command_table_text = """add 1  alter 3  backup 2  bottom 1  Cappend 2  change 1  Schange  Cinsert 2  Clast 3
   compress 4 copy 2 count 3 Coverlay 3 cursor 3  delete 3 Cdelete 2  down 1  duplicate
   3 xEdit 1 expand 3 extract 3  find 1 Nfind 2 Nfindup 6 NfUP 3 Cfind 2 findUP 3 fUP 2
   forward 2  get  help 1 hexType 4  input 1 powerInput 3  join 1 split 2 spltJOIN load
   locate 1 Clocate 2 lowerCase 3 upperCase 3 Lprefix 2  macro  merge 2 modify 3 move 2
   msg  next 1 overlay 1 parse preserve 4 purge 3 put putD query 1 quit  read recover 3
   refresh renum 3 repeat 3 replace 1 Creplace 2 reset 3 restore 4 rgtLEFT right 2 left
   2  save  set  shift 2  si  sort  sos  stack 3 status 4 top  transfer 3  type 1  up 1"""

user_words = "riG   rePEAT copies  put mo   rest    types   fup.    6       poweRin"


def find_abbreviations_length(command_table_text):
    """ find the minimal abbreviation length for each word.
        a word that does not have minimum abbreviation length specified
        gets it's full lengths as the minimum.
    """
    command_table = dict()
    input_iter = iter(command_table_text.split())

    word = None
    try:
        while True:
            if word is None:
                word = next(input_iter)
            abbr_len = next(input_iter, len(word))
            try:
                command_table[word] = int(abbr_len)
                word = None
            except ValueError:
                command_table[word] = len(word)
                word = abbr_len
    except StopIteration:
        pass
    return command_table


def find_abbreviations(command_table):
    """ for each command insert all possible abbreviations"""
    abbreviations = dict()
    for command, min_abbr_len in command_table.items():
        for l in range(min_abbr_len, len(command)+1):
            abbr = command[:l].lower()
            abbreviations[abbr] = command.upper()
    return abbreviations


def parse_user_string(user_string, abbreviations):
    user_words = [word.lower() for word in user_string.split()]
    commands = [abbreviations.get(user_word, "*error*") for user_word in user_words]
    return " ".join(commands)


command_table = find_abbreviations_length(command_table_text)
abbreviations_table = find_abbreviations(command_table)

full_words = parse_user_string(user_words, abbreviations_table)

print("user words:", user_words)
print("full words:", full_words)