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| revision 185 by ph10, Tue Jun 19 13:39:46 2007 UTC | revision 289 by ph10, Sun Dec 23 12:17:20 2007 UTC | |
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| # | Line 45 INTRODUCTION | Line 45 INTRODUCTION |
| 45 | ||
| 46 | Details of exactly which Perl regular expression features are and are | Details of exactly which Perl regular expression features are and are |
| 47 | not supported by PCRE are given in separate documents. See the pcrepat- | not supported by PCRE are given in separate documents. See the pcrepat- |
| 48 | tern and pcrecompat pages. | tern and pcrecompat pages. There is a syntax summary in the pcresyntax |
| 49 | page. | |
| 50 | ||
| 51 | Some features of PCRE can be included, excluded, or changed when the | Some features of PCRE can be included, excluded, or changed when the |
| 52 | library is built. The pcre_config() function makes it possible for a | library is built. The pcre_config() function makes it possible for a |
| 53 | client to discover which features are available. The features them- | client to discover which features are available. The features them- |
| 54 | selves are described in the pcrebuild page. Documentation about build- | selves are described in the pcrebuild page. Documentation about build- |
| 55 | ing PCRE for various operating systems can be found in the README file | ing PCRE for various operating systems can be found in the README file |
| 56 | in the source distribution. | in the source distribution. |
| 57 | ||
| 58 | The library contains a number of undocumented internal functions and | The library contains a number of undocumented internal functions and |
| 59 | data tables that are used by more than one of the exported external | data tables that are used by more than one of the exported external |
| 60 | functions, but which are not intended for use by external callers. | functions, but which are not intended for use by external callers. |
| 61 | Their names all begin with "_pcre_", which hopefully will not provoke | Their names all begin with "_pcre_", which hopefully will not provoke |
| 62 | any name clashes. In some environments, it is possible to control which | any name clashes. In some environments, it is possible to control which |
| 63 | external symbols are exported when a shared library is built, and in | external symbols are exported when a shared library is built, and in |
| 64 | these cases the undocumented symbols are not exported. | these cases the undocumented symbols are not exported. |
| 65 | ||
| 66 | ||
| 67 | USER DOCUMENTATION | USER DOCUMENTATION |
| 68 | ||
| 69 | The user documentation for PCRE comprises a number of different sec- | The user documentation for PCRE comprises a number of different sec- |
| 70 | tions. In the "man" format, each of these is a separate "man page". In | tions. In the "man" format, each of these is a separate "man page". In |
| 71 | the HTML format, each is a separate page, linked from the index page. | the HTML format, each is a separate page, linked from the index page. |
| 72 | In the plain text format, all the sections are concatenated, for ease | In the plain text format, all the sections are concatenated, for ease |
| 73 | of searching. The sections are as follows: | of searching. The sections are as follows: |
| 74 | ||
| 75 | pcre this document | pcre this document |
| # | Line 83 USER DOCUMENTATION | Line 84 USER DOCUMENTATION |
| 84 | pcrepartial details of the partial matching facility | pcrepartial details of the partial matching facility |
| 85 | pcrepattern syntax and semantics of supported | pcrepattern syntax and semantics of supported |
| 86 | regular expressions | regular expressions |
| 87 | pcresyntax quick syntax reference | |
| 88 | pcreperform discussion of performance issues | pcreperform discussion of performance issues |
| 89 | pcreposix the POSIX-compatible C API | pcreposix the POSIX-compatible C API |
| 90 | pcreprecompile details of saving and re-using precompiled patterns | pcreprecompile details of saving and re-using precompiled patterns |
| # | Line 90 USER DOCUMENTATION | Line 92 USER DOCUMENTATION |
| 92 | pcrestack discussion of stack usage | pcrestack discussion of stack usage |
| 93 | pcretest description of the pcretest testing command | pcretest description of the pcretest testing command |
| 94 | ||
| 95 | In addition, in the "man" and HTML formats, there is a short page for | In addition, in the "man" and HTML formats, there is a short page for |
| 96 | each C library function, listing its arguments and results. | each C library function, listing its arguments and results. |
| 97 | ||
| 98 | ||
| 99 | LIMITATIONS | LIMITATIONS |
| 100 | ||
| 101 | There are some size limitations in PCRE but it is hoped that they will | There are some size limitations in PCRE but it is hoped that they will |
| 102 | never in practice be relevant. | never in practice be relevant. |
| 103 | ||
| 104 | The maximum length of a compiled pattern is 65539 (sic) bytes if PCRE | The maximum length of a compiled pattern is 65539 (sic) bytes if PCRE |
| 105 | is compiled with the default internal linkage size of 2. If you want to | is compiled with the default internal linkage size of 2. If you want to |
| 106 | process regular expressions that are truly enormous, you can compile | process regular expressions that are truly enormous, you can compile |
| 107 | PCRE with an internal linkage size of 3 or 4 (see the README file in | PCRE with an internal linkage size of 3 or 4 (see the README file in |
| 108 | the source distribution and the pcrebuild documentation for details). | the source distribution and the pcrebuild documentation for details). |
| 109 | In these cases the limit is substantially larger. However, the speed | In these cases the limit is substantially larger. However, the speed |
| 110 | of execution is slower. | of execution is slower. |
| 111 | ||
| 112 | All values in repeating quantifiers must be less than 65536. The maxi- | All values in repeating quantifiers must be less than 65536. |
| mum compiled length of subpattern with an explicit repeat count is | ||
| 30000 bytes. The maximum number of capturing subpatterns is 65535. | ||
| 113 | ||
| 114 | There is no limit to the number of parenthesized subpatterns, but there | There is no limit to the number of parenthesized subpatterns, but there |
| 115 | can be no more than 65535 capturing subpatterns. | can be no more than 65535 capturing subpatterns. |
| # | Line 117 LIMITATIONS | Line 117 LIMITATIONS |
| 117 | The maximum length of name for a named subpattern is 32 characters, and | The maximum length of name for a named subpattern is 32 characters, and |
| 118 | the maximum number of named subpatterns is 10000. | the maximum number of named subpatterns is 10000. |
| 119 | ||
| 120 | The maximum length of a subject string is the largest positive number | The maximum length of a subject string is the largest positive number |
| 121 | that an integer variable can hold. However, when using the traditional | that an integer variable can hold. However, when using the traditional |
| 122 | matching function, PCRE uses recursion to handle subpatterns and indef- | matching function, PCRE uses recursion to handle subpatterns and indef- |
| 123 | inite repetition. This means that the available stack space may limit | inite repetition. This means that the available stack space may limit |
| 124 | the size of a subject string that can be processed by certain patterns. | the size of a subject string that can be processed by certain patterns. |
| 125 | For a discussion of stack issues, see the pcrestack documentation. | For a discussion of stack issues, see the pcrestack documentation. |
| 126 | ||
| 127 | ||
| 128 | UTF-8 AND UNICODE PROPERTY SUPPORT | UTF-8 AND UNICODE PROPERTY SUPPORT |
| 129 | ||
| 130 | From release 3.3, PCRE has had some support for character strings | From release 3.3, PCRE has had some support for character strings |
| 131 | encoded in the UTF-8 format. For release 4.0 this was greatly extended | encoded in the UTF-8 format. For release 4.0 this was greatly extended |
| 132 | to cover most common requirements, and in release 5.0 additional sup- | to cover most common requirements, and in release 5.0 additional sup- |
| 133 | port for Unicode general category properties was added. | port for Unicode general category properties was added. |
| 134 | ||
| 135 | In order process UTF-8 strings, you must build PCRE to include UTF-8 | In order process UTF-8 strings, you must build PCRE to include UTF-8 |
| 136 | support in the code, and, in addition, you must call pcre_compile() | support in the code, and, in addition, you must call pcre_compile() |
| 137 | with the PCRE_UTF8 option flag. When you do this, both the pattern and | with the PCRE_UTF8 option flag. When you do this, both the pattern and |
| 138 | any subject strings that are matched against it are treated as UTF-8 | any subject strings that are matched against it are treated as UTF-8 |
| 139 | strings instead of just strings of bytes. | strings instead of just strings of bytes. |
| 140 | ||
| 141 | If you compile PCRE with UTF-8 support, but do not use it at run time, | If you compile PCRE with UTF-8 support, but do not use it at run time, |
| 142 | the library will be a bit bigger, but the additional run time overhead | the library will be a bit bigger, but the additional run time overhead |
| 143 | is limited to testing the PCRE_UTF8 flag occasionally, so should not be | is limited to testing the PCRE_UTF8 flag occasionally, so should not be |
| 144 | very big. | very big. |
| 145 | ||
| 146 | If PCRE is built with Unicode character property support (which implies | If PCRE is built with Unicode character property support (which implies |
| 147 | UTF-8 support), the escape sequences \p{..}, \P{..}, and \X are sup- | UTF-8 support), the escape sequences \p{..}, \P{..}, and \X are sup- |
| 148 | ported. The available properties that can be tested are limited to the | ported. The available properties that can be tested are limited to the |
| 149 | general category properties such as Lu for an upper case letter or Nd | general category properties such as Lu for an upper case letter or Nd |
| 150 | for a decimal number, the Unicode script names such as Arabic or Han, | for a decimal number, the Unicode script names such as Arabic or Han, |
| 151 | and the derived properties Any and L&. A full list is given in the | and the derived properties Any and L&. A full list is given in the |
| 152 | pcrepattern documentation. Only the short names for properties are sup- | pcrepattern documentation. Only the short names for properties are sup- |
| 153 | ported. For example, \p{L} matches a letter. Its Perl synonym, \p{Let- | ported. For example, \p{L} matches a letter. Its Perl synonym, \p{Let- |
| 154 | ter}, is not supported. Furthermore, in Perl, many properties may | ter}, is not supported. Furthermore, in Perl, many properties may |
