alloneword!

[ocpscotty]

Body

Hello, this is my first time asking for help, it's taken me three days to get here, I've added material to a repository, essentially a Javascript, that takes any passage of text, removes capitals, spaces and punctuation presenting an alloneword piece of text: https://theoriginalalloneword.com.au/scriptcqae.js

function start(){
setUpButtons();
var text = gameText.toLowerCase()
.replace(/[^a-z0-9]/g, '');

and a html page asking for users to fix the alloneword text as per the original text. https://theoriginalalloneword.com.au/A1WXTESTTEMPCQAE.html

You can see there's an exclamation mark; but there shouldn't be.

Any advice would be helpful. Scotty.

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[RicheByte]

hey scotty,

had a look, man this stuff can be a headache for sure. your code actually looks fine, that regex .replace(/[^a-z0-9]/g, '') is solid and it should be getting rid of the exclamation mark no problem.

i think whats happening is your script is doing its job perfectly, it's taking the text, cleaning it all up, and putting it in that text variable. but the problem is you're not actually telling the webpage to display that new clean variable.

so the script runs, the text variable is perfect in the background, but what you're still seeing on the screen is just the original raw text from your html file, which still has the punctuation in it.

you need to grab an element on your page and stuff your new text into it. so in your html you could have something like <p id="result-text"></p> and then in your javascript, right after the line where you create the text variable, you add this:

document.getElementById('result-text').textContent = text;

that tells the browser "hey find the thing with the id 'result-text' and put my new clean text inside it".

hope that helps mate, pretty sure thats your issue.

[victorjohnsonk]

Try this instead of your start()

`function start(){
setUpButtons();

// Keep the original text for reference
var rawText = gameText;
var cleanText = gameText
    .toLowerCase()
    .replace(/[^a-z0-9]/g, ''); // build the "alloneword" version

var realLoc = 0;

for (var i = 0; i < rawText.length; i++) {
    var ch = rawText[i];

    if (ch === " ") {
        loc.push({ type:"Space", ch:" ", help:"You needed a space here", loc:realLoc });
    } else if (ch === ".") {
        loc.push({ type:"FullStop", ch:".", help:"You need a full stop", loc:realLoc });
    } else if (ch === ",") {
        loc.push({ type:"Comma", ch:",", help:"You need a comma", loc:realLoc });
    } else if (ch === "'") {
        loc.push({ type:"Quote", ch:"'", help:"You need to add a quote", loc:realLoc });
    } else if (ch === "?") {
        loc.push({ type:"QuestionMark", ch:"?", help:"You need a question mark", loc:realLoc });
    } else if (ch === "!") {
        loc.push({ type:"ExclamationMark", ch:"!", help:"You need an exclamation mark", loc:realLoc });
    } else if (ch.toUpperCase() === ch && ch.match(/[A-Z]/)) {
        loc.push({ type:"Capital", ch:ch, help:"You need to capitalise", loc:realLoc });
        newText += ch.toLowerCase();
        realLoc += 1;
    } else if (ch.match(/[a-z0-9]/i)) {
        newText += ch.toLowerCase();
        realLoc += 1;
    }
}

// Display the clean text (no punctuation)
theText.textContent = cleanText;
setTimeout(displayFlash, 1000);
help.innerHTML = "Fix this alloneword text using the buttons below.";

}
`

[ocpscotty]

Hello, I appreciate your help, yep, I will be on to it tomorrow for sure now, gave up on today, kindest regards. Scotty. https://theoriginalalloneword.com.au

…

On Fri, 10 Oct 2025, 5:20 pm Victor Johnson, ***@***.***> wrote: Try this instead of your start() `function start(){ setUpButtons(); // Keep the original text for reference var rawText = gameText; var cleanText = gameText .toLowerCase() .replace(/[^a-z0-9]/g, ''); // build the "alloneword" version var realLoc = 0; for (var i = 0; i < rawText.length; i++) { var ch = rawText[i]; if (ch === " ") { loc.push({ type:"Space", ch:" ", help:"You needed a space here", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === ".") { loc.push({ type:"FullStop", ch:".", help:"You need a full stop", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === ",") { loc.push({ type:"Comma", ch:",", help:"You need a comma", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === "'") { loc.push({ type:"Quote", ch:"'", help:"You need to add a quote", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === "?") { loc.push({ type:"QuestionMark", ch:"?", help:"You need a question mark", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === "!") { loc.push({ type:"ExclamationMark", ch:"!", help:"You need an exclamation mark", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch.toUpperCase() === ch && ch.match(/[A-Z]/)) { loc.push({ type:"Capital", ch:ch, help:"You need to capitalise", loc:realLoc }); newText += ch.toLowerCase(); realLoc += 1; } else if (ch.match(/[a-z0-9]/i)) { newText += ch.toLowerCase(); realLoc += 1; } } // Display the clean text (no punctuation) theText.textContent = cleanText; setTimeout(displayFlash, 1000); help.innerHTML = "Fix this alloneword text using the buttons below."; } ` — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#176451 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AQ5KIVJT5GRN3JKNW7QUACT3W524NAVCNFSM6AAAAACI2CO5TSVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTINRUGU2TENI> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[ocpscotty]

