String split with multiple ending delimiter

Question

I am trying to parse a csv file where some of the lines may have missing fields, and I found this strange behavior:

scala> val s = "1,2,,,"
s: String = 1,2,,,

scala> s.split(",")
res4: Array[String] = Array(1, 2)

While I am expecting the result to be Array(1,2,"","",""). Am I missing something? If not, what is the justification of this behavior?

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered May 07 '17 at 01:53

3

That behavior was inherited from Java. Also inherited, but not fully documented, is the Java alternative split() method.

scala> val s = "1,2,,,"
s: String = 1,2,,,

scala> s.split(",", -1)
res0: Array[String] = Array(1, 2, "", "", "")

answered May 07 '17 at 01:53

jwvh

Thanks for the reply. That makes a lot of sense. According to the documentation, *If n is non-positive then the pattern will be applied as many times as possible and the array can have any length*. When I try the `split` method with different negative limit number, it gives me the same output. Does this mean all negative numbers as limit behave in the same way regardless of the actual value? – Psidom May 07 '17 at 02:08
1

Yes. That's what I understand the docs to mean and, in my (very limited) experience, I've not found any different behavior for different negative numbers. – jwvh May 07 '17 at 02:14

1 Answers1