| 155 | optionally be prefixed by "Is", for compatibility with Perl 5.6. PCRE | optionally be prefixed by "Is", for compatibility with Perl 5.6. PCRE |
| 156 | does not support this. | does not support this. |
| 157 | ||
| 158 | The following comments apply when PCRE is running in UTF-8 mode: | Validity of UTF-8 strings |
| 159 | ||
| 160 | When you set the PCRE_UTF8 flag, the strings passed as patterns and | |
| 161 | subjects are (by default) checked for validity on entry to the relevant | |
| 162 | functions. From release 7.3 of PCRE, the check is according the rules | |
| 163 | of RFC 3629, which are themselves derived from the Unicode specifica- | |
| 164 | tion. Earlier releases of PCRE followed the rules of RFC 2279, which | |
| 165 | allows the full range of 31-bit values (0 to 0x7FFFFFFF). The current | |
| 166 | check allows only values in the range U+0 to U+10FFFF, excluding U+D800 | |
| 167 | to U+DFFF. | |
| 168 | ||
| 169 | The excluded code points are the "Low Surrogate Area" of Unicode, of | |
| 170 | which the Unicode Standard says this: "The Low Surrogate Area does not | |
| 171 | contain any character assignments, consequently no character code | |
| 172 | charts or namelists are provided for this area. Surrogates are reserved | |
| 173 | for use with UTF-16 and then must be used in pairs." The code points | |
| 174 | that are encoded by UTF-16 pairs are available as independent code | |
| 175 | points in the UTF-8 encoding. (In other words, the whole surrogate | |
| 176 | thing is a fudge for UTF-16 which unfortunately messes up UTF-8.) | |
| 177 | ||
| 178 | If an invalid UTF-8 string is passed to PCRE, an error return | |
| 179 | (PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8) is given. In some situations, you may already know | |
| 180 | that your strings are valid, and therefore want to skip these checks in | |
| 181 | order to improve performance. If you set the PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK flag at | |
| 182 | compile time or at run time, PCRE assumes that the pattern or subject | |
| 183 | it is given (respectively) contains only valid UTF-8 codes. In this | |
| 184 | case, it does not diagnose an invalid UTF-8 string. | |
| 185 | ||
| 186 | If you pass an invalid UTF-8 string when PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK is set, | |
| 187 | what happens depends on why the string is invalid. If the string con- | |
| 188 | forms to the "old" definition of UTF-8 (RFC 2279), it is processed as a | |
| 189 | string of characters in the range 0 to 0x7FFFFFFF. In other words, | |
| 190 | apart from the initial validity test, PCRE (when in UTF-8 mode) handles | |
| 191 | strings according to the more liberal rules of RFC 2279. However, if | |
| 192 | the string does not even conform to RFC 2279, the result is undefined. | |
| 193 | Your program may crash. | |
| 194 | ||
| 195 | If you want to process strings of values in the full range 0 to | |
| 196 | 0x7FFFFFFF, encoded in a UTF-8-like manner as per the old RFC, you can | |
| 197 | set PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK to bypass the more restrictive test. However, in | |
| 198 | this situation, you will have to apply your own validity check. | |
| 199 | ||
| 200 | 1. When you set the PCRE_UTF8 flag, the strings passed as patterns and | General comments about UTF-8 mode |
| subjects are checked for validity on entry to the relevant functions. | ||
| If an invalid UTF-8 string is passed, an error return is given. In some | ||
| situations, you may already know that your strings are valid, and | ||
| therefore want to skip these checks in order to improve performance. If | ||
| you set the PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK flag at compile time or at run time, | ||
| PCRE assumes that the pattern or subject it is given (respectively) | ||
| contains only valid UTF-8 codes. In this case, it does not diagnose an | ||
| invalid UTF-8 string. If you pass an invalid UTF-8 string to PCRE when | ||
| PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK is set, the results are undefined. Your program may | ||
| crash. | ||
| 201 | ||
| 202 | 2. An unbraced hexadecimal escape sequence (such as \xb3) matches a | 1. An unbraced hexadecimal escape sequence (such as \xb3) matches a |
| 203 | two-byte UTF-8 character if the value is greater than 127. | two-byte UTF-8 character if the value is greater than 127. |
| 204 | ||
| 205 | 3. Octal numbers up to \777 are recognized, and match two-byte UTF-8 | 2. Octal numbers up to \777 are recognized, and match two-byte UTF-8 |
| 206 | characters for values greater than \177. | characters for values greater than \177. |
| 207 | ||
| 208 | 4. Repeat quantifiers apply to complete UTF-8 characters, not to indi- | 3. Repeat quantifiers apply to complete UTF-8 characters, not to indi- |
| 209 | vidual bytes, for example: \x{100}{3}. | vidual bytes, for example: \x{100}{3}. |
| 210 | ||
| 211 | 5. The dot metacharacter matches one UTF-8 character instead of a sin- | 4. The dot metacharacter matches one UTF-8 character instead of a sin- |
| 212 | gle byte. | gle byte. |
| 213 | ||
| 214 | 6. The escape sequence \C can be used to match a single byte in UTF-8 | 5. The escape sequence \C can be used to match a single byte in UTF-8 |
| 215 | mode, but its use can lead to some strange effects. This facility is | mode, but its use can lead to some strange effects. This facility is |
| 216 | not available in the alternative matching function, pcre_dfa_exec(). | not available in the alternative matching function, pcre_dfa_exec(). |
| 217 | ||
| 218 | 7. The character escapes \b, \B, \d, \D, \s, \S, \w, and \W correctly | 6. The character escapes \b, \B, \d, \D, \s, \S, \w, and \W correctly |
| 219 | test characters of any code value, but the characters that PCRE recog- | test characters of any code value, but the characters that PCRE recog- |
| 220 | nizes as digits, spaces, or word characters remain the same set as | nizes as digits, spaces, or word characters remain the same set as |
| 221 | before, all with values less than 256. This remains true even when PCRE | before, all with values less than 256. This remains true even when PCRE |
| 222 | includes Unicode property support, because to do otherwise would slow | includes Unicode property support, because to do otherwise would slow |
| 223 | down PCRE in many common cases. If you really want to test for a wider | down PCRE in many common cases. If you really want to test for a wider |
| 224 | sense of, say, "digit", you must use Unicode property tests such as | sense of, say, "digit", you must use Unicode property tests such as |
| 225 | \p{Nd}. | \p{Nd}. |
| 226 | ||
| 227 | 8. Similarly, characters that match the POSIX named character classes | 7. Similarly, characters that match the POSIX named character classes |
| 228 | are all low-valued characters. | are all low-valued characters. |
| 229 | ||
| 230 | 9. However, the Perl 5.10 horizontal and vertical whitespace matching | 8. However, the Perl 5.10 horizontal and vertical whitespace matching |
| 231 | escapes (\h, \H, \v, and \V) do match all the appropriate Unicode char- | escapes (\h, \H, \v, and \V) do match all the appropriate Unicode char- |
| 232 | acters. | acters. |
| 233 | ||
| 234 | 10. Case-insensitive matching applies only to characters whose values | 9. Case-insensitive matching applies only to characters whose values |
| 235 | are less than 128, unless PCRE is built with Unicode property support. | are less than 128, unless PCRE is built with Unicode property support. |
| 236 | Even when Unicode property support is available, PCRE still uses its | Even when Unicode property support is available, PCRE still uses its |
| 237 | own character tables when checking the case of low-valued characters, | own character tables when checking the case of low-valued characters, |
| 238 | so as not to degrade performance. The Unicode property information is | so as not to degrade performance. The Unicode property information is |
| 239 | used only for characters with higher values. Even when Unicode property | used only for characters with higher values. Even when Unicode property |
| 240 | support is available, PCRE supports case-insensitive matching only when | support is available, PCRE supports case-insensitive matching only when |
| 241 | there is a one-to-one mapping between a letter's cases. There are a | there is a one-to-one mapping between a letter's cases. There are a |
| 242 | small number of many-to-one mappings in Unicode; these are not sup- | small number of many-to-one mappings in Unicode; these are not sup- |
| 243 | ported by PCRE. | ported by PCRE. |
| 244 | ||
| 245 | ||
| # | Line 219 AUTHOR | Line 249 AUTHOR |
| 249 | University Computing Service | University Computing Service |
| 250 | Cambridge CB2 3QH, England. | Cambridge CB2 3QH, England. |
| 251 | ||
| 252 | Putting an actual email address here seems to have been a spam magnet, | Putting an actual email address here seems to have been a spam magnet, |
| 253 | so I've taken it away. If you want to email me, use my two initials, | so I've taken it away. If you want to email me, use my two initials, |
| 254 | followed by the two digits 10, at the domain cam.ac.uk. | followed by the two digits 10, at the domain cam.ac.uk. |
| 255 | ||
| 256 | ||
| 257 | REVISION | REVISION |
| 258 | ||
| 259 | Last updated: 13 June 2007 | Last updated: 09 August 2007 |
| 260 | Copyright (c) 1997-2007 University of Cambridge. | Copyright (c) 1997-2007 University of Cambridge. |
| 261 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 262 | ||
| # | Line 241 NAME | Line 271 NAME |
| 271 | PCRE BUILD-TIME OPTIONS | PCRE BUILD-TIME OPTIONS |
| 272 | ||
| 273 | This document describes the optional features of PCRE that can be | This document describes the optional features of PCRE that can be |
| 274 | selected when the library is compiled. They are all selected, or dese- | selected when the library is compiled. It assumes use of the configure |
| 275 | lected, by providing options to the configure script that is run before | script, where the optional features are selected or deselected by pro- |
| 276 | the make command. The complete list of options for configure (which | viding options to configure before running the make command. However, |
| 277 | includes the standard ones such as the selection of the installation | the same options can be selected in both Unix-like and non-Unix-like |
| 278 | directory) can be obtained by running | environments using the GUI facility of CMakeSetup if you are using |
| 279 | CMake instead of configure to build PCRE. | |
| 280 | ||
| 281 | The complete list of options for configure (which includes the standard | |
| 282 | ones such as the selection of the installation directory) can be | |
| 283 | obtained by running | |
| 284 | ||
| 285 | ./configure --help | ./configure --help |