I really appreciate it, I will definitely be on to it tomorrow, gave up on today. Kindest regards Scotty https://theoriginalalloneword.com.au

…

On Fri, 10 Oct 2025, 5:20 pm Victor Johnson, ***@***.***> wrote: Try this instead of your start() `function start(){ setUpButtons(); // Keep the original text for reference var rawText = gameText; var cleanText = gameText .toLowerCase() .replace(/[^a-z0-9]/g, ''); // build the "alloneword" version var realLoc = 0; for (var i = 0; i < rawText.length; i++) { var ch = rawText[i]; if (ch === " ") { loc.push({ type:"Space", ch:" ", help:"You needed a space here", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === ".") { loc.push({ type:"FullStop", ch:".", help:"You need a full stop", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === ",") { loc.push({ type:"Comma", ch:",", help:"You need a comma", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === "'") { loc.push({ type:"Quote", ch:"'", help:"You need to add a quote", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === "?") { loc.push({ type:"QuestionMark", ch:"?", help:"You need a question mark", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === "!") { loc.push({ type:"ExclamationMark", ch:"!", help:"You need an exclamation mark", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch.toUpperCase() === ch && ch.match(/[A-Z]/)) { loc.push({ type:"Capital", ch:ch, help:"You need to capitalise", loc:realLoc }); newText += ch.toLowerCase(); realLoc += 1; } else if (ch.match(/[a-z0-9]/i)) { newText += ch.toLowerCase(); realLoc += 1; } } // Display the clean text (no punctuation) theText.textContent = cleanText; setTimeout(displayFlash, 1000); help.innerHTML = "Fix this alloneword text using the buttons below."; } ` — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#176451 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AQ5KIVJT5GRN3JKNW7QUACT3W524NAVCNFSM6AAAAACI2CO5TSVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTINRUGU2TENI> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[ocpscotty]

G'day Victor, I hope you are well, I think I've confused myself. The script files are https://theoriginalalloneword/scriptvic.js /scriptcqa.js & scriptcqae.js I got about 4 replies and you are the only person that sent a wee-bit of code to try. I may have confused myself with the rawText gameText and cleanText and what day is it again? I say, there's 37 different punctuation and keyboard characters that can be added to text, I'm better to have 1 script with buttons, Capitalise Next character Space & Full stop being used for almost every if not every text, and a second script for the other four buttons. That would make it 9-10 scripts? When remembering which script I'm using c for Comma, q for Question, a for Apostrophe, e for Exclamation, if the text I add has a punctuation in another script, can i now have three scripts? I think 8 buttons is the right amount. I'm in Perth WA, it's Sunday afternoon and I'm going to spend time trying things out. Scotty. https://theoriginalalloneword.com.au

…

On Fri, Oct 10, 2025 at 5:20 PM Victor Johnson ***@***.***> wrote: Try this instead of your start() `function start(){ setUpButtons(); // Keep the original text for reference var rawText = gameText; var cleanText = gameText .toLowerCase() .replace(/[^a-z0-9]/g, ''); // build the "alloneword" version var realLoc = 0; for (var i = 0; i < rawText.length; i++) { var ch = rawText[i]; if (ch === " ") { loc.push({ type:"Space", ch:" ", help:"You needed a space here", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === ".") { loc.push({ type:"FullStop", ch:".", help:"You need a full stop", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === ",") { loc.push({ type:"Comma", ch:",", help:"You need a comma", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === "'") { loc.push({ type:"Quote", ch:"'", help:"You need to add a quote", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === "?") { loc.push({ type:"QuestionMark", ch:"?", help:"You need a question mark", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch === "!") { loc.push({ type:"ExclamationMark", ch:"!", help:"You need an exclamation mark", loc:realLoc }); } else if (ch.toUpperCase() === ch && ch.match(/[A-Z]/)) { loc.push({ type:"Capital", ch:ch, help:"You need to capitalise", loc:realLoc }); newText += ch.toLowerCase(); realLoc += 1; } else if (ch.match(/[a-z0-9]/i)) { newText += ch.toLowerCase(); realLoc += 1; } } // Display the clean text (no punctuation) theText.textContent = cleanText; setTimeout(displayFlash, 1000); help.innerHTML = "Fix this alloneword text using the buttons below."; } ` — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#176451 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AQ5KIVJT5GRN3JKNW7QUACT3W524NAVCNFSM6AAAAACI2CO5TSVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTINRUGU2TENI> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[ZohaiAli]

Hi @ocpscotty 👋
Nice job getting this far — your regex is almost perfect!

This part:

.replace(/[^a-z0-9]/g, '')

means “replace anything that is not a lowercase letter or number with nothing,” so it should remove exclamation marks.

If ! is still appearing, that usually means one of two things:

The code that displays the text (gameText or another function) is re-adding punctuation afterward, or

The .replace() isn’t being applied to the same text that’s shown on the page.

To be sure, try logging it right after replacement:

var text = gameText.toLowerCase().replace(/[^a-z0-9]/g, '');
console.log(text);

If the console output has no !, then your regex works, and the issue is later in how text is rendered.

Optional: You can also simplify the regex a little:

.replace(/\W/g, '')

\W removes everything that’s not a letter, number, or underscore.

Hope that helps — your idea is fun! 👍