NormaliseSpace ( string ; removeReturns )

Text function to reduce all multiple spaces and returns

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Tim Mansour - Show more from this author

Sample input:

NormaliseSpace ( "  red wine

chicken    thighs

     green olives " , true )

Sample output:

red wine
chicken thighs
green olives

Function definition: (Copy & paste into FileMaker's Edit Custom Function window)

/* Function NormaliseSpace ( string; removeReturns )
Cleans up a text field by reducing all multiple spaces and returns; if removeReturns is true removes all returns (converts them to spaces). Makes use of TrimAll function, and temporarily changes returns to spaces to reduce them. GOTCHA: relies on temp string §%§ not being used within the field.
string = string to clean up
removeReturns = boolean flags if Returns to be removed completely (otherwise they're reduced)
*/

If ( removeReturns ; TrimAll ( Substitute ( string; "¶"; " ") ; False ; 2 ); 
Substitute (
TrimAll ( // reduces all returns after they've been converted to spaces
Substitute ( TrimAll ( string ; False ; 2 ) ; // reduces spaces
[" ¶"; "¶"] ;
["¶ "; "¶"] ;
[" " ; "§%§"] ; // temporarily "saves" spaces
["¶" ; " "] ) ; 
True ; 1 ) ;
[" " ; "¶"] ;
["§%§" ; " "] ) // restores "real" spaces
)

I wrote this originally to clean up user-input text to remove all unnecessary space, but have also found it useful to create consistent value lists.
Cleans up a text field by reducing all multiple spaces and returns; if removeReturns is true it removes all returns by converting them to spaces before all multiple spaces are reduced to single space. Makes use of TrimAll function, and temporarily changes returns to spaces to reduce them. GOTCHA: the function relies on the temporarily-used string §%§ not being used within the text. The temp string must be set to a value that will not occur within in the field if returns are being retained.

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NormaliseSpace ( string ; removeReturns )

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