# Split not allowing optional parameters

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/split-not-allowing-optional-parameters/114877>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** question\
**Created:** [May 28, 2024, 9:13pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/split-not-allowing-optional-parameters/114877 "2024-05-28T21:13:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Shaneful](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/shaneful/32/208290_2.png) [@Shaneful](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Shaneful)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 9:13pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/split-not-allowing-optional-parameters/114877/1 "2024-05-28T21:13:06Z")

</div>

![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/5/1/51e4977ee19e8678257a1b31b007cf6eea790cc3.png)  
As shown in image (hopefully), split isn’t accepting the third and fourth arguments. Have tinkered around with it for a bit, wondering what’s up and why it won’t work. I’d like to let it delete empty strings (“”). Thanks.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mkitti](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mkitti/32/12459_2.png) [@mkitti](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mkitti)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/split-not-allowing-optional-parameters/114877/2 "2024-05-28T21:28:15Z")

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The optional arguments are keyword arguments.

```julia
split(
    "something},1",
    "}";
    limit=0,
    keepempty=true
)

```

In a single line, you could also write one of the following.

```julia
split("something},1", "}"; limit=0, keepempty=true)
split("something},1", "}", limit=0, keepempty=true)

```

All the arguments past the optional `;` must be keyword arguments.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![stevengj](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/stevengj/32/71_2.png) [@stevengj](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/stevengj)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 9:37pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/split-not-allowing-optional-parameters/114877/3 "2024-05-28T21:37:53Z")

</div>

> [@Shaneful](#):
>
> As shown in image (hopefully)

PS. Please don’t post screenshots of code. Post quoted code as text: [PSA: how to quote code with backticks](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/psa-how-to-quote-code-with-backticks/7530)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/dan/32/42581_2.png) [@Dan](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Dan)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 9:47pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/split-not-allowing-optional-parameters/114877/4 "2024-05-28T21:47:26Z")

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> [@mkitti](#):
>
> `split("something},1", "}"; limit=0, keepempty=true)`

Also, if splitting on a single character, using a Char instead of a String (i.e. `'}'` instead of `"}"`) for the splitter might improve the speed:

```julia
split("something},1", '}'; limit=0, keepempty=true)

```