Ltrim -command for any character

[jarkky]

Can the Ltrim command remove also other character than space?
For example:
string="--fdfd--"
using command
ltrim(string,'-')
could it remove the leading '-' characters?

[Zizi64]

You can trim one or more characters by an User defined macro function. It is works inside a macro code or called it from a spreadsheet Cell:

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REM  *****  BASIC  *****

Function myLTrim(InputStr as string, StrToTrim as string) as String

   If Left(InputStr, Len(StrToTrim)) = StrToTrim then
      myLTrim = Right(InputStr, Len(InputStr)-Len(StrToTrim))
   else
      myLTrim = InputStr
   end if
End function

[JeJe]

Note: Not thoroughly tested

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Sub Main
   st = "--fdfd--"


   msgbox LTrimAny (st,"-")
   msgbox RTrimAny(st,"-")
   msgbox TrimAny(st,"-")
End Sub


function LTrimAny(byval st,trimchar)
   dim c as long,i as long
   for i = 1 to len(st)
      if mid(st,i,1)= trimchar then
         c = c+1
      else
         exit for
      end if
   next
   if c>0 then mid(st,1,c) =""
   LTrimAny= st
end function

function RTrimAny(byval st,trimchar)
   dim c as long,i as long,lenst
   lenst= len(st)
   for i =  lenst to 1 step -1
      if mid(st,i,1)= trimchar then
         c = c+1
      else
         exit for
      end if
   next
   if c>0 then mid(st,lenst -c+1,c) =""
   RTrimAny= st
end function

function TrimAny(byval st,trimchar)
st=LTrimAny(st,trimchar)
TrimAny=RTrimAny(st,trimchar)
end function



Edit: added TrimAny

[Villeroy]

Install Hubert Lambert's most useful pystring extension from viewtopic.php?f=20&t=83856&p=389632&hilit=pystring#p389632

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=PYSTRING("lstrip";A1;"-")

[JeJe]

Slightly simpler functions:

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Sub Main
   st = "--fdfd--"
   msgbox LTrimAny (st,"-")
   msgbox RTrimAny(st,"-")
   msgbox TrimAny(st,"-")
End Sub

function LTrimAny(byval st,trimchar)
   dim i as long
   for i = 1 to len(st)
      if mid(st,i,1)<> trimchar then exit for
   next
   if i>1 then mid(st,1,i-1) =""
   LTrimAny= st
end function

function RTrimAny(byval st,trimchar)
   dim i as long,lenst as long
   lenst = len(st)
   for i = lenst to 1 step -1
      if mid(st,i,1)<> trimchar then exit for
   next
   if i< lenst then mid(st,i+1,i-lenst) =""
   RTrimAny= st
end function

function TrimAny(byval st,trimchar)
st=LTrimAny(st,trimchar)
TrimAny=RTrimAny(st,trimchar)
end function



[Lupp]

A slghtly different approach.
What shall be trimmed away may consist of more than one character, and -if letters occur- there is a choice to make the functions case insensitive by replacing a 0 by a 1.

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Function withoutJunkLeft( pString As String, pJunk As String)
l = Len(pJunk)
pos = 1
While InStr(pos, pString, pJunk, 0)=pos
  pos = pos + l
Wend
withoutJunkLeft = Mid(pString, pos, 65535)
End Function

Function withoutJunkRight( pString As String, pJunk As String)
l = Len(pJunk)
pos = Len(pString) - l + 1
While InStr(pos, pString, pJunk, 0)=pos
  pos = pos - l
Wend
withoutJunkRight = Left(pString, pos+l-1)
End Function

[JeJe]

Other versions of LTrim allow any of a list of characters, not just a single one, or a repeated string.

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Sub Main
   st = "-q-fdfd--"
   msgbox LTrimAny (st,"f-pq")
   msgbox RTrimAny(st,"p-")
   msgbox TrimAny(st,"-q")
End Sub

function LTrimAny(byval st,trimchars)
   dim i as long
   for i = 1 to len(st)
      if instr(1, trimchars, mid(st,i,1)) = 0 then exit for
   next
   if i>1 then mid(st,1,i-1) =""
   LTrimAny= st
end function

function RTrimAny(byval st,trimchars)
   dim i as long,lenst as long
   lenst = len(st)
   for i = lenst to 1 step -1
      if instr(1, trimchars, mid(st,i,1)) = 0 then exit for
   next
   if i< lenst then mid(st,i+1,i-lenst) =""
   RTrimAny= st
end function

function TrimAny(byval st,trimchars)
st=LTrimAny(st,trimchars)
TrimAny=RTrimAny(st,trimchars)
end function