Python - Removing unknown 10 character string

Question

Im using a modified version of Eric Bidelman's/HTML5Rocks cachebust.py file for css/js. link is here

Instead of appending timestamp like

.css?2012-07-30

I modified variable to -

cachebust = ''.join(random.choice(string.ascii_uppercase + string.digits) for x in range(10))

so it becomes (for example)

.css?6SKD39SFJ3

his original version didnt seem to remove the date either, so im not really sure how that is a 'cache control' but i figured if i could just auto-strip those 10 characters, it would work. first targeting any js files (for new files), then if js? (with cachecontrol already in place), strip that existing cachecontrol

asset = re.search('\.(js")><\/script>', line)
if asset is not None:
  existing = re.search('\.(js?"', line)
  if existing is not None:
    line[i] = line.replace('.js?'STRING????'"', '.js"')
  lines[i] = line.replace('.js"></script>', '.js?%s"></script>' % cachebust)

thoughts on what that STRING???? should be, or if this method wouldnt work? im new to python so im just experimenting here...

Answer 1

You could replace the 3 lines:

existing = re.search('\.(js?"', line)
if existing is not None:
    line[i] = line.replace('.js?'STRING????'"', '.js"')

with:

re.sub(r'\.js\?[-0-9]{10}">',r'.js?">', line)

Output:

>>> re.sub(r'\.js\?[-0-9]{10}">',r'.js?">', '<script type="blah" src="url/to/path.js?2012-07-02">')
'<script type="blah" src="url/to/path.js?">'

---

I have used the regexp [-0-9]{10} which stands for 10 characters of digits and a dash. In case that can stand for any 10 characters, use: .{10}