# How to convert range (given as string) to true vector
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-convert-range-given-as-string-to-true-vector/91536
**Category:** New to Julia
**Created:** [December 11, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-convert-range-given-as-string-to-true-vector/91536 "2022-12-11T22:32:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ceysa75](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ceysa75)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-convert-range-given-as-string-to-true-vector/91536/1 "2022-12-11T22:32:16Z")
Hi to you all,
suppose I have given the string expression “1-5”. I would like to convert this to a true integer vector, i.e. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. That seems to be a bit tricky to me. Could someone give me a hint ?
Thanks
---
### Author:  [@fredrikekre](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/fredrikekre)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2022, 11:14pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-convert-range-given-as-string-to-true-vector/91536/2 "2022-12-11T23:14:01Z")
Here is one way, using a [regular expression](https://docs.julialang.org/en/v1/manual/strings/#man-regex-literals), [`parse`](https://docs.julialang.org/en/v1/base/numbers/#Base.parse) and [`collect`](https://docs.julialang.org/en/v1/base/collections/#Base.collect-Tuple%7BAny%7D):
```julia
julia> str = "1-5";
julia> function range_str_to_vec(str)
m = match(r"(\d+)\-(\d+)", str)
m === nothing && error("good error message")
r = parse(Int, m[1]) : parse(Int, m[2])
collect(r)
end;
julia> range_str_to_vec(str)
5-element Vector{Int64}:
1
2
3
4
5
```
Depending on your usecase you might be able to skip the collect since a range behaves more or less like a regular vector, but saves memory.
---
### Author:  [@rmsmsgood](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/rmsmsgood)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2022, 2:00am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-convert-range-given-as-string-to-true-vector/91536/3 "2022-12-12T02:00:31Z")
If you are not familiar to regular expression and the form will be not broken, then `split` function may be an easier way.
```julia
julia> input = "1-5"
"1-5"
julia> (a,b) = parse.(Int64, (split(input, '-')))
2-element Vector{Int64}:
1
5
julia> collect(a:b)
5-element Vector{Int64}:
1
2
3
4
5
```
---
### Author:  [@ceysa75](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ceysa75)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2022, 5:36am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-convert-range-given-as-string-to-true-vector/91536/4 "2022-12-12T05:36:41Z")
Both solutions are great. Thank you very much!