| 286 | ||
| 287 | The following sections include descriptions of options whose names | The following sections include descriptions of options whose names |
| 288 | begin with --enable or --disable. These settings specify changes to the | begin with --enable or --disable. These settings specify changes to the |
| 289 | defaults for the configure command. Because of the way that configure | defaults for the configure command. Because of the way that configure |
| 290 | works, --enable and --disable always come in pairs, so the complemen- | works, --enable and --disable always come in pairs, so the complemen- |
| 291 | tary option always exists as well, but as it specifies the default, it | tary option always exists as well, but as it specifies the default, it |
| 292 | is not described. | is not described. |
| 293 | ||
| 294 | ||
| # | Line 274 UTF-8 SUPPORT | Line 309 UTF-8 SUPPORT |
| 309 | ||
| 310 | --enable-utf8 | --enable-utf8 |
| 311 | ||
| 312 | to the configure command. Of itself, this does not make PCRE treat | to the configure command. Of itself, this does not make PCRE treat |
| 313 | strings as UTF-8. As well as compiling PCRE with this option, you also | strings as UTF-8. As well as compiling PCRE with this option, you also |
| 314 | have have to set the PCRE_UTF8 option when you call the pcre_compile() | have have to set the PCRE_UTF8 option when you call the pcre_compile() |
| 315 | function. | function. |
| 316 | ||
| 317 | ||
| 318 | UNICODE CHARACTER PROPERTY SUPPORT | UNICODE CHARACTER PROPERTY SUPPORT |
| 319 | ||
| 320 | UTF-8 support allows PCRE to process character values greater than 255 | UTF-8 support allows PCRE to process character values greater than 255 |
| 321 | in the strings that it handles. On its own, however, it does not pro- | in the strings that it handles. On its own, however, it does not pro- |
| 322 | vide any facilities for accessing the properties of such characters. If | vide any facilities for accessing the properties of such characters. If |
| 323 | you want to be able to use the pattern escapes \P, \p, and \X, which | you want to be able to use the pattern escapes \P, \p, and \X, which |
| 324 | refer to Unicode character properties, you must add | refer to Unicode character properties, you must add |
| 325 | ||
| 326 | --enable-unicode-properties | --enable-unicode-properties |
| 327 | ||
| 328 | to the configure command. This implies UTF-8 support, even if you have | to the configure command. This implies UTF-8 support, even if you have |
| 329 | not explicitly requested it. | not explicitly requested it. |
| 330 | ||
| 331 | Including Unicode property support adds around 30K of tables to the | Including Unicode property support adds around 30K of tables to the |
| 332 | PCRE library. Only the general category properties such as Lu and Nd | PCRE library. Only the general category properties such as Lu and Nd |
| 333 | are supported. Details are given in the pcrepattern documentation. | are supported. Details are given in the pcrepattern documentation. |
| 334 | ||
| 335 | ||
| 336 | CODE VALUE OF NEWLINE | CODE VALUE OF NEWLINE |
| 337 | ||
| 338 | By default, PCRE interprets character 10 (linefeed, LF) as indicating | By default, PCRE interprets character 10 (linefeed, LF) as indicating |
| 339 | the end of a line. This is the normal newline character on Unix-like | the end of a line. This is the normal newline character on Unix-like |
| 340 | systems. You can compile PCRE to use character 13 (carriage return, CR) | systems. You can compile PCRE to use character 13 (carriage return, CR) |
| 341 | instead, by adding | instead, by adding |
| 342 | ||
| 343 | --enable-newline-is-cr | --enable-newline-is-cr |
| 344 | ||
| 345 | to the configure command. There is also a --enable-newline-is-lf | to the configure command. There is also a --enable-newline-is-lf |
| 346 | option, which explicitly specifies linefeed as the newline character. | option, which explicitly specifies linefeed as the newline character. |
| 347 | ||
| 348 | Alternatively, you can specify that line endings are to be indicated by | Alternatively, you can specify that line endings are to be indicated by |
| # | Line 319 CODE VALUE OF NEWLINE | Line 354 CODE VALUE OF NEWLINE |
| 354 | ||
| 355 | --enable-newline-is-anycrlf | --enable-newline-is-anycrlf |
| 356 | ||
| 357 | which causes PCRE to recognize any of the three sequences CR, LF, or | which causes PCRE to recognize any of the three sequences CR, LF, or |
| 358 | CRLF as indicating a line ending. Finally, a fifth option, specified by | CRLF as indicating a line ending. Finally, a fifth option, specified by |
| 359 | ||
| 360 | --enable-newline-is-any | --enable-newline-is-any |
| 361 | ||
| 362 | causes PCRE to recognize any Unicode newline sequence. | causes PCRE to recognize any Unicode newline sequence. |
| 363 | ||
| 364 | Whatever line ending convention is selected when PCRE is built can be | Whatever line ending convention is selected when PCRE is built can be |
| 365 | overridden when the library functions are called. At build time it is | overridden when the library functions are called. At build time it is |
| 366 | conventional to use the standard for your operating system. | conventional to use the standard for your operating system. |
| 367 | ||
| 368 | ||
| 369 | WHAT \R MATCHES | |
| 370 | ||
| 371 | By default, the sequence \R in a pattern matches any Unicode newline | |
| 372 | sequence, whatever has been selected as the line ending sequence. If | |
| 373 | you specify | |
| 374 | ||
| 375 | --enable-bsr-anycrlf | |
| 376 | ||
| 377 | the default is changed so that \R matches only CR, LF, or CRLF. What- | |
| 378 | ever is selected when PCRE is built can be overridden when the library | |
| 379 | functions are called. | |
| 380 | ||
| 381 | ||
| 382 | BUILDING SHARED AND STATIC LIBRARIES | BUILDING SHARED AND STATIC LIBRARIES |
| 383 | ||
| 384 | The PCRE building process uses libtool to build both shared and static | The PCRE building process uses libtool to build both shared and static |
| 385 | Unix libraries by default. You can suppress one of these by adding one | Unix libraries by default. You can suppress one of these by adding one |
| 386 | of | of |
| 387 | ||
| 388 | --disable-shared | --disable-shared |
| # | Line 346 BUILDING SHARED AND STATIC LIBRARIES | Line 394 BUILDING SHARED AND STATIC LIBRARIES |
| 394 | POSIX MALLOC USAGE | POSIX MALLOC USAGE |
| 395 | ||
| 396 | When PCRE is called through the POSIX interface (see the pcreposix doc- | When PCRE is called through the POSIX interface (see the pcreposix doc- |
| 397 | umentation), additional working storage is required for holding the | umentation), additional working storage is required for holding the |
| 398 | pointers to capturing substrings, because PCRE requires three integers | pointers to capturing substrings, because PCRE requires three integers |
| 399 | per substring, whereas the POSIX interface provides only two. If the | per substring, whereas the POSIX interface provides only two. If the |
| 400 | number of expected substrings is small, the wrapper function uses space | number of expected substrings is small, the wrapper function uses space |
| 401 | on the stack, because this is faster than using malloc() for each call. | on the stack, because this is faster than using malloc() for each call. |
| 402 | The default threshold above which the stack is no longer used is 10; it | The default threshold above which the stack is no longer used is 10; it |
| # | Line 361 POSIX MALLOC USAGE | Line 409 POSIX MALLOC USAGE |
| 409 | ||
| 410 | HANDLING VERY LARGE PATTERNS | HANDLING VERY LARGE PATTERNS |
| 411 | ||
| 412 | Within a compiled pattern, offset values are used to point from one | Within a compiled pattern, offset values are used to point from one |
| 413 | part to another (for example, from an opening parenthesis to an alter- | part to another (for example, from an opening parenthesis to an alter- |
| 414 | nation metacharacter). By default, two-byte values are used for these | nation metacharacter). By default, two-byte values are used for these |
| 415 | offsets, leading to a maximum size for a compiled pattern of around | offsets, leading to a maximum size for a compiled pattern of around |
| 416 | 64K. This is sufficient to handle all but the most gigantic patterns. | 64K. This is sufficient to handle all but the most gigantic patterns. |
| 417 | Nevertheless, some people do want to process enormous patterns, so it | Nevertheless, some people do want to process enormous patterns, so it |
| 418 | is possible to compile PCRE to use three-byte or four-byte offsets by | is possible to compile PCRE to use three-byte or four-byte offsets by |
| 419 | adding a setting such as | adding a setting such as |
| 420 | ||
| 421 | --with-link-size=3 | --with-link-size=3 |
| 422 | ||
| 423 | to the configure command. The value given must be 2, 3, or 4. Using | to the configure command. The value given must be 2, 3, or 4. Using |
| 424 | longer offsets slows down the operation of PCRE because it has to load | longer offsets slows down the operation of PCRE because it has to load |
| 425 | additional bytes when handling them. | additional bytes when handling them. |
| 426 | ||
| 427 | ||
| 428 | AVOIDING EXCESSIVE STACK USAGE | AVOIDING EXCESSIVE STACK USAGE |
| 429 | ||
| 430 | When matching with the pcre_exec() function, PCRE implements backtrack- | When matching with the pcre_exec() function, PCRE implements backtrack- |
| 431 | ing by making recursive calls to an internal function called match(). | ing by making recursive calls to an internal function called match(). |
| 432 | In environments where the size of the stack is limited, this can se- | In environments where the size of the stack is limited, this can se- |
| 433 | verely limit PCRE's operation. (The Unix environment does not usually | verely limit PCRE's operation. (The Unix environment does not usually |
| 434 | suffer from this problem, but it may sometimes be necessary to increase | suffer from this problem, but it may sometimes be necessary to increase |
| 435 | the maximum stack size. There is a discussion in the pcrestack docu- | the maximum stack size. There is a discussion in the pcrestack docu- |
| 436 | mentation.) An alternative approach to recursion that uses memory from | mentation.) An alternative approach to recursion that uses memory from |
| 437 | the heap to remember data, instead of using recursive function calls, | the heap to remember data, instead of using recursive function calls, |
| 438 | has been implemented to work round the problem of limited stack size. | has been implemented to work round the problem of limited stack size. |
| 439 | If you want to build a version of PCRE that works this way, add | If you want to build a version of PCRE that works this way, add |
| 440 | ||
| 441 | --disable-stack-for-recursion | --disable-stack-for-recursion |
| 442 | ||
