Add flag to Words() function to allow delimiters to be treated as one instead of many

[jthi]

Currently JMP's Words() function will split by any characters found from delimiters. Add a flag parameter which would allow user to use the delimiter string as one instead of any

Names Default To Here(1);

str1 = "a.,b.,c,d"; // last value should be c,d
//Show(Items(str1, ".,"));
Show(Words(str1, ".,"));

Most likely same feature could be added to Word(), Item() and Items() as they perform similar operations.

[Jeff_Perkinson]

Admittedly, a flag (or new function) as suggested would be nice but it's not too bad to deal with now by using Substitute() to convert the delimiter string into a single character.

str1 = "a.,b.,c,d.,e,f";

words(substitute(str1, ".,", "-"), "-");

//{"a", "b", "c,d", "e,f"}

 You do have to choose a character that doesn't appear anywhere in the string.

[hogi]

In general, I would prefer to implement such standard options in the function - even if there is kind of a workaround.

The benefit of the "option": EVERY user can use the option, but just a few users will find the workaround (on their own or by community search) 

Nevertheless: nice workaround -> ideal candidate for Scripting Index 2.0

JMP Scripting Index feedback and discussion 

This option (define the whole sequence of characters as a single separator) would be a great improvement for Col/Utilities/Text to columns 

Here @Jeff_Perkinson 's trick can be applied as well - but nobody would substitute in JSL and then use Text to columns to split the phrase.

And there are for sure some Jmp users who will be happy to have a non-JSL solution.

How about implementing it there as well?

[Jeff_Perkinson]

@hogi wrote:

but nobody would substitute in JSL and then use Text to columns to split the phrase.

---

There's an implication that my workaround could only work in JSL here. Indeed, you could easily do the Substitute() in the Formula Editor for a new column and then use Text to columns on the new column.

[hogi]

good point.
What I mean is:
Users would love to get everything done just via Text to columns command from the menu -  without having to do anything in addition.

Such a checkbox could also improve the functionality to (MFI) txt import:

Here it's vice versa: MFI interprets several separator characters as several separators - but sometimes the user wants to import a table where (1 - N) spaces are used as a single separator.
--> a checkbox could help

ah, Spaces