AppleScript Trim Function / Handler Using ASObjC (Shane Stanley)

trimThis Function AS.applescript

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#    trimThis()      Trim (remove) Characters from Left and/or Right of String
#
#    Ver 1.1          2016-02-25
#    AUTHOR:          Shane Stanley
#                     (minor revisions by JMichaelTX)
#    REF:             MacScripter / Trim [Remove Spaces]
#                     http://macscripter.net/viewtopic.php?pid=182209#p182209
#  PARAMETERS:
#    • pstrCharToTrim    : A list of characters to trim, or true to use default
#    • pstrSourceText    : The text to be trimmed
#    • pstrTrimDirection : Direction of Trim left, right or any value for full
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on trimThis(pstrSourceText, pstrCharToTrim, pstrTrimDirection)
  
  --- SET CHARACTERS TO TRIM ---
  
  if pstrCharToTrim = missing value or pstrCharToTrim = true then
    -- SPACE, TAB, RETURN, newline characters (U+000A–U+000D, U+0085)
    -- Equiv to: ASCII character 10, return, ASCII character 0
    
    set setToTrim to current application's NSCharacterSet's whitespaceAndNewlineCharacterSet()
  else
    set setToTrim to current application's NSCharacterSet's characterSetWithCharactersInString:pstrCharToTrim
  end if
  
  set anNSString to current application's NSString's stringWithString:pstrSourceText
  
  --- TRIM STRING BASED ON REQUESTED DIRECTION ---
  
  if pstrTrimDirection = left then -- FROM LEFT SIDE OF STRING
    
    set theRange to anNSString's rangeOfCharacterFromSet:(setToTrim's invertedSet())
    if |length| of theRange = 0 then return ""
    set anNSString to anNSString's substringFromIndex:(theRange's location)
    
  else if pstrTrimDirection = right then -- FROM RIGHT SIDE OF STRING
    set theRange to anNSString's rangeOfCharacterFromSet:(setToTrim's invertedSet()) options:(current application's NSBackwardsSearch)
    if |length| of theRange = 0 then return ""
    set anNSString to anNSString's substringToIndex:(theRange's location)
    
  else -- FROM BOTH SIDES OF STRING
    set anNSString to anNSString's stringByTrimmingCharactersInSet:setToTrim
  end if
  
  return anNSString as text
end trimThis
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