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StripQuotes

Function StripQuotes( const aValue : string; aChar : Char) : string

Example​

procedure ScriptEvent(var Value: variant);
begin
  Value := StripQuotes('"A""B"', '"'); // A"B
end;

Usage​

StripQuotes removes one matching outer character pair and collapses doubled occurrences of that character inside.

Return rules

  • Empty input returns empty.
  • Unbalanced or differently wrapped input returns unchanged; interior doubled characters are not collapsed.
  • A one-character input equal to aChar is treated as both opening and closing and returns empty.
  • Two wrapping characters with no interior also return empty.
  • Balanced input returns the interior after replace-all unescaping of doubled aChar.

Important behavior and quirks

  • aChar can be any character; the function does not restrict it to apostrophe or double quote.
  • The interior replace uses rfIgnoreCase. This is irrelevant for punctuation quotes, but becomes material when a letter is supplied as aChar: doubled case variants can also match.
  • Single unescaped occurrences inside the function are preserved. The function validates neither CSV nor Pascal/SQL quoting grammar.
  • Only one outer layer is removed per call.

Additional Technical Info​

StripQuotes transforms a string only when its first and last characters both exactly equal aChar. It removes that one outer pair, then replaces every doubled aChar + aChar in the interior with one aChar.

The example is fictional and source-reviewed only. Pascal string literals are delimited by apostrophes, so the double-quote characters in the example are literal data.

Performance and concurrency

Balanced input is copied and then scanned by StringReplace; unbalanced input returns directly. No shared state is used.

External references

Created 2026-07-15