Python shlex.split(), ignore single quotes

Question

How, in Python, can I use shlex.split() or similar to split strings, preserving only double quotes? For example, if the input is \"hello, world\" is what \'i

Answer 1

You can use shlex.quotes to control which characters will be considered string quotes. You'll need to modify shlex.wordchars as well, to keep the ' with the i and the say.

import shlex

input = '"hello, world" is what \'i say\''
lexer = shlex.shlex(input)
lexer.quotes = '"'
lexer.wordchars += '\''

output = list(lexer)
# ['"hello, world"', 'is', 'what', "'i", "say'"]