Remove any extra spaces within the selected text (extra being >1)
Convert to title case
Paste the result back to the clipboard
Example input text: This is a test sentence with one leading space, two spaces here and one trailing space.
Example output text: This is a test sentence with one leading space, two spaces here and one trailing space.
I'm not sure where I'm messing up. I'm learning RegEx and would prefer a solution that utilizes it.
Looks like you are saving the system clipboard into url_title, cleaning the system clipboard, and pasting url_title back to your document (or wherever). So the cleaned system clipboard is not what’s being pasted.
As @korm pointed out, the macro you were using was affecting the clipboard after you had set the clipboard's text to a variable, so your search-and-replace and filter actions were having no effect on the url_title variable's text. I replaced your actions with similar ones targeting the url_title variable's text after it had been set to the current clipboard, so now they produce the effects you wanted (though for the record, you could also have achieved the results you wanted by operating on the clipboard and pasting that again at the end without saving its contents to a variable first). I also removed the Delete Past Clipboard action, since I didn't see a need for it given the list of desired actions you stated, and replaced it with a "Copy" action, so now you can simply trigger the macro after highlighting any text you wish to use it on and do not need to manually copy it first yourself.
As for the extra spaces, the built in Filter Clipboard or Variable with Trim Whitespace action takes care of all leading and trailing spaces without the need to build your own regex (I can certainly understand the urge to build your own, but I figure why reinvent the wheel when there's an existing action that already does just what you want) and a much simpler \s+ → [SPACE] search-and-replace handles any number of additional consecutive spaces within the text. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!
Or just skinny down your macro to the third and fourth actions in your original posting (Search and Replace Clipboard, and Filter Clipboard). Since you wrote that you want to “Paste the result back to the clipboard” then you don’t need the other actions because those two actions alone do the job. I.e., select the text and copy it, run the macro, paste the cleaned text. Your regex works – a bit overwrought – but it works. @gglick has a better alternative for that part.
That is sometimes a good rule of thumb, but I wouldn’t think it’s necessary in a case like this. It wasn’t because you stored data to a variable that that macro failed – it was because you recovered the stored data in the last step and ignored the results of the middle part of the macro, which had actually accomplished your goal.
Glad we could help, @ssheth! And yes, @korm is right; saving to a variable before manipulating is definitely not always necessary. This revision of the macro accomplishes the same tasks by only targeting the clipboard:
And no, there was no particular reason I filtered with Trim Space before search-and-replacing other than that was the order of actions you listed in your original post. This macro revision with the order reversed works just as well.
@korm and @gglick just came across your macro and its great. I wonder if this can be converted to just kill whitespace and leave 1 space between words
for example I would want to go from this
1 petit baguette roll or a 7-inch section cut from a regular length baguette, purchased or homemade
Mayonnaise, real (whole egg) or homemade mayonnaise
Maggi Seasoning sauce or soy sauce
Your choice of boldly-flavored meat or tofu, sliced and at room temperature
3 or 4 thin seeded cucumber strips, pickling or English variety preferred
2 or 3 cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped
3 or 4 thin jalapeño pepper slices
Everyday Daikon and Carrot Pickle (do chua)
to this
1 petit baguette roll or a 7-inch section cut from a regular length baguette, purchased or homemade
Mayonnaise, real (whole egg) or homemade mayonnaise
Maggi Seasoning sauce or soy sauce
Your choice of boldly-flavored meat or tofu, sliced and at room temperature
3 or 4 thin seeded cucumber strips, pickling or English variety preferred
2 or 3 cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped
3 or 4 thin jalapeño pepper slices
Everyday Daikon and Carrot Pickle (do chua)