| 443 | to the configure command. With this configuration, PCRE will use the | to the configure command. With this configuration, PCRE will use the |
| 444 | pcre_stack_malloc and pcre_stack_free variables to call memory manage- | pcre_stack_malloc and pcre_stack_free variables to call memory manage- |
| 445 | ment functions. By default these point to malloc() and free(), but you | ment functions. By default these point to malloc() and free(), but you |
| 446 | can replace the pointers so that your own functions are used. | can replace the pointers so that your own functions are used. |
| 447 | ||
| 448 | Separate functions are provided rather than using pcre_malloc and | Separate functions are provided rather than using pcre_malloc and |
| 449 | pcre_free because the usage is very predictable: the block sizes | pcre_free because the usage is very predictable: the block sizes |
| 450 | requested are always the same, and the blocks are always freed in | requested are always the same, and the blocks are always freed in |
| 451 | reverse order. A calling program might be able to implement optimized | reverse order. A calling program might be able to implement optimized |
| 452 | functions that perform better than malloc() and free(). PCRE runs | functions that perform better than malloc() and free(). PCRE runs |
| 453 | noticeably more slowly when built in this way. This option affects only | noticeably more slowly when built in this way. This option affects only |
| 454 | the pcre_exec() function; it is not relevant for the the | the pcre_exec() function; it is not relevant for the the |
| 455 | pcre_dfa_exec() function. | pcre_dfa_exec() function. |
| 456 | ||
| 457 | ||
| 458 | LIMITING PCRE RESOURCE USAGE | LIMITING PCRE RESOURCE USAGE |
| 459 | ||
| 460 | Internally, PCRE has a function called match(), which it calls repeat- | Internally, PCRE has a function called match(), which it calls repeat- |
| 461 | edly (sometimes recursively) when matching a pattern with the | edly (sometimes recursively) when matching a pattern with the |
| 462 | pcre_exec() function. By controlling the maximum number of times this | pcre_exec() function. By controlling the maximum number of times this |
| 463 | function may be called during a single matching operation, a limit can | function may be called during a single matching operation, a limit can |
| 464 | be placed on the resources used by a single call to pcre_exec(). The | be placed on the resources used by a single call to pcre_exec(). The |
| 465 | limit can be changed at run time, as described in the pcreapi documen- | limit can be changed at run time, as described in the pcreapi documen- |
| 466 | tation. The default is 10 million, but this can be changed by adding a | tation. The default is 10 million, but this can be changed by adding a |
| 467 | setting such as | setting such as |
| 468 | ||
| 469 | --with-match-limit=500000 | --with-match-limit=500000 |
| 470 | ||
| 471 | to the configure command. This setting has no effect on the | to the configure command. This setting has no effect on the |
| 472 | pcre_dfa_exec() matching function. | pcre_dfa_exec() matching function. |
| 473 | ||
| 474 | In some environments it is desirable to limit the depth of recursive | In some environments it is desirable to limit the depth of recursive |
| 475 | calls of match() more strictly than the total number of calls, in order | calls of match() more strictly than the total number of calls, in order |
| 476 | to restrict the maximum amount of stack (or heap, if --disable-stack- | to restrict the maximum amount of stack (or heap, if --disable-stack- |
| 477 | for-recursion is specified) that is used. A second limit controls this; | for-recursion is specified) that is used. A second limit controls this; |
| 478 | it defaults to the value that is set for --with-match-limit, which | it defaults to the value that is set for --with-match-limit, which |
| 479 | imposes no additional constraints. However, you can set a lower limit | imposes no additional constraints. However, you can set a lower limit |
| 480 | by adding, for example, | by adding, for example, |
| 481 | ||
| 482 | --with-match-limit-recursion=10000 | --with-match-limit-recursion=10000 |
| 483 | ||
| 484 | to the configure command. This value can also be overridden at run | to the configure command. This value can also be overridden at run |
| 485 | time. | time. |
| 486 | ||
| 487 | ||
| 488 | CREATING CHARACTER TABLES AT BUILD TIME | CREATING CHARACTER TABLES AT BUILD TIME |
| 489 | ||
| 490 | PCRE uses fixed tables for processing characters whose code values are | PCRE uses fixed tables for processing characters whose code values are |
| 491 | less than 256. By default, PCRE is built with a set of tables that are | less than 256. By default, PCRE is built with a set of tables that are |
| 492 | distributed in the file pcre_chartables.c.dist. These tables are for | distributed in the file pcre_chartables.c.dist. These tables are for |
| 493 | ASCII codes only. If you add | ASCII codes only. If you add |
| 494 | ||
| 495 | --enable-rebuild-chartables | --enable-rebuild-chartables |
| 496 | ||
| 497 | to the configure command, the distributed tables are no longer used. | to the configure command, the distributed tables are no longer used. |
| 498 | Instead, a program called dftables is compiled and run. This outputs | Instead, a program called dftables is compiled and run. This outputs |
| 499 | the source for new set of tables, created in the default locale of your | the source for new set of tables, created in the default locale of your |
| 500 | C runtime system. (This method of replacing the tables does not work if | C runtime system. (This method of replacing the tables does not work if |
| 501 | you are cross compiling, because dftables is run on the local host. If | you are cross compiling, because dftables is run on the local host. If |
| 502 | you need to create alternative tables when cross compiling, you will | you need to create alternative tables when cross compiling, you will |
| 503 | have to do so "by hand".) | have to do so "by hand".) |
| 504 | ||
| 505 | ||
| 506 | USING EBCDIC CODE | USING EBCDIC CODE |
| 507 | ||
| 508 | PCRE assumes by default that it will run in an environment where the | PCRE assumes by default that it will run in an environment where the |
| 509 | character code is ASCII (or Unicode, which is a superset of ASCII). | character code is ASCII (or Unicode, which is a superset of ASCII). |
| 510 | PCRE can, however, be compiled to run in an EBCDIC environment by | This is the case for most computer operating systems. PCRE can, how- |
| 511 | adding | ever, be compiled to run in an EBCDIC environment by adding |
| 512 | ||
| 513 | --enable-ebcdic | --enable-ebcdic |
| 514 | ||
| 515 | to the configure command. This setting implies --enable-rebuild-charta- | to the configure command. This setting implies --enable-rebuild-charta- |
| 516 | bles. | bles. You should only use it if you know that you are in an EBCDIC |
| 517 | environment (for example, an IBM mainframe operating system). | |
| 518 | ||
| 519 | ||
| 520 | PCREGREP OPTIONS FOR COMPRESSED FILE SUPPORT | |
| 521 | ||
| 522 | By default, pcregrep reads all files as plain text. You can build it so | |
| 523 | that it recognizes files whose names end in .gz or .bz2, and reads them | |
| 524 | with libz or libbz2, respectively, by adding one or both of | |
| 525 | ||
| 526 | --enable-pcregrep-libz | |
| 527 | --enable-pcregrep-libbz2 | |
| 528 | ||
| 529 | to the configure command. These options naturally require that the rel- | |
| 530 | evant libraries are installed on your system. Configuration will fail | |
| 531 | if they are not. | |
| 532 | ||
| 533 | ||
| 534 | PCRETEST OPTION FOR LIBREADLINE SUPPORT | |
| 535 | ||
| 536 | If you add | |
| 537 | ||
| 538 | --enable-pcretest-libreadline | |
| 539 | ||
| 540 | to the configure command, pcretest is linked with the libreadline | |
| 541 | library, and when its input is from a terminal, it reads it using the | |
| 542 | readline() function. This provides line-editing and history facilities. | |
| 543 | Note that libreadline is GPL-licenced, so if you distribute a binary of | |
| 544 | pcretest linked in this way, there may be licensing issues. | |
| 545 | ||
| 546 | ||
| 547 | SEE ALSO | SEE ALSO |
| # | Line 482 AUTHOR | Line 558 AUTHOR |
| 558 | ||
| 559 | REVISION | REVISION |
| 560 | ||
| 561 | Last updated: 05 June 2007 | Last updated: 18 December 2007 |
| 562 | Copyright (c) 1997-2007 University of Cambridge. | Copyright (c) 1997-2007 University of Cambridge. |
| 563 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 564 | ||
| # | Line 626 THE ALTERNATIVE MATCHING ALGORITHM | Line 702 THE ALTERNATIVE MATCHING ALGORITHM |
| 702 | 6. Callouts are supported, but the value of the capture_top field is | 6. Callouts are supported, but the value of the capture_top field is |
| 703 | always 1, and the value of the capture_last field is always -1. | always 1, and the value of the capture_last field is always -1. |
| 704 | ||
| 705 | 7. The \C escape sequence, which (in the standard algorithm) matches a | 7. The \C escape sequence, which (in the standard algorithm) matches a |
| 706 | single byte, even in UTF-8 mode, is not supported because the alterna- | single byte, even in UTF-8 mode, is not supported because the alterna- |
| 707 | tive algorithm moves through the subject string one character at a | tive algorithm moves through the subject string one character at a |
| 708 | time, for all active paths through the tree. | time, for all active paths through the tree. |
| 709 | ||
| 710 | 8. None of the backtracking control verbs such as (*PRUNE) are sup- | |
| 711 | ported. | |
| 712 | ||
| 713 | ||
| 714 | ADVANTAGES OF THE ALTERNATIVE ALGORITHM | ADVANTAGES OF THE ALTERNATIVE ALGORITHM |
| 715 | ||
| 716 | Using the alternative matching algorithm provides the following advan- | Using the alternative matching algorithm provides the following advan- |
| 717 | tages: | tages: |
| 718 | ||
| 719 | 1. All possible matches (at a single point in the subject) are automat- | 1. All possible matches (at a single point in the subject) are automat- |
| 720 | ically found, and in particular, the longest match is found. To find | ically found, and in particular, the longest match is found. To find |
| 721 | more than one match using the standard algorithm, you have to do kludgy | more than one match using the standard algorithm, you have to do kludgy |
| 722 | things with callouts. | things with callouts. |
| 723 | ||
| 724 | 2. There is much better support for partial matching. The restrictions | 2. There is much better support for partial matching. The restrictions |
| 725 | on the content of the pattern that apply when using the standard algo- | on the content of the pattern that apply when using the standard algo- |
