code: def first_digits(s, default=0):
      
      s = re.split(r'[^0-9]+', str(s).strip().lstrip('+-' + charlist.whitespace))
      if len(s) and len(s[0]):
          return int(s[0])
      return default
docs: Return the fist (left-hand) digits in a string as a single integer, ignoring sign (+/-).
      >>> first_digits('+123.456')
      123