# \[SOLVED\] Substring **URL:** \ **Category:** Scripts & Rules\ **Tags:** strings, xtend, rules\ **Created:** [September 28, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/solved-substring/2876 "2015-09-28T18:34:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spinnaay](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@spinnaay](https://community.openhab.org/u/spinnaay)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/solved-substring/2876/1 "2015-09-28T18:34:54Z")
Hi All, I’m struggling to find any good documentation on Xtend if anyone can point me towards. I want to a do a substring in a rule but I just can’t find the correct format. This is so much easier in Python! What I’m trying is. ``` val String string1 = 'Hello' val String string2 = string1.subString(0,1) ``` However this isn’t correct. Can someone point me to some docs so I can’t read those and refer to them when I need to know a command. Or can someone rewrite Openhab in Python… ---
**Author:** ![George](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/71e660/32.png) [@George](https://community.openhab.org/u/George)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/solved-substring/2876/2 "2015-09-28T18:45:27Z")
Simple correction. It is string1.substring(0,1) Notice the lower case S in substring. If you use the Designer interface you can get what is available by pressing ctrl-space. You would do this right after typing string1. ---
**Author:** ![spinnaay](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@spinnaay](https://community.openhab.org/u/spinnaay)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/solved-substring/2876/3 "2015-09-28T18:58:02Z")
Perfect! Thanks ---
**Author:** ![grhosso](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/grhosso/32/29884_2.png) [@grhosso](https://community.openhab.org/u/grhosso)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2018, 1:33pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/solved-substring/2876/4 "2018-08-31T13:33:00Z")
Is this working on rules? I have this string, and I would like to use it. ```auto { "ip": "aaaa", "hostname": "whatever.com", "city": "Antartida", "region": "Low", "country": "VB", "loc": "1.1234,1.12345", "postal": "12345", "org": "AFDSF" } ``` I wonder how I could use substring, to get for example “loc” or “postal” ?? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![rossko57](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/rossko57/32/70263_2.png) [@rossko57](https://community.openhab.org/u/rossko57)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/solved-substring/2876/5 "2018-08-31T19:46:43Z")
Isn;t that JSON? > **[JsonPath - Transformation Services](https://www.openhab.org/addons/transformations/jsonpath/)** > > Extracts values from a JSON string using a JsonPath(https://github.com/jayway/JsonPath#jayway-jsonpath) expression. ---
**Author:** ![grhosso](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/grhosso/32/29884_2.png) [@grhosso](https://community.openhab.org/u/grhosso)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2018, 7:51pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/solved-substring/2876/6 "2018-08-31T19:51:18Z")
> [@rossko57](#): > > JsonPath - Transformation Services I do not think so, the whole string is like this, and I would like to extract some words. 😕 ```auto % Total % Received % Xferd Average Speed Time Time Time Current Dload Upload Total Spent Left Speed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 0 100 228 100 228 0 0 678 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 680 { "ip": "aaaa", "hostname": "whatever.com", "city": "Antartida", "region": "Low", "country": "VB", "loc": "1.1234,1.12345", "postal": "12345", "org": "AFDSF" } ``` ---
**Author:** ![rossko57](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/rossko57/32/70263_2.png) [@rossko57](https://community.openhab.org/u/rossko57)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2018, 8:52pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/solved-substring/2876/7 "2018-08-31T20:52:05Z")
Ah OK, some kind of scraping. We only know what you tell us. I’d be looking for a way to extract the JSON from the whole string, i.e. get the string from { to }. I should think a regex would do that, but sorry I am not familiar. And then use JsonPath. That way, you’d be fairly safe from the data source changing some other details. ---
**Author:** ![vzorglub](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/vzorglub/32/17166_2.png) [@vzorglub](https://community.openhab.org/u/vzorglub)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2018, 11:35pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/solved-substring/2876/8 "2018-08-31T23:35:23Z")
There is a nifty string method called `.substringBetween` ```php rule "another rule" when Item LivingRoom_WallSwitch changed then var String myString = "blahblah{\"ip\": \"aaaa\",\"hostname\": \"whatever.com\",\"city\": \"Antartida\",\"region\": \"Low\",\"country\": \"VB\",\"loc\": \"1.1234,1.12345\",\"postal\": \"12345\",\"org\": \"AFDSF\"}" logInfo("TEST", myString) var String newString = myString.substringBetween("{","}") //Extract the JSON string between the curly brackets newString = "{" + newString + "}" // Add the JSON curly brackets back logInfo("TEST", newString) var String jsonString = transform("JSONPATH", "$.loc", newString) // Extract the loc value logInfo("TEST", jsonString) // Display : 1.1234,1.12345 jsonString = transform("JSONPATH", "$.postal", newString) //Extract the postal value logInfo("TEST", jsonString) // Display: 12345 end ```