| 726 | rithm for partial matching do not apply to the alternative algorithm. | rithm for partial matching do not apply to the alternative algorithm. |
| 727 | For non-anchored patterns, the starting position of a partial match is | For non-anchored patterns, the starting position of a partial match is |
| 728 | available. | available. |
| 729 | ||
| 730 | 3. Because the alternative algorithm scans the subject string just | 3. Because the alternative algorithm scans the subject string just |
| 731 | once, and never needs to backtrack, it is possible to pass very long | once, and never needs to backtrack, it is possible to pass very long |
| 732 | subject strings to the matching function in several pieces, checking | subject strings to the matching function in several pieces, checking |
| 733 | for partial matching each time. | for partial matching each time. |
| 734 | ||
| 735 | ||
| # | Line 658 DISADVANTAGES OF THE ALTERNATIVE ALGORIT | Line 737 DISADVANTAGES OF THE ALTERNATIVE ALGORIT |
| 737 | ||
| 738 | The alternative algorithm suffers from a number of disadvantages: | The alternative algorithm suffers from a number of disadvantages: |
| 739 | ||
| 740 | 1. It is substantially slower than the standard algorithm. This is | 1. It is substantially slower than the standard algorithm. This is |
| 741 | partly because it has to search for all possible matches, but is also | partly because it has to search for all possible matches, but is also |
| 742 | because it is less susceptible to optimization. | because it is less susceptible to optimization. |
| 743 | ||
| 744 | 2. Capturing parentheses and back references are not supported. | 2. Capturing parentheses and back references are not supported. |
| # | Line 677 AUTHOR | Line 756 AUTHOR |
| 756 | ||
| 757 | REVISION | REVISION |
| 758 | ||
| 759 | Last updated: 29 May 2007 | Last updated: 08 August 2007 |
| 760 | Copyright (c) 1997-2007 University of Cambridge. | Copyright (c) 1997-2007 University of Cambridge. |
| 761 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 762 | ||
| # | Line 874 NEWLINES | Line 953 NEWLINES |
| 953 | dard. When PCRE is run, the default can be overridden, either when a | dard. When PCRE is run, the default can be overridden, either when a |
| 954 | pattern is compiled, or when it is matched. | pattern is compiled, or when it is matched. |
| 955 | ||
| 956 | At compile time, the newline convention can be specified by the options | |
| 957 | argument of pcre_compile(), or it can be specified by special text at | |
| 958 | the start of the pattern itself; this overrides any other settings. See | |
| 959 | the pcrepattern page for details of the special character sequences. | |
| 960 | ||
| 961 | In the PCRE documentation the word "newline" is used to mean "the char- | In the PCRE documentation the word "newline" is used to mean "the char- |
| 962 | acter or pair of characters that indicate a line break". The choice of | acter or pair of characters that indicate a line break". The choice of |
| 963 | newline convention affects the handling of the dot, circumflex, and | newline convention affects the handling of the dot, circumflex, and |
| 964 | dollar metacharacters, the handling of #-comments in /x mode, and, when | dollar metacharacters, the handling of #-comments in /x mode, and, when |
| 965 | CRLF is a recognized line ending sequence, the match position advance- | CRLF is a recognized line ending sequence, the match position advance- |
| 966 | ment for a non-anchored pattern. The choice of newline convention does | ment for a non-anchored pattern. There is more detail about this in the |
| 967 | not affect the interpretation of the \n or \r escape sequences. | section on pcre_exec() options below. |
| 968 | ||
| 969 | The choice of newline convention does not affect the interpretation of | |
| 970 | the \n or \r escape sequences, nor does it affect what \R matches, | |
| 971 | which is controlled in a similar way, but by separate options. | |
| 972 | ||
| 973 | ||
| 974 | MULTITHREADING | MULTITHREADING |
| 975 | ||
| 976 | The PCRE functions can be used in multi-threading applications, with | The PCRE functions can be used in multi-threading applications, with |
| 977 | the proviso that the memory management functions pointed to by | the proviso that the memory management functions pointed to by |
| 978 | pcre_malloc, pcre_free, pcre_stack_malloc, and pcre_stack_free, and the | pcre_malloc, pcre_free, pcre_stack_malloc, and pcre_stack_free, and the |
| 979 | callout function pointed to by pcre_callout, are shared by all threads. | callout function pointed to by pcre_callout, are shared by all threads. |
| 980 | ||
| 981 | The compiled form of a regular expression is not altered during match- | The compiled form of a regular expression is not altered during match- |
| 982 | ing, so the same compiled pattern can safely be used by several threads | ing, so the same compiled pattern can safely be used by several threads |
| 983 | at once. | at once. |
| 984 | ||
| # | Line 898 MULTITHREADING | Line 986 MULTITHREADING |
| 986 | SAVING PRECOMPILED PATTERNS FOR LATER USE | SAVING PRECOMPILED PATTERNS FOR LATER USE |
| 987 | ||
| 988 | The compiled form of a regular expression can be saved and re-used at a | The compiled form of a regular expression can be saved and re-used at a |
| 989 | later time, possibly by a different program, and even on a host other | later time, possibly by a different program, and even on a host other |
| 990 | than the one on which it was compiled. Details are given in the | than the one on which it was compiled. Details are given in the |
| 991 | pcreprecompile documentation. However, compiling a regular expression | pcreprecompile documentation. However, compiling a regular expression |
| 992 | with one version of PCRE for use with a different version is not guar- | with one version of PCRE for use with a different version is not guar- |
| 993 | anteed to work and may cause crashes. | anteed to work and may cause crashes. |
| 994 | ||
| 995 | ||
| # | Line 909 CHECKING BUILD-TIME OPTIONS | Line 997 CHECKING BUILD-TIME OPTIONS |
| 997 | ||
| 998 | int pcre_config(int what, void *where); | int pcre_config(int what, void *where); |
| 999 | ||
| 1000 | The function pcre_config() makes it possible for a PCRE client to dis- | The function pcre_config() makes it possible for a PCRE client to dis- |
| 1001 | cover which optional features have been compiled into the PCRE library. | cover which optional features have been compiled into the PCRE library. |
| 1002 | The pcrebuild documentation has more details about these optional fea- | The pcrebuild documentation has more details about these optional fea- |
| 1003 | tures. | tures. |
| 1004 | ||
| 1005 | The first argument for pcre_config() is an integer, specifying which | The first argument for pcre_config() is an integer, specifying which |
| 1006 | information is required; the second argument is a pointer to a variable | information is required; the second argument is a pointer to a variable |
| 1007 | into which the information is placed. The following information is | into which the information is placed. The following information is |
| 1008 | available: | available: |
| 1009 | ||
| 1010 | PCRE_CONFIG_UTF8 | PCRE_CONFIG_UTF8 |
| 1011 | ||
| 1012 | The output is an integer that is set to one if UTF-8 support is avail- | The output is an integer that is set to one if UTF-8 support is avail- |
| 1013 | able; otherwise it is set to zero. | able; otherwise it is set to zero. |
| 1014 | ||
| 1015 | PCRE_CONFIG_UNICODE_PROPERTIES | PCRE_CONFIG_UNICODE_PROPERTIES |
| 1016 | ||
| 1017 | The output is an integer that is set to one if support for Unicode | The output is an integer that is set to one if support for Unicode |
| 1018 | character properties is available; otherwise it is set to zero. | character properties is available; otherwise it is set to zero. |
| 1019 | ||
| 1020 | PCRE_CONFIG_NEWLINE | PCRE_CONFIG_NEWLINE |
| 1021 | ||
| 1022 | The output is an integer whose value specifies the default character | The output is an integer whose value specifies the default character |
| 1023 | sequence that is recognized as meaning "newline". The four values that | sequence that is recognized as meaning "newline". The four values that |
| 1024 | are supported are: 10 for LF, 13 for CR, 3338 for CRLF, -2 for ANYCRLF, | are supported are: 10 for LF, 13 for CR, 3338 for CRLF, -2 for ANYCRLF, |
| 1025 | and -1 for ANY. The default should normally be the standard sequence | and -1 for ANY. The default should normally be the standard sequence |
| 1026 | for your operating system. | for your operating system. |
| 1027 | ||
| 1028 | PCRE_CONFIG_BSR | |
| 1029 | ||
| 1030 | The output is an integer whose value indicates what character sequences | |
| 1031 | the \R escape sequence matches by default. A value of 0 means that \R | |
| 1032 | matches any Unicode line ending sequence; a value of 1 means that \R | |
| 1033 | matches only CR, LF, or CRLF. The default can be overridden when a pat- | |
| 1034 | tern is compiled or matched. | |
| 1035 | ||
| 1036 | PCRE_CONFIG_LINK_SIZE | PCRE_CONFIG_LINK_SIZE |
| 1037 | ||
| 1038 | The output is an integer that contains the number of bytes used for | The output is an integer that contains the number of bytes used for |
| 1039 | internal linkage in compiled regular expressions. The value is 2, 3, or | internal linkage in compiled regular expressions. The value is 2, 3, or |
| 1040 | 4. Larger values allow larger regular expressions to be compiled, at | 4. Larger values allow larger regular expressions to be compiled, at |
| 1041 | the expense of slower matching. The default value of 2 is sufficient | the expense of slower matching. The default value of 2 is sufficient |
| 1042 | for all but the most massive patterns, since it allows the compiled | for all but the most massive patterns, since it allows the compiled |
| 1043 | pattern to be up to 64K in size. | pattern to be up to 64K in size. |
| 1044 | ||
| 1045 | PCRE_CONFIG_POSIX_MALLOC_THRESHOLD | PCRE_CONFIG_POSIX_MALLOC_THRESHOLD |
| 1046 | ||
| 1047 | The output is an integer that contains the threshold above which the | The output is an integer that contains the threshold above which the |
| 1048 | POSIX interface uses malloc() for output vectors. Further details are | POSIX interface uses malloc() for output vectors. Further details are |
| 1049 | given in the pcreposix documentation. | given in the pcreposix documentation. |
| 1050 | ||
| 1051 | PCRE_CONFIG_MATCH_LIMIT | PCRE_CONFIG_MATCH_LIMIT |
| 1052 | ||
| 1053 | The output is an integer that gives the default limit for the number of | The output is an integer that gives the default limit for the number of |
| 1054 | internal matching function calls in a pcre_exec() execution. Further | internal matching function calls in a pcre_exec() execution. Further |
| 1055 | details are given with pcre_exec() below. | details are given with pcre_exec() below. |
| 1056 | ||
