hold down the Alt and Shift keys and then use the arrow keys to expand the selection.
Hold down the Alt key, then drag with the Left Mouse button depressed.
Use either of the above methods to start the upper corner, say, of a a huge selection; then use the mouse in the scroll bar to drag way down into the document to where you want the selection to end and then hold down Alt and Shift and drag again with the left mouse button.

Once selected, you can cut, copy, paste as you might expect.

Also note that you can make a zero-width rectangular selection (dragging the mouse straight up and down or using only the up and down arrow keys) which is sometimes handy.

Finally, once you have made a rectangular selection, you don’t have to paste–you can simply start typing in text an several lines at once.

Alan Kilborn

@jjaggii

I might do it like this:

Make 500 lines that look like this:

<sample number=“” result=“positive” />

Should be easy enough with Notepad++'s Duplicate Line capability.

Then put your caret between the empty quotes on the first one. Hold down shift+alt+downarrow until you get a skinny caret covering the 500 lines.

Use Notepad++'s Column Editor feature to insert a different number on each line.

dinkumoil

@jjaggii

If it is OK for you to insert consecutive numbers you can do the following:

Delete the value of the number attribute.
Line up the batch node and all its child nodes into one line.

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
<batch><sample number="" result="positive"/></batch>
</root>

Create 500 copies of the batch node line.
Place the cursor between the two quotation marks of the number attribute’s value.
Go to (menu) Edit -> Column Editor.
Select option Number to Insert.
In the edit field Initial number type 1.
In the edit field Increase by type 1.
If you want all numbers having the same number of digits check option Leading zeros.
Select one of the options under Format to set the number format.
Press button OK.

This will insert the numbers 1 to 500 into all lines till the end of the document, at the column your cursor has been placed initially.

EDIT: Too late

jjaggii

@Jim-Dailey Thanks Jim. I tried your advice with a small sample of six numbers, but instead of inserting one number in each of the 6 rows it inseryed all 6 numbers in each row!

Alan Kilborn

@jjaggii said:

instead of inserting one number in each of the 6 rows it inseryed all 6 numbers in each row!

You likely did something wrong. I tried @dinkumoil 's (you did mean him, right, not Jim?) instructions and it worked perfectly, here’s a portion of the result I obtained:

<batch><sample number="1 " result="positive"/></batch>
<batch><sample number="2 " result="positive"/></batch>
<batch><sample number="3 " result="positive"/></batch>
<batch><sample number="4 " result="positive"/></batch>
<batch><sample number="5 " result="positive"/></batch>
<batch><sample number="6 " result="positive"/></batch>
<batch><sample number="7 " result="positive"/></batch>
<batch><sample number="8 " result="positive"/></batch>
<batch><sample number="9 " result="positive"/></batch>
<batch><sample number="10" result="positive"/></batch>
<batch><sample number="11" result="positive"/></batch>
<batch><sample number="12" result="positive"/></batch>

If I were doing it for real it seems I would need to follow it up with a regex replacement of ("\d+)\s+(?=") with \1…

jjaggii

Just discovered that it will only allow one reply every 20 minutes when I was replying directly. I shall therefore reply to all repliers.Firstly, thank you for going to the trouble of replying.

I first tried Jim’s suggestion. I tried a sample of six rows and attempted to paste 6 numbers, one into each row. However it pasted all 6 numbers into each row.
I next looked at Alan’s idea. But using the text to insert feels the same as pasting directly into the file. The number to insert does not let me insert my full 10 digit number.

@dinkumoil My numbers are not consecutive they are random and unique.

Alan Kilborn

@jjaggii

it will only allow one reply every 20 minutes

You shouldn’t have to wait 20 mins between posts any longer.

my numbers are not consecutive they are random and unique

So you would use a column block selection (select via shift+alt+arrows) to copy your number list, and then paste that inside the empty double quotes on your first line of 500 duplicates. The 500 numbers in the block should then just appear in the right place on each line.

jjaggii

@Alan-Kilborn No, I meant Jim. @dinkumoil’s suggestion involves inserting consecutive numbers. I didnt try his because my numbers are random 10 digits numbers.

jjaggii

@Alan-Kilborn Thanks Alan. I’ll have to figure out what I did wrong. Because what you are suggesting, as jim did, Is what I thought I had done. I will report back.

Jim Dailey

@jjaggii

You need to copy your random numbers using a rectangular copy in notepad++, then paste them where appropriate.

If you do a “normal” copy, you won’t get the proper results.

Alan Kilborn

@Jim-Dailey said:

need to copy your random numbers using a rectangular copy

I said:

So you would use a column block selection (select via shift+alt+arrows) to copy your number list

How many times are we gonna say this?

jjaggii

@Alan-Kilborn Until it sunk in! It just did. Thank you everyone for your input and for putting up with the uneducated.

Jim Dailey

@jjaggii

Glad you figured it out.

Uneducated is not a problem and with desire is a temporary condition, unlike pettiness which requires real effort to overcome.

Alan Kilborn

It’s not uneducated nor is it pettiness; it’s simply reading what people take the time to write in responses. If you do that and it still doesn’t work, read it (and try it) again. Of course, sometimes the help is wrong as well, so after a couple of tries and fails it’s probably best to ask. But we’re all about solutions here, and it sounds like you have one, so there we go, another success story. :)