Textexpander with Python to match phone numbers

Question

I want to use Textexpander and Python to match phone numbers via the clipboard:

1. Click a phone number formated like 0798008080 in one application, copy the number and insert the clipboard content with a Textexpander-Shortcut in another application like 0041 79 800 80 80.

2. Click a phone number formatted like 079 800 80 80 in one application, copy, insert the clipboard content with a Textexpander-Shortcut in another application like 0041 79 800 80 80.

I have found a Textexpander snippet which sets the clipboard content in uppercase:

#!/usr/bin/python
import sys
selection = """%clipboard"""
sys.stdout.write(selection.upper(), 

but I have no clue how to adapt this snippet for my purpose (%clipboard is a code used in Textexpander to access the clipboard content)

Does anyone have a suggestion?

Answer 1

@hackworks:

Yes I need still help in matching a pattern and transforming it.

I suppose that I need a Python-, Ruby- or perhaps AppleScript-Code for transforming phone numbers like 0798008080 from the Clipboard (simple copy the number by ⌘-C on a Mac) to 0041 79 800 80 80 and 079 800 80 80 to 0041 79 800 80 80:

1. ⌘-C (copy) a phone number (0798008080) to the clipboard
2. Go to another application, we say Evernote/Word etc.
3. Tipping a defined abbreviation from Textexpander like ;phone which paste the transformed phone number 0041 79 800 80 80 into Evernote/Word etc.

The Python-, Ruby- or AppleScript-Code transforming the phone number is within the snippet ;phone from Textexpander:

1. If I type the shortcut ;phone (or whatsoever: the shortcuts can be defined by the user itself), Textexpander should get the content from the clipboard (for that, the code %clipboard can be used within Textexpander),
2. then initiate a
3. Python-, Ruby- or whatsoever-code transforming the clipboard content (here: phone number),
4. transfer the transformed clipboard content to Textexpander,
5. which will (e) replace the shortcut ;phone (Textexpander) with the transformed phone number and will insert the transformed phone number in Evernote/Word/Excel whatsoever

1, 2, 4 and 5 will be done by Textexpander. The clipboard content "transforming" Code will be also placed directly in the Textexpander snippet, in other words, Textexpander will initiate the Python-/Ruby-code.

In the example

#!/usr/bin/python
import sys
selection = """%clipboard"""
sys.stdout.write(selection.upper(),

Textexpander will do like a similar process: This code is written within a Textexpander snippet. A shortcut like ;uc (for uppercase) tipped in Word will start the Textexpander snippet. Textexpander will get the clipboard content (%clipboard), push a Python code (sys.stdout.write(selection.upper(),) to uppercase the clipboard content, and insert the transformed clipboard content in to Word. #!/usr/bin/python, import sys and selection also have something to do with Python (I suggest so), but I'am far away from really understand Python.

So, what I need is a Python/Ruby-code for transforming phone numbers formatted like 0798008080 and 079 800 80 80 to 0041 79 800 80 80 and to put in the code within Textexpander-workflow.

Does it make sense? Are my remarks understandable enough?

Answer 2

After testing a while, I have found a solution with Regex. The following Regex match and transform the first example, 07966655522 to 0041 79 666 55 22. I have to change this code, so that the example two (079 600 80 80 to 0041 79 600 80 80) will also matched with this one code, but this will take some time (any suggestions are welcome :-)):

Matching

^(0|[1-9])([0-9]{2})([0-9]{3})([0-9]{2})([0-9]{2})

Transforming

0041 $2 $3 $4 $5