Selecting variable text between two points within Clipboard

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Mac OS X
#1

So ideally, I’d like to be able to get the variable text between two consistent text items. I’m accessing the XML of a webpage, so here’s an example of what it would look like:

  • Logged in as esamuels

    • My thought process is to start a selecting from point A “

  • Logged in as ”, copy the variable (in this case my screen name “esamuels”) and end the selection at point B “
    • ”.

    Is this doable? I’ve been looking and digging thru posts and other sites and haven’t found an example. Or maybe theres another way around it?

    thanks!

    #2 
    set theInput to "<li>Logged in as <strong>esamuels</strong></li>"

setTID("<strong>")
set theOutput to (text item 2 of theInput) as string
setTID("</strong>")
set theOutput to (text item 1 of theOutput) as string
setTID("")

return theOutput


to setTID(newTID)
	set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {newTID}
end setTID
    #3

    Wow, yea thats exactly it.
    I changed part of it so that I could use it with the clipboard since thats where it will be pulling the data from.
    Can you enlighten me as to how the two parts work?
    I understand the first line, and kinda the second… but after that im lost.
    Thanks!

    
set theInput to the clipboard

setTID("<strong>")
set theOutput to (text item 2 of theInput) as string
setTID("</strong>")
set theOutput to (text item 1 of theOutput) as string
setTID("")
return theOutput



to setTID(newTID)
   set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {newTID}
end setTID
    #4

    Hi,

    Here you can find a tutorial for text item delimiters
    To clarify your script I added some commentarial results

    
set theInput to "<li>Logged in as <strong>esamuels</strong></li>"

setTID("<strong>")
set theOutput to text item 2 of theInput --> item 2 of {"<li>Logged in as ", "esamuels</strong></li>"} --> "esamuels</strong></li>"
setTID("</strong>")
set theOutput to text item 1 of theOutput --> item 1 of {"esamuels", "</li>"} --> "esamuels"
setTID("")

return theOutput


to setTID(newTID)
	set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {newTID}
end setTID