Does string library has a use?

[xxmanado]

do roblox devs use string library like string.format? and what are the cases that the devs need the library for ?

[LegendPX_Taken (Math)]

str="adadw123132"
local s= sring.gsub(str,"%D","") --get all digits in a text
print(s)

I am currently watching this:

String Functions (format, gsub, split, etc.) - Roblox Advanced Scripting #23 (2024)

@xxmanado

[SyntaxMenace]

Possibilities are basically endless.
From showing UIs to data handling (in some cases).

As Roblox documentation states:
“The string library provides generic functions to manipulate strings, such as to extract substrings or match patterns. You can access the string library by the global string library.”

[BendsSpace]

Yes.

• byte(s : string,i : number,j : number):number

Returns the internal numerical codes of the characters s[i], s[i+1], …, s[j]. The default value for i is 1; the default value for j is i. These indices are corrected following the same rules of function string.sub.

• char(… : number):string

Receives zero or more integers and returns a string with length equal to the number of arguments, in which each character has the internal numerical code equal to its corresponding argument.

• find(s : string,pattern : string,init : number,plain : bool):number,number

Looks for the first match of pattern in the string s and returns the indices of s where the occurrence starts and ends.

• format(formatstring : string,… : string):string

Returns a formatted version of its variable number of arguments following the description given in its first argument, which must be a string.

• gmatch(s : string,pattern : string):function

Returns an iterator function that returns the next captures from pattern over the string s each time it’s called.

• gsub(s : string,pattern : string,replacement : Variant,replacements : number):string,number

Returns a copy of s in which all or the first n occurrences of the pattern are replaced with the given replacement. The second value returned is the total number of substitutions made.

• len(s : string):number

Returns the length of a string.

• lower(s : string):string

Returns a copy of a string with all uppercase letters changed to lowercase.

• match(s : string,pattern : string,init : number):string

Looks for the first match of pattern in the string s. If a match is found, it is returned; otherwise, it returns nil. A third, optional numerical argument, init, specifies where to start the search.

• pack(format : string,… : Variant):string

Returns a binary string containing the provided arguments.

• packsize(format : string):number

Returns the size in bytes of any string packed with a given description.

• rep(s : string,n : number):string

Returns a string that is the concatenation of n copies of the string s.

• reverse(s : string):string

Returns a string that is the string s reversed.

• split(s : string,separator : string):table

Splits a string into parts based on the defined separator character(s), returning a table of ordered results.

• sub(s : string,i : number,j : number):string

Returns the substring of s that starts at i and continues until j. i and j can be negative. i defaults to 1 and j defaults to -1.

• unpack(format : string,data : string,readStart : string):Tuple

Extracts the values packed in the provided binary string.

• upper(s : string):string

Returns a copy of a string with all lowercase letters changed to uppercase.

[12345koip]

The library is useful for all kinds of string manipulation.
For example:

• string.format is useful when you have a base framework string you need to customise.

local baseString = "%s received %d Cash for completing task number %d!"

--manipulate in two scenarios
local customisedPlr1 = string.format(baseString, Player1.Name, 3, 1)
local customisedPlr2 = string.format(baseString, Player2.Name, 5, 7)

• string.find is useful when you need to find things within a string:

local targetString = "check THIS VALUE"
if string.find(targetString, "THIS VALUE") then
    print("Found target phrase in string.")
end

• string.match is useful when you need to retrieve a phrase from a string:

local targetString = "player just won the round!"
local found = string.match(targetString, "%a+ just")

• string.lower() and string.upper() are useful for converting between cases
• string.gsub is useful for replacing things within a string:

local targetString = "foo1, foo2, foo3"
targetString = string.gsub(targetString, "foo%d", "bar")

targetString = string.gsub(" ", "_%1_")

• string.sub is useful for shortening strings, useful in things like typewriter effects:

print(string.sub("foobar", 1, 5)) --> "fooba"

• Other functions like string.byte, string.char, etc. are useful for other things, as are these. This is just an example.

[xxmanado]

Well i like the case that u have provided thanks for clarifying

[xxmanado]

Guys thanks for clarifying the library but what i want to see some cases that devs actually use them

[MysteryX2076 (DrMystery)]

In Piggy, the dev uses string.format to create a minute:second timer system. You cannot achieve this perfectly without string.format

function MSTo(s)
   return string.format("%02i:%02i",s/60,s%60)
end
for i = 600,0,-1 do
   print(MSTo(i))
end

[Jumpathy (tyler)]

@MysteryX2076

In Piggy, the dev uses string.format to create a minute:second timer system. You cannot achieve this perfectly without string.format

function MSTo(s)
    local minutes = math.floor(s / 60)
    local seconds = s % 60
    return (minutes < 10 and "0" .. minutes or minutes) .. ":" .. (seconds < 10 and "0" .. seconds or seconds)
end

for i = 600, 0, -1 do
    print(MSTo(i))
end

[MysteryX2076 (DrMystery)]

By perfectly I meant like the most straightforward and most optimised

[xxmanado]

Well thanks for the usecase can u please provide more i just want to see more use cases to get hang of it