Fix manual text to proper list level with proper label

Aspose.Words Product Family
1

I am working on a usecase to process a document list data. But in some of the cases I dont have proper list structure. It happens instead of setting up 1, 1.1, 1.1.1 , 2, a, b, c,3 etc are not actual list but normal string. I want to convert it into proper list structure. How can I achieve that?

2

@yogesh30890

To convert a list of strings that represent a manual text structure into a proper hierarchical list format (like 1, 1.1, 1.1.1, etc.), follow these steps:

  1. Identify Patterns: Analyze the strings to identify patterns that represent list levels, such as numbers followed by periods (e.g., “1.”, “1.1.”, “a.”, “b.”).

  2. Create a Parsing Logic: Implement a parsing logic that recognizes these patterns and assigns the appropriate list level. Regular expressions can be useful for this.

  3. Build the List Structure: As you parse the strings, construct a structured list (like a nested dictionary or a list of lists) that reflects the hierarchy.

  4. Output the Structured List: Finally, format the structured list into the desired output format.

Here’s a minimal code example in Python to illustrate this:

import re

def convert_to_list_structure(text_lines):
    structured_list = []
    current_level = []

    for line in text_lines:
        # Match patterns like "1.", "1.1.", "a.", "b."
        match = re.match(r'(\d+(\.\d+)*|[a-z])\s+(.*)', line)
        if match:
            level = match.group(1)
            content = match.group(3).strip()
            # Determine the current level based on the match
            if '.' in level:
                level_parts = level.split('.')
                while len(current_level) < len(level_parts):
                    current_level.append([])
                current_level[len(level_parts) - 1].append(content)
            else:
                current_level[0].append(content)

    return current_level

# Example usage
text_lines = [
    "1 Introduction",
    "1.1 Background",
    "1.1.1 Details",
    "2 Methodology",
    "a First Step",
    "b Second Step"
]

structured_list = convert_to_list_structure(text_lines)
print(structured_list)

This code effectively converts a list of strings into a structured format based on the identified patterns. You can enhance the logic to handle more complex cases as needed.

If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please let me know!

3

I want to do this in docx file using aspose words java

4

@yogesh30890 Please see our documentation to learn how to work with lists:
https://docs.aspose.com/words/java/working-with-lists/

In your case you should locate the paragraph, that start with list like label and apply list formatting to these paragraphs. If you need help with implementation, please attach your sample input and expected output documents. We will check them and provide you more information.

5

I am attaching correct and incorrect format for your reference. incorrect has all text. Correct has proper list levels created. I need to maintain the text style like bold italic and convert text to proper list
incorrect.docx (15.3 KB)

correct.docx (15.3 KB)

6

@yogesh30890 The basic technique is the following:

  1. Loop through all paragraph
  2. Check whether paragraph starts with “list label like” text
  3. If so apply the appropriate level to the paragraph
  4. Remove “list label like” text

Please see the following code:

Document doc = new Document(@"C:\Temp\in.docx");

Aspose.Words.Lists.List lst = doc.Lists.Add(Aspose.Words.Lists.ListTemplate.NumberDefault);

Regex firstLevel = new Regex(@"^\s*\d+\."); // 1. 2. 3. etc
Regex secondLevel = new Regex(@"^\s*[a-z]+\."); // a. b. c. d. etc
Regex thirdLevel = new Regex(@"^\s*(?=[mdclxvi])m*(c[md]|d?c{0,3})(x[cl]|l?x{0,3})(i[xv]|v?i{0,3})\."); // roman numbers

foreach (Paragraph p in doc.GetChildNodes(NodeType.Paragraph, true))
{
    string paraText = p.ToString(SaveFormat.Text);
    // Start from third level because it can be matched also by the second level regex.
    if (thirdLevel.IsMatch(paraText))
    {
        p.Range.Replace(thirdLevel, "");
        p.ListFormat.List = lst;
        p.ListFormat.ListLevelNumber = 2;
    }
    else if (secondLevel.IsMatch(paraText))
    {
        p.Range.Replace(secondLevel, "");
        p.ListFormat.List = lst;
        p.ListFormat.ListLevelNumber = 1;
    }
    else if (firstLevel.IsMatch(paraText))
    {
        p.Range.Replace(firstLevel, "");
        p.ListFormat.List = lst;
        p.ListFormat.ListLevelNumber = 0;
    }
}

doc.Save(@"C:\Temp\out.docx");

out.docx (12.7 KB)

Though more complicated logic is required to detect restarting lists, like in Section 2 in your document. The above code does not cover such cases.

7

What if I have custom labels? How to set the labels?

8

@yogesh30890 You can use ListLevel.NumberFormat property tp configure custom list label.