local fn CollapseString( inString as CFStringRef ) as CFStringRef
  CFMutableStringRef outString = fn MutableStringWithCapacity(0)
  long index
  unichar prevChar = 0, currChar

  for index = 0 to len(inString) - 1
    currChar = fn StringCharacterAtIndex( inString, index )
    if ( currChar != prevChar ) then MutableStringAppendFormat( outString, @"%C", currChar )
    prevChar = currChar
  next
end fn = outString

window 1, @"Collapse String", (0,0,600,300)

CFStringRef string, collapsedString

string = @""
collapsedString = fn CollapseString( string )
printf @"<<<%@>>> %ld\n<<<%@>>> %ld\n",string,len(string),collapsedString,len(collapsedString)

string = @"\"If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?\" --- Abraham Lincoln "
collapsedString = fn CollapseString( string )
printf@"<<<%@>>> %ld\n<<<%@>>> %ld\n",string,len(string),collapsedString,len(collapsedString)

string = @"..1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111117777888"
collapsedString = fn CollapseString( string )
printf@"<<<%@>>> %ld\n<<<%@>>> %ld\n",string,len(string),collapsedString,len(collapsedString)

string = @"I never give 'em hell, I just tell the truth, and they think it's hell. "
collapsedString = fn CollapseString( string )
printf@"<<<%@>>> %ld\n<<<%@>>> %ld\n",string,len(string),collapsedString,len(collapsedString)

string = @"                                                    --- Harry S Truman  "
collapsedString = fn CollapseString( string )
printf@"<<<%@>>> %ld\n<<<%@>>> %ld\n",string,len(string),collapsedString,len(collapsedString)

string = @"\"AAAAAll that glitters is not goldDDDD.\" - William Shakespeare"
collapsedString = fn CollapseString( string )
printf@"<<<%@>>> %ld\n<<<%@>>> %ld\n",string,len(string),collapsedString,len(collapsedString)

HandleEvents