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Madelyn Mathew
Madelyn Mathew

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Convert srt to text regex javascript

A popular file format for storing subtitles is called SubRip Text (SRT), and it's frequently used to provide closed captions for videos. You might need to transform the SRT data into plain text if you're using SRT files in a JavaScript project. In this post, we'll examine how to accomplish this using JavaScript regular expression (regex).

SubRip Subtitle, or srt for short, is a popular text file format for storing subtitles. This post will demonstrate how to use JavaScript regular expressions to convert srt to text.

Using regular expressions in JavaScript, you can convert srt to text in a number of different ways. Here, we'll outline two approaches you can use to accomplish this.

Here Is the method convert srt to text with javascript and regex.

How to convert srt to text with javascript and regex

JavaScript provides the function to convert an SRT (SubRip Text) subtitle file to text using regex:


function convertSrtToText(srt) {
  // Use a expressão regular para remover os números de linha e as marcas de tempo
  return srt.replace(/^\d+\n([\d:,]+ --> [\d:,]+\n)/gm, '');
}
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Line numbers and timestamps are removed from the SRT file by this function using a regular expression. Without the line numbers and timestamps, it returns the text that was left in the SRT file.

Simply call the function, supplying the content of the SRT file as a parameter, like in the example below, to use it.

var srt = "1\n00:00:10,500 --> 00:00:13,000\nTexto da linha 1\n\n2\n00:00:13,500 --> 00:00:16,000\nTexto da linha 2\n\n3\n00:00:16,500 --> 00:00:19,000\nTexto da linha 3\n";
var text = convertSrtToText(srt);
console.log(text); // Exibe "Texto da linha 1\n\nTexto da linha 2\n\nTexto da linha 3\n"
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Using the fs module

We require the fs module, which enables us to interact with file systems in various ways, in order to process the SRT text.

We require the Node.js environment and the command below to install the fs module.

npm install fs
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We can use the regex techniques to convert srt to text now that we have the fs module.

Using replace () Method

You would first need to read the contents of the srt file using the fs module in Node.js in order to convert a srt file to text in JavaScript using regex. The text from the srt file would then need to be extracted using a regular expression. Here is an illustration of how it might be done:

const fs = require('fs');

// Read the contents of the srt file
const srtFile = fs.readFileSync('/path/to/file.srt', 'utf8');

// Use a regular expression to extract the text from the srt file
const text = srtFile.replace(/^\\d+\\n(\\d{2}:\\d{2}:\\d{2},\\d{3} --> \\d{2}:\\d{2}:\\d{2},\\d{3})\\n/gm, '');

console.log(text);
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Output

1
00:00:51,916 --> 00:00:54,582
'London in the 1960s.

2
00:00:54,708 --> 00:00:57,124
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'Everyone had a story about the Krays.
The timestamp and speaker information at the start of each line in the srt file are matched in this example using the regular expression /d+n(d2:d2:d2,d3 --> d2:d2:d2,d3)n/gm. Then, only the text itself is kept by using the replace() method to delete this data.

Using match () Method

Here is another method to convert a srt file to text in JavaScript is as follows:

const fs = require('fs');

// Read the contents of the srt file
const srtFile = fs.readFileSync('/path/to/file.srt', 'utf8');

// Split the srt file into an array of lines
const lines = srtFile.split('\\n');

// Use a for loop to iterate over the lines in the array
for (let i = 0; i < lines.length; i++) {
  // Skip the lines that start with a timestamp or speaker information
  if (lines[i].match(/^\\d+$/) || lines[i].match(/^\\d{2}:\\d{2}:\\d{2},\\d{3} --> \\d{2}:\\d{2}:\\d{2},\\d{3}$/)) {
    continue;
  }

  // Print the remaining lines, which should be the text from the srt file
  console.log(lines[i]);
}
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Output

1
00:00:51,916 --> 00:00:54,582
'London in the 1960s.

2
00:00:54,708 --> 00:00:57,124
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'Everyone had a story about the Krays.
In this technique, the srt file's contents are divided into an array of lines using the split() method. The lines in the array are then iterated over in a for loop, and a regular expression is used to determine whether or not each line begins with a date or speaker information. If so, the loop moves on to the following iteration. If not, the text from the srt file is displayed to the console along with the line.

Convert SRT using JS Modules

Other methods besides JavaScript exist to convert SRT files to text. You can think about the following choices:

srt-to-vtt module

SRT-to-VTT module usage To convert SRT files to text, use the npm package known as srt-to-vtt. You must instal it using the following command before using it:

npm install srt-to-vtt

Then use the following code:

const srtToVtt = require('srt-to-vtt');

srtToVtt.convertSrtToVtt('path/to/input.srt', 'path/to/output.vtt', (err) => {
  if (err) {
    console.error(err);
  } else {
    console.log('Conversão concluída com sucesso');
  }
});

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srt-to-txt module

SRT-to-TXT module usage Another npm package that may be used to convert SRT files to text is the srt-to-txt module. You must instal it using the following command before using it:

npm install srt-to-txt

const srtToTxt = require('srt-to-txt');

srtToTxt('path/to/input.srt').then((text) => {
  console.log(text);
});
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SubRip-Text library

Using the SubRip-Text library SRT files can be read and edited using the JavaScript library known as the SubRip-Text. You must instal it using the following command before using it:

npm install subrip-text

const SubRipText = require('subrip-text');

const srt = new SubRipText('path/to/input.srt');

console.log(srt.getPlainText());
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Other ways to convert SRT to TXT

Other techniques exist for converting an SRT file to text (TXT). You can think about the following options:

Using an online converter: You may convert SRT files to text using a number of different online converters. The converter will handle the conversion for you after you upload the SRT file.

Use a text editor: Text editors with features for deleting line numbers and timestamps from SRT files include Notepad++ and Sublime Text. These settings can be used to remove these components and save the file as a plain text file.

Using a command line script: If you need to convert a lot of SRT files automatically while working with them, using a command line script similar to the ones in this post can be helpful.

Summary

For storing subtitles in a text file, the SRT format is frequently used. It is frequently employed to show closed subtitles for videos. Regular expressions can be used in JavaScript to transform SRT data into plain text.

You may accomplish this by reading the contents of the SRT file using the fs module in Node.js. The text from the SRT file can then be extracted using a regular expression. One technique is to take out the timestamp and speaker information at the start of each line using the replace() method. Another strategy is to output the remaining lines, which should contain the text from the SRT file, after using the match () method to ignore any lines that begin with a date or speaker name.

It's vital to keep in mind that because SRT files can have different formats, these methods might not always function. If you want to extract the text from the SRT file, you might need to change the regular expressions or try an other strategy.


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