Adding new line in a one line txt file.

[Mady]

I converted a pdf to txt. It returned the file where the whole text is written in one line. In order to work with the file i need to add 2 new lines before a number and one after it. (btw. i am using python 3.6)

F.e.:
Input:
Here is some text. It is written in one lines. 12.13. Here is some more text. 2.12.14. Here is even more text.

Output(i wish to have):
Here is omse text. It is written in one lines.

12.13.
Here is some more text.

2.12.14.
Here is even more text.

This is my code. The code runs , but unfortunatly reautrns an empty page. I would be glad about some editing advice.

in_file2 = 'work1-T1.txt'
out_file2 = 'work2-T1.txt'


start_rx = re.compile('|'.join(
    ['\d\d\.\d\d\.', '^\d\.\d\d\.\d\d']))


with open(in_file2,'r', encoding='utf-8') as fin2, open(out_file2, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as fout2:
    text_list = fin2.read().split()

    for line in in_file2:
        start = True
        if re.match(start_rx, line):
            line = line.replace(start_rx, '\n\n' + start_rx + '\n')

        if line == True:
            fout2.write(line)

[Gribouillis]

It is for line in fin2:

[Mady]

Thanks for your reply, i eddited it to fin2, but it still returns an empty file :(

[Gribouillis]

The if line == True is always false because line is a string. What's its purpose?

[Mady]

well i used it from a different code and adjusted it because. but you are right. Here it makes no sense, i thought it would always return true so it would be no problem. I adjusted it to string .... but still it returns an empty file.

Here the code:

with open(in_file2,'r', encoding='utf-8') as fin2, open(out_file2, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as fout2:
    text_list = fin2.read().split()

    for string in fin2:
        if re.match(start_rx, string):
            string = str.replace(start_rx, '\n\n' + start_rx + '\n')

        fout2.write(string)

[Gribouillis]

Now the problem is that after fin2.read(), the file pointer is at the end of the file. You can go back to the beginning of the file it by calling seek

fin2.seek(0)

before the for string in fin2

[Mady]

thank you, that fixed the output problem. But now it returns the exact same as the input. I figure something is wrong with my regex then ?

[Gribouillis]

Use re.sub() for replacing regex matches in a string

def foo(match):
    return '\n\n' + match.group(0) + '\n'

...
line = start_rx.sub(foo, line)