find_similar_str

pyhelpers.text.find_similar_str(x, lookup_list, n=1, ignore_punctuation=True, method='difflib', **kwargs)

From among a sequence of strings, find n ones that are similar to x.

Parameters

• x (str) – a string-type variable

• lookup_list (List[str] or Tuple[str] or Sequence[str]) – a sequence of strings for lookup

• n (int or None) – number of similar strings to return, defaults to 1; if n=None, the function returns a sorted lookup_list (in descending order of similarity)

• method (str or None) –

  options include 'difflib' (default) and 'fuzzywuzzy'

  • if method='difflib', the function relies on difflib.get_close_matches

  • if method='fuzzywuzzy', the function relies on fuzzywuzzy.fuzz.token_set_ratio

• ignore_punctuation (bool) – whether to ignore puctuations in the search for similar texts

• kwargs – [optional] parameters of difflib.get_close_matches or fuzzywuzzy.fuzz.token_set_ratio, depending on processor

Returns

a string-type variable that should be similar to (or the same as) x

Return type

str or list or None

Examples:

>>> from pyhelpers.text import find_similar_str

>>> lookup_lst = ['Anglia',
...               'East Coast',
...               'East Midlands',
...               'North and East',
...               'London North Western',
...               'Scotland',
...               'South East',
...               'Wales',
...               'Wessex',
...               'Western']

>>> str_similar = find_similar_str(x='angle', lookup_list=lookup_lst)
>>> str_similar
'Anglia'
>>> str_similar = find_similar_str(x='angle', lookup_list=lookup_lst, method='fuzzywuzzy')
>>> str_similar
'Anglia'

>>> str_similar = find_similar_str(x='x', lookup_list=lookup_lst)
>>> str_similar  # None

>>> str_similar = find_similar_str(x='x', lookup_list=lookup_lst, method='fuzzywuzzy')
>>> str_similar
'Wessex'