The relevant code snippet

Function TidyUpName(Name)
Dim strFirstName, strLastName
Dim intFirstNameMark, intLastNameMark
Dim arrNames

Name = Trim(Name)
Wscript.Echo Name
If Instr(Name, ",") Then
        intLastNameMark = Instr(Name, ",")
        strLastName = Left(Name, intLastNameMark - 1)
        intFirstNameMark = InstrRev(Name, ",")
        strFirstName = Right(Name, intFirstNameMark - 1)
        strFirstName = Trim(strFirstName)
        TidyUpName = strFirstName & " " & strLastName
Else
        arrNames = Split(Name)
        strLastName = arrNames(0)
        strFirstName = arrNames(1)
        TidyUpName = Trim(strFirstName & " " & strLastName)
End If

End Function

The string parameter Name in the data source I am parsing is of the
form DAY, ROBERT or sometimes DAY ROBERT (no comma - hence the Else).
The bug I am finding is that Instr AND InstrRev are returning the same
value on all records and this cannot be right (except on records with
equal numbers of characters either side of the comma)

I even ended up echoing the results of each line of

intLastNameMark = Instr(Name, ",")
strLastName = Left(Name, intLastNameMark - 1)
intFirstNameMark = InstrRev(Name, ",")
strFirstName = Right(Name, intFirstNameMark - 1)

to the console and this confirmed my findings above.

I'm baffled. Anyone else experienced this?

Robert

ps I finally sidestepped the issue by swapping

intFirstNameMark = InstrRev(Name, ",")

with

intFirstNameMark = (len(Name) - intLastNameMark)

pps I can post full script if necessary.

Wrong. InStr and InStrRev both return the position in the string, not the
distance from starting end. So if you use both to locate the same comma, you
will get the same position.
--
Dave "Crash" Dummy - A weapon of mass destruction

http://lists.gpick.com

Ah, that explains it. And if I had bothered to read my "VBScript in a
Nutshell" more closely that would have made it clear too. Nonetheless,
it strikes me as more intuitive for it to return the starting position
of it from the end of the string, as it were. I guess that's what the
Split function is for.

Thanks.

Robert

Hi,

It's very helpful to have a quick "online" reference for questions like
those.  The free MS searchable CHM file download with basic descriptions and
syntax for both VBS and JS is here (urls will wrap):

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=01592c48-207...
8a76-1c4099d7bbb9&DisplayLang=en

Joe Earnest

Thanks Joe

I have got the MS docs but have to confess to preferring hard copy ref
sources (need to take my eyes off the screen sometimes!!). Just
looking at the InStrRev definition from the MS source gives

"Returns the position of an occurrence of one string within another,
from the end of string."

which to me still looks as though it should mean that InStrRev("Robert
Day", "b") should return 8 rather than 3.

The Vbscript in a nutshell definition is clearer but I know yout point
wasn't to say one was better than the other anyway.

Thanks again.

Robert