| 1057 | PCRE_CONFIG_MATCH_LIMIT_RECURSION | PCRE_CONFIG_MATCH_LIMIT_RECURSION |
| 1058 | ||
| 1059 | The output is an integer that gives the default limit for the depth of | The output is an integer that gives the default limit for the depth of |
| 1060 | recursion when calling the internal matching function in a pcre_exec() | recursion when calling the internal matching function in a pcre_exec() |
| 1061 | execution. Further details are given with pcre_exec() below. | execution. Further details are given with pcre_exec() below. |
| 1062 | ||
| 1063 | PCRE_CONFIG_STACKRECURSE | PCRE_CONFIG_STACKRECURSE |
| 1064 | ||
| 1065 | The output is an integer that is set to one if internal recursion when | The output is an integer that is set to one if internal recursion when |
| 1066 | running pcre_exec() is implemented by recursive function calls that use | running pcre_exec() is implemented by recursive function calls that use |
| 1067 | the stack to remember their state. This is the usual way that PCRE is | the stack to remember their state. This is the usual way that PCRE is |
| 1068 | compiled. The output is zero if PCRE was compiled to use blocks of data | compiled. The output is zero if PCRE was compiled to use blocks of data |
| 1069 | on the heap instead of recursive function calls. In this case, | on the heap instead of recursive function calls. In this case, |
| 1070 | pcre_stack_malloc and pcre_stack_free are called to manage memory | pcre_stack_malloc and pcre_stack_free are called to manage memory |
| 1071 | blocks on the heap, thus avoiding the use of the stack. | blocks on the heap, thus avoiding the use of the stack. |
| 1072 | ||
| 1073 | ||
| # | Line 988 COMPILING A PATTERN | Line 1084 COMPILING A PATTERN |
| 1084 | ||
| 1085 | Either of the functions pcre_compile() or pcre_compile2() can be called | Either of the functions pcre_compile() or pcre_compile2() can be called |
| 1086 | to compile a pattern into an internal form. The only difference between | to compile a pattern into an internal form. The only difference between |
| 1087 | the two interfaces is that pcre_compile2() has an additional argument, | the two interfaces is that pcre_compile2() has an additional argument, |
| 1088 | errorcodeptr, via which a numerical error code can be returned. | errorcodeptr, via which a numerical error code can be returned. |
| 1089 | ||
| 1090 | The pattern is a C string terminated by a binary zero, and is passed in | The pattern is a C string terminated by a binary zero, and is passed in |
| 1091 | the pattern argument. A pointer to a single block of memory that is | the pattern argument. A pointer to a single block of memory that is |
| 1092 | obtained via pcre_malloc is returned. This contains the compiled code | obtained via pcre_malloc is returned. This contains the compiled code |
| 1093 | and related data. The pcre type is defined for the returned block; this | and related data. The pcre type is defined for the returned block; this |
| 1094 | is a typedef for a structure whose contents are not externally defined. | is a typedef for a structure whose contents are not externally defined. |
| 1095 | It is up to the caller to free the memory (via pcre_free) when it is no | It is up to the caller to free the memory (via pcre_free) when it is no |
| 1096 | longer required. | longer required. |
| 1097 | ||
| 1098 | Although the compiled code of a PCRE regex is relocatable, that is, it | Although the compiled code of a PCRE regex is relocatable, that is, it |
| 1099 | does not depend on memory location, the complete pcre data block is not | does not depend on memory location, the complete pcre data block is not |
| 1100 | fully relocatable, because it may contain a copy of the tableptr argu- | fully relocatable, because it may contain a copy of the tableptr argu- |
| 1101 | ment, which is an address (see below). | ment, which is an address (see below). |
| 1102 | ||
| 1103 | The options argument contains various bit settings that affect the com- | The options argument contains various bit settings that affect the com- |
| 1104 | pilation. It should be zero if no options are required. The available | pilation. It should be zero if no options are required. The available |
| 1105 | options are described below. Some of them, in particular, those that | options are described below. Some of them, in particular, those that |
| 1106 | are compatible with Perl, can also be set and unset from within the | are compatible with Perl, can also be set and unset from within the |
| 1107 | pattern (see the detailed description in the pcrepattern documenta- | pattern (see the detailed description in the pcrepattern documenta- |
| 1108 | tion). For these options, the contents of the options argument speci- | tion). For these options, the contents of the options argument speci- |
| 1109 | fies their initial settings at the start of compilation and execution. | fies their initial settings at the start of compilation and execution. |
| 1110 | The PCRE_ANCHORED and PCRE_NEWLINE_xxx options can be set at the time | The PCRE_ANCHORED and PCRE_NEWLINE_xxx options can be set at the time |
| 1111 | of matching as well as at compile time. | of matching as well as at compile time. |
| 1112 | ||
| 1113 | If errptr is NULL, pcre_compile() returns NULL immediately. Otherwise, | If errptr is NULL, pcre_compile() returns NULL immediately. Otherwise, |
| 1114 | if compilation of a pattern fails, pcre_compile() returns NULL, and | if compilation of a pattern fails, pcre_compile() returns NULL, and |
| 1115 | sets the variable pointed to by errptr to point to a textual error mes- | sets the variable pointed to by errptr to point to a textual error mes- |
| 1116 | sage. This is a static string that is part of the library. You must not | sage. This is a static string that is part of the library. You must not |
| 1117 | try to free it. The offset from the start of the pattern to the charac- | try to free it. The offset from the start of the pattern to the charac- |
| 1118 | ter where the error was discovered is placed in the variable pointed to | ter where the error was discovered is placed in the variable pointed to |
| 1119 | by erroffset, which must not be NULL. If it is, an immediate error is | by erroffset, which must not be NULL. If it is, an immediate error is |
| 1120 | given. | given. |
| 1121 | ||
| 1122 | If pcre_compile2() is used instead of pcre_compile(), and the error- | If pcre_compile2() is used instead of pcre_compile(), and the error- |
| 1123 | codeptr argument is not NULL, a non-zero error code number is returned | codeptr argument is not NULL, a non-zero error code number is returned |
| 1124 | via this argument in the event of an error. This is in addition to the | via this argument in the event of an error. This is in addition to the |
| 1125 | textual error message. Error codes and messages are listed below. | textual error message. Error codes and messages are listed below. |
| 1126 | ||
| 1127 | If the final argument, tableptr, is NULL, PCRE uses a default set of | If the final argument, tableptr, is NULL, PCRE uses a default set of |
| 1128 | character tables that are built when PCRE is compiled, using the | character tables that are built when PCRE is compiled, using the |
| 1129 | default C locale. Otherwise, tableptr must be an address that is the | default C locale. Otherwise, tableptr must be an address that is the |
| 1130 | result of a call to pcre_maketables(). This value is stored with the | result of a call to pcre_maketables(). This value is stored with the |
| 1131 | compiled pattern, and used again by pcre_exec(), unless another table | compiled pattern, and used again by pcre_exec(), unless another table |
| 1132 | pointer is passed to it. For more discussion, see the section on locale | pointer is passed to it. For more discussion, see the section on locale |
| 1133 | support below. | support below. |
| 1134 | ||
| 1135 | This code fragment shows a typical straightforward call to pcre_com- | This code fragment shows a typical straightforward call to pcre_com- |
| 1136 | pile(): | pile(): |
| 1137 | ||
| 1138 | pcre *re; | pcre *re; |
| # | Line 1049 COMPILING A PATTERN | Line 1145 COMPILING A PATTERN |
| 1145 | &erroffset, /* for error offset */ | &erroffset, /* for error offset */ |
| 1146 | NULL); /* use default character tables */ | NULL); /* use default character tables */ |
| 1147 | ||
| 1148 | The following names for option bits are defined in the pcre.h header | The following names for option bits are defined in the pcre.h header |
| 1149 | file: | file: |
| 1150 | ||
| 1151 | PCRE_ANCHORED | PCRE_ANCHORED |
| 1152 | ||
| 1153 | If this bit is set, the pattern is forced to be "anchored", that is, it | If this bit is set, the pattern is forced to be "anchored", that is, it |
| 1154 | is constrained to match only at the first matching point in the string | is constrained to match only at the first matching point in the string |
| 1155 | that is being searched (the "subject string"). This effect can also be | that is being searched (the "subject string"). This effect can also be |
| 1156 | achieved by appropriate constructs in the pattern itself, which is the | achieved by appropriate constructs in the pattern itself, which is the |
| 1157 | only way to do it in Perl. | only way to do it in Perl. |
| 1158 | ||
| 1159 | PCRE_AUTO_CALLOUT | PCRE_AUTO_CALLOUT |
| 1160 | ||
| 1161 | If this bit is set, pcre_compile() automatically inserts callout items, | If this bit is set, pcre_compile() automatically inserts callout items, |
| 1162 | all with number 255, before each pattern item. For discussion of the | all with number 255, before each pattern item. For discussion of the |
| 1163 | callout facility, see the pcrecallout documentation. | callout facility, see the pcrecallout documentation. |
| 1164 | ||
| 1165 | PCRE_BSR_ANYCRLF | |
| 1166 | PCRE_BSR_UNICODE | |
| 1167 | ||
| 1168 | These options (which are mutually exclusive) control what the \R escape | |
| 1169 | sequence matches. The choice is either to match only CR, LF, or CRLF, | |
| 1170 | or to match any Unicode newline sequence. The default is specified when | |
| 1171 | PCRE is built. It can be overridden from within the pattern, or by set- | |
| 1172 | ting an option when a compiled pattern is matched. | |
| 1173 | ||
| 1174 | PCRE_CASELESS | PCRE_CASELESS |
| 1175 | ||
| 1176 | If this bit is set, letters in the pattern match both upper and lower | If this bit is set, letters in the pattern match both upper and lower |
| 1177 | case letters. It is equivalent to Perl's /i option, and it can be | case letters. It is equivalent to Perl's /i option, and it can be |
| 1178 | changed within a pattern by a (?i) option setting. In UTF-8 mode, PCRE | changed within a pattern by a (?i) option setting. In UTF-8 mode, PCRE |
| 1179 | always understands the concept of case for characters whose values are | always understands the concept of case for characters whose values are |
| 1180 | less than 128, so caseless matching is always possible. For characters | less than 128, so caseless matching is always possible. For characters |
| 1181 | with higher values, the concept of case is supported if PCRE is com- | with higher values, the concept of case is supported if PCRE is com- |
| 1182 | piled with Unicode property support, but not otherwise. If you want to | piled with Unicode property support, but not otherwise. If you want to |
| 1183 | use caseless matching for characters 128 and above, you must ensure | use caseless matching for characters 128 and above, you must ensure |
| 1184 | that PCRE is compiled with Unicode property support as well as with | that PCRE is compiled with Unicode property support as well as with |
| 1185 | UTF-8 support. | UTF-8 support. |
| 1186 | ||
| 1187 | PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY | PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY |
| 1188 | ||
| 1189 | If this bit is set, a dollar metacharacter in the pattern matches only | If this bit is set, a dollar metacharacter in the pattern matches only |
| 1190 | at the end of the subject string. Without this option, a dollar also | at the end of the subject string. Without this option, a dollar also |
| 1191 | matches immediately before a newline at the end of the string (but not | matches immediately before a newline at the end of the string (but not |
| 1192 | before any other newlines). The PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY option is ignored | before any other newlines). The PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY option is ignored |
| 1193 | if PCRE_MULTILINE is set. There is no equivalent to this option in | if PCRE_MULTILINE is set. There is no equivalent to this option in |
| 1194 | Perl, and no way to set it within a pattern. | Perl, and no way to set it within a pattern. |
| 1195 | ||
| 1196 | PCRE_DOTALL | PCRE_DOTALL |
| 1197 | ||
| 1198 | If this bit is set, a dot metacharater in the pattern matches all char- | If this bit is set, a dot metacharater in the pattern matches all char- |
| 1199 | acters, including those that indicate newline. Without it, a dot does | acters, including those that indicate newline. Without it, a dot does |
| 1200 | not match when the current position is at a newline. This option is | not match when the current position is at a newline. This option is |
| 1201 | equivalent to Perl's /s option, and it can be changed within a pattern | equivalent to Perl's /s option, and it can be changed within a pattern |
| 1202 | by a (?s) option setting. A negative class such as [^a] always matches | by a (?s) option setting. A negative class such as [^a] always matches |
| 1203 | newline characters, independent of the setting of this option. | newline characters, independent of the setting of this option. |
| 1204 | ||
| 1205 | PCRE_DUPNAMES | PCRE_DUPNAMES |
| 1206 | ||
| 1207 | If this bit is set, names used to identify capturing subpatterns need | If this bit is set, names used to identify capturing subpatterns need |
| 1208 | not be unique. This can be helpful for certain types of pattern when it | not be unique. This can be helpful for certain types of pattern when it |
| 1209 | is known that only one instance of the named subpattern can ever be | is known that only one instance of the named subpattern can ever be |
| 1210 | matched. There are more details of named subpatterns below; see also | matched. There are more details of named subpatterns below; see also |
| 1211 | the pcrepattern documentation. | the pcrepattern documentation. |
| 1212 | ||
| 1213 | PCRE_EXTENDED | PCRE_EXTENDED |
| 1214 | ||
| 1215 | If this bit is set, whitespace data characters in the pattern are | If this bit is set, whitespace data characters in the pattern are |
| 1216 | totally ignored except when escaped or inside a character class. White- | totally ignored except when escaped or inside a character class. White- |
| 1217 | space does not include the VT character (code 11). In addition, charac- | space does not include the VT character (code 11). In addition, charac- |
| 1218 | ters between an unescaped # outside a character class and the next new- | ters between an unescaped # outside a character class and the next new- |
| 1219 | line, inclusive, are also ignored. This is equivalent to Perl's /x | line, inclusive, are also ignored. This is equivalent to Perl's /x |
| 1220 | option, and it can be changed within a pattern by a (?x) option set- | option, and it can be changed within a pattern by a (?x) option set- |
| 1221 | ting. | ting. |
| 1222 | ||
| 1223 | This option makes it possible to include comments inside complicated | This option makes it possible to include comments inside complicated |
| 1224 | patterns. Note, however, that this applies only to data characters. | patterns. Note, however, that this applies only to data characters. |
| 1225 | Whitespace characters may never appear within special character | Whitespace characters may never appear within special character |
| 1226 | sequences in a pattern, for example within the sequence (?( which | sequences in a pattern, for example within the sequence (?( which |
| 1227 | introduces a conditional subpattern. | introduces a conditional subpattern. |
| 1228 | ||
| 1229 | PCRE_EXTRA | PCRE_EXTRA |
| 1230 | ||
| 1231 | This option was invented in order to turn on additional functionality | This option was invented in order to turn on additional functionality |
| 1232 | of PCRE that is incompatible with Perl, but it is currently of very | of PCRE that is incompatible with Perl, but it is currently of very |
| 1233 | little use. When set, any backslash in a pattern that is followed by a | little use. When set, any backslash in a pattern that is followed by a |
| 1234 | letter that has no special meaning causes an error, thus reserving | letter that has no special meaning causes an error, thus reserving |
| 1235 | these combinations for future expansion. By default, as in Perl, a | these combinations for future expansion. By default, as in Perl, a |
| 1236 | backslash followed by a letter with no special meaning is treated as a | backslash followed by a letter with no special meaning is treated as a |
| 1237 | literal. (Perl can, however, be persuaded to give a warning for this.) | literal. (Perl can, however, be persuaded to give a warning for this.) |
| 1238 | There are at present no other features controlled by this option. It | There are at present no other features controlled by this option. It |
| 1239 | can also be set by a (?X) option setting within a pattern. | can also be set by a (?X) option setting within a pattern. |
| 1240 | ||
| 1241 | PCRE_FIRSTLINE | PCRE_FIRSTLINE |
| 1242 | ||
| 1243 | If this option is set, an unanchored pattern is required to match | If this option is set, an unanchored pattern is required to match |
| 1244 | before or at the first newline in the subject string, though the | before or at the first newline in the subject string, though the |
| 1245 | matched text may continue over the newline. | matched text may continue over the newline. |
| 1246 | ||
| 1247 | PCRE_MULTILINE | PCRE_MULTILINE |
| 1248 | ||
| 1249 | By default, PCRE treats the subject string as consisting of a single | By default, PCRE treats the subject string as consisting of a single |
| 1250 | line of characters (even if it actually contains newlines). The "start | line of characters (even if it actually contains newlines). The "start |
| 1251 | of line" metacharacter (^) matches only at the start of the string, | of line" metacharacter (^) matches only at the start of the string, |
| 1252 | while the "end of line" metacharacter ($) matches only at the end of | while the "end of line" metacharacter ($) matches only at the end of |
| 1253 | the string, or before a terminating newline (unless PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY | the string, or before a terminating newline (unless PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY |
| 1254 | is set). This is the same as Perl. | is set). This is the same as Perl. |
| 1255 | ||
| 1256 | When PCRE_MULTILINE it is set, the "start of line" and "end of line" | When PCRE_MULTILINE it is set, the "start of line" and "end of line" |
| 1257 | constructs match immediately following or immediately before internal | constructs match immediately following or immediately before internal |
| 1258 | newlines in the subject string, respectively, as well as at the very | newlines in the subject string, respectively, as well as at the very |
| 1259 | start and end. This is equivalent to Perl's /m option, and it can be | start and end. This is equivalent to Perl's /m option, and it can be |
| 1260 | changed within a pattern by a (?m) option setting. If there are no new- | changed within a pattern by a (?m) option setting. If there are no new- |
| 1261 | lines in a subject string, or no occurrences of ^ or $ in a pattern, | lines in a subject string, or no occurrences of ^ or $ in a pattern, |
| 1262 | setting PCRE_MULTILINE has no effect. | setting PCRE_MULTILINE has no effect. |
| 1263 | ||
| 1264 | PCRE_NEWLINE_CR | PCRE_NEWLINE_CR |
| # | Line 1162 COMPILING A PATTERN | Line 1267 COMPILING A PATTERN |
| 1267 | PCRE_NEWLINE_ANYCRLF | PCRE_NEWLINE_ANYCRLF |
| 1268 | PCRE_NEWLINE_ANY | PCRE_NEWLINE_ANY |
| 1269 | ||
| 1270 | These options override the default newline definition that was chosen | These options override the default newline definition that was chosen |
| 1271 | when PCRE was built. Setting the first or the second specifies that a | when PCRE was built. Setting the first or the second specifies that a |
| 1272 | newline is indicated by a single character (CR or LF, respectively). | newline is indicated by a single character (CR or LF, respectively). |
| 1273 | Setting PCRE_NEWLINE_CRLF specifies that a newline is indicated by the | Setting PCRE_NEWLINE_CRLF specifies that a newline is indicated by the |
| 1274 | two-character CRLF sequence. Setting PCRE_NEWLINE_ANYCRLF specifies | two-character CRLF sequence. Setting PCRE_NEWLINE_ANYCRLF specifies |
| 1275 | that any of the three preceding sequences should be recognized. Setting | that any of the three preceding sequences should be recognized. Setting |
| 1276 | PCRE_NEWLINE_ANY specifies that any Unicode newline sequence should be | PCRE_NEWLINE_ANY specifies that any Unicode newline sequence should be |
| 1277 | recognized. The Unicode newline sequences are the three just mentioned, | recognized. The Unicode newline sequences are the three just mentioned, |
| 1278 | plus the single characters VT (vertical tab, U+000B), FF (formfeed, | plus the single characters VT (vertical tab, U+000B), FF (formfeed, |
| 1279 | U+000C), NEL (next line, U+0085), LS (line separator, U+2028), and PS | U+000C), NEL (next line, U+0085), LS (line separator, U+2028), and PS |
| 1280 | (paragraph separator, U+2029). The last two are recognized only in | (paragraph separator, U+2029). The last two are recognized only in |
| 1281 | UTF-8 mode. | UTF-8 mode. |
| 1282 | ||
| 1283 | The newline setting in the options word uses three bits that are | The newline setting in the options word uses three bits that are |
| 1284 | treated as a number, giving eight possibilities. Currently only six are | treated as a number, giving eight possibilities. Currently only six are |
| 1285 | used (default plus the five values above). This means that if you set | used (default plus the five values above). This means that if you set |
| 1286 | more than one newline option, the combination may or may not be sensi- | more than one newline option, the combination may or may not be sensi- |
| 1287 | ble. For example, PCRE_NEWLINE_CR with PCRE_NEWLINE_LF is equivalent to | ble. For example, PCRE_NEWLINE_CR with PCRE_NEWLINE_LF is equivalent to |
| 1288 | PCRE_NEWLINE_CRLF, but other combinations may yield unused numbers and | PCRE_NEWLINE_CRLF, but other combinations may yield unused numbers and |
| 1289 | cause an error. | cause an error. |
| 1290 | ||
| 1291 | The only time that a line break is specially recognized when compiling | The only time that a line break is specially recognized when compiling |
| 1292 | a pattern is if PCRE_EXTENDED is set, and an unescaped # outside a | a pattern is if PCRE_EXTENDED is set, and an unescaped # outside a |
| 1293 | character class is encountered. This indicates a comment that lasts | character class is encountered. This indicates a comment that lasts |
| 1294 | until after the next line break sequence. In other circumstances, line | until after the next line break sequence. In other circumstances, line |
| 1295 | break sequences are treated as literal data, except that in | break sequences are treated as literal data, except that in |
| 1296 | PCRE_EXTENDED mode, both CR and LF are treated as whitespace characters | PCRE_EXTENDED mode, both CR and LF are treated as whitespace characters |
| 1297 | and are therefore ignored. | and are therefore ignored. |
| 1298 | ||
| 1299 | The newline option that is set at compile time becomes the default that | The newline option that is set at compile time becomes the default that |
| 1300 | is used for pcre_exec() and pcre_dfa_exec(), but it can be overridden. | is used for pcre_exec() and pcre_dfa_exec(), but it can be overridden. |
| 1301 | ||
| 1302 | PCRE_NO_AUTO_CAPTURE | PCRE_NO_AUTO_CAPTURE |
| 1303 | ||
| 1304 | If this option is set, it disables the use of numbered capturing paren- | If this option is set, it disables the use of numbered capturing paren- |
| 1305 | theses in the pattern. Any opening parenthesis that is not followed by | theses in the pattern. Any opening parenthesis that is not followed by |
| 1306 | ? behaves as if it were followed by ?: but named parentheses can still | ? behaves as if it were followed by ?: but named parentheses can still |
| 1307 | be used for capturing (and they acquire numbers in the usual way). | be used for capturing (and they acquire numbers in the usual way). |
| 1308 | There is no equivalent of this option in Perl. | There is no equivalent of this option in Perl. |
| 1309 | ||
| 1310 | PCRE_UNGREEDY | PCRE_UNGREEDY |
| 1311 | ||
| 1312 | This option inverts the "greediness" of the quantifiers so that they | This option inverts the "greediness" of the quantifiers so that they |
| 1313 | are not greedy by default, but become greedy if followed by "?". It is | are not greedy by default, but become greedy if followed by "?". It is |
| 1314 | not compatible with Perl. It can also be set by a (?U) option setting | not compatible with Perl. It can also be set by a (?U) option setting |
| 1315 | within the pattern. | within the pattern. |
| 1316 | ||
| 1317 | PCRE_UTF8 | PCRE_UTF8 |
| 1318 | ||
| 1319 | This option causes PCRE to regard both the pattern and the subject as | This option causes PCRE to regard both the pattern and the subject as |
| 1320 | strings of UTF-8 characters instead of single-byte character strings. | strings of UTF-8 characters instead of single-byte character strings. |
| 1321 | However, it is available only when PCRE is built to include UTF-8 sup- | However, it is available only when PCRE is built to include UTF-8 sup- |
| 1322 | port. If not, the use of this option provokes an error. Details of how | port. If not, the use of this option provokes an error. Details of how |
| 1323 | this option changes the behaviour of PCRE are given in the section on | this option changes the behaviour of PCRE are given in the section on |
| 1324 | UTF-8 support in the main pcre page. | UTF-8 support in the main pcre page. |
| 1325 | ||
| 1326 | PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK | PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK |
| 1327 | ||
| 1328 | When PCRE_UTF8 is set, the validity of the pattern as a UTF-8 string is | When PCRE_UTF8 is set, the validity of the pattern as a UTF-8 string is |
| 1329 | automatically checked. If an invalid UTF-8 sequence of bytes is found, | automatically checked. There is a discussion about the validity of |
| 1330 | pcre_compile() returns an error. If you already know that your pattern | UTF-8 strings in the main pcre page. If an invalid UTF-8 sequence of |
| 1331 | is valid, and you want to skip this check for performance reasons, you | bytes is found, pcre_compile() returns an error. If you already know |
| 1332 | can set the PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK option. When it is set, the effect of | that your pattern is valid, and you want to skip this check for perfor- |
| 1333 | passing an invalid UTF-8 string as a pattern is undefined. It may cause | mance reasons, you can set the PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK option. When it is |
| 1334 | your program to crash. Note that this option can also be passed to | set, the effect of passing an invalid UTF-8 string as a pattern is |
| 1335 | pcre_exec() and pcre_dfa_exec(), to suppress the UTF-8 validity check- | undefined. It may cause your program to crash. Note that this option |
| 1336 | ing of subject strings. | can also be passed to pcre_exec() and pcre_dfa_exec(), to suppress the |
| 1337 | UTF-8 validity checking of subject strings. | |
| 1338 | ||
| 1339 | ||
| 1340 | COMPILATION ERROR CODES | COMPILATION ERROR CODES |
| # | Line 1288 COMPILATION ERROR CODES | Line 1394 COMPILATION ERROR CODES |
| 1394 | 47 unknown property name after \P or \p | 47 unknown property name after \P or \p |
| 1395 | 48 subpattern name is too long (maximum 32 characters) | 48 subpattern name is too long (maximum 32 characters) |
| 1396 | 49 too many named subpatterns (maximum 10,000) | 49 too many named subpatterns (maximum 10,000) |
| 1397 | 50 repeated subpattern is too long | 50 [this code is not in use] |
| 1398 | 51 octal value is greater than \377 (not in UTF-8 mode) | 51 octal value is greater than \377 (not in UTF-8 mode) |
| 1399 | 52 internal error: overran compiling workspace | 52 internal error: overran compiling workspace |
| 1400 | 53 internal error: previously-checked referenced subpattern not | 53 internal error: previously-checked referenced subpattern not |
| 1401 | found | found |
| 1402 | 54 DEFINE group contains more than one branch | 54 DEFINE group contains more than one branch |
| 1403 | 55 repeating a DEFINE group is not allowed | 55 repeating a DEFINE group is not allowed |
| 1404 | 56 inconsistent NEWLINE options" | 56 inconsistent NEWLINE options |
| 1405 | 57 \g is not followed by a braced name or an optionally braced | 57 \g is not followed by a braced name or an optionally braced |
| 1406 | non-zero number | non-zero number |
| 1407 | 58 (?+ or (?- or (?(+ or (?(- must be followed by a non-zero number | 58 (?+ or (?- or (?(+ or (?(- must be followed by a non-zero number |
| # | Line 1487 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN | Line 1593 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN |
| 1593 | returned. The fourth argument should point to an unsigned char * vari- | returned. The fourth argument should point to an unsigned char * vari- |
| 1594 | able. | able. |
| 1595 | ||
| 1596 | PCRE_INFO_HASCRORLF | |
| 1597 | ||
| 1598 | Return 1 if the pattern contains any explicit matches for CR or LF | |
| 1599 | characters, otherwise 0. The fourth argument should point to an int | |
| 1600 | variable. An explicit match is either a literal CR or LF character, or | |
| 1601 | \r or \n. | |
| 1602 | ||
| 1603 | PCRE_INFO_JCHANGED | PCRE_INFO_JCHANGED |
| 1604 | ||
| 1605 | Return 1 if the (?J) option setting is used in the pattern, otherwise | Return 1 if the (?J) or (?-J) option setting is used in the pattern, |
| 1606 | 0. The fourth argument should point to an int variable. The (?J) inter- | otherwise 0. The fourth argument should point to an int variable. (?J) |
| 1607 | nal option setting changes the local PCRE_DUPNAMES option. | and (?-J) set and unset the local PCRE_DUPNAMES option, respectively. |
| 1608 | ||
| 1609 | PCRE_INFO_LASTLITERAL | PCRE_INFO_LASTLITERAL |
| 1610 | ||
| 1611 | Return the value of the rightmost literal byte that must exist in any | Return the value of the rightmost literal byte that must exist in any |
| 1612 | matched string, other than at its start, if such a byte has been | matched string, other than at its start, if such a byte has been |
| 1613 | recorded. The fourth argument should point to an int variable. If there | recorded. The fourth argument should point to an int variable. If there |
| 1614 | is no such byte, -1 is returned. For anchored patterns, a last literal | is no such byte, -1 is returned. For anchored patterns, a last literal |
| 1615 | byte is recorded only if it follows something of variable length. For | byte is recorded only if it follows something of variable length. For |
| 1616 | example, for the pattern /^a\d+z\d+/ the returned value is "z", but for | example, for the pattern /^a\d+z\d+/ the returned value is "z", but for |
| 1617 | /^a\dz\d/ the returned value is -1. | /^a\dz\d/ the returned value is -1. |
| 1618 | ||
| # | Line 1507 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN | Line 1620 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN |
| 1620 | PCRE_INFO_NAMEENTRYSIZE | PCRE_INFO_NAMEENTRYSIZE |
| 1621 | PCRE_INFO_NAMETABLE | PCRE_INFO_NAMETABLE |
| 1622 | ||
| 1623 | PCRE supports the use of named as well as numbered capturing parenthe- | PCRE supports the use of named as well as numbered capturing parenthe- |
| 1624 | ses. The names are just an additional way of identifying the parenthe- | ses. The names are just an additional way of identifying the parenthe- |
| 1625 | ses, which still acquire numbers. Several convenience functions such as | ses, which still acquire numbers. Several convenience functions such as |
| 1626 | pcre_get_named_substring() are provided for extracting captured sub- | pcre_get_named_substring() are provided for extracting captured sub- |
| 1627 