--------------------------------------------------------
-- Some generic functions and types to work with strings
--------------------------------------------------------

-- create or replace package str
-- is

--   -- A record for tokenizing strings
--   type token_info is record (
--     string       varchar2(4000),  -- The string we will be tokenizing
--     length       integer,         -- The length of the string
--     token_start  integer,         -- Start of last token
--     separators    varchar2(4000)  -- Characters which can separate tokens
--   );

--   -- Return the first token in a string, or null if there are
--   -- no more tokens
--   function first_token (
--     string_in     IN varchar2,
--     token_rec_in  IN OUT NOCOPY token_info,
--     separators_in IN varchar2 := ' '
--   ) return varchar2;

--   -- Get the next token in the string, or null if there are 
--   -- no more tokens
--   function next_token (
--     token_rec_in IN OUT NOCOPY token_info
--   ) return varchar2;

--   -- Determine if a string has more tokens to be returned
--   function has_more_tokens (
--     token_rec_in IN OUT NOCOPY token_info
--   ) return char;

-- end str;
-- /
-- show errors

-- create or replace package body str 
-- is

-- function first_token (
--   string_in     IN varchar2,
--   token_rec_in  IN OUT NOCOPY token_info,
--   separators_IN IN varchar2 := ' '
-- ) return varchar2
-- is
-- begin
  
--    token_rec_in.string := string_in;
--    token_rec_in.length := length(string_in);
--    token_rec_in.token_start := 1;
--    token_rec_in.separators := separators_in;
   
--    return next_token(token_rec_in);
-- end first_token;


-- function next_token (
--   token_rec_in IN OUT NOCOPY token_info
-- ) return varchar2
-- is
--   v_token_start integer;
-- begin
  
--   -- Check for string end
--   if token_rec_in.token_start > token_rec_in.length then
--     return null;
--   end if;

--   -- Skip separators
--   while instr(token_rec_in.separators, 
--               substr(token_rec_in.string, 
--                      token_rec_in.token_start, 1)) <> 0 
--   loop

--     token_rec_in.token_start := token_rec_in.token_start + 1;
--     if token_rec_in.token_start > token_rec_in.length then
--       return null;
--     end if;

--   end loop;

--   v_token_start := token_rec_in.token_start;

--   -- Skip until the next separator
--   while instr(token_rec_in.separators,
--               substr(token_rec_in.string, 
--                      token_rec_in.token_start, 1)) = 0 
--   loop
--     token_rec_in.token_start := token_rec_in.token_start + 1;
--     if token_rec_in.token_start > token_rec_in.length then
--       return substr(token_rec_in.string, v_token_start);
--     end if;
--   end loop; 
    
--   return substr(token_rec_in.string, v_token_start, 
--                 token_rec_in.token_start - v_token_start);

-- end next_token;  
  
-- function has_more_tokens (
--   token_rec_in IN OUT NOCOPY token_info
-- ) return char
-- is
-- begin
--   if token_rec_in.token_start > token_rec_in.length then 
--     return 'f';
--   else
--     return 't';
--   end if;
-- end has_more_tokens;

-- end str;
-- /
-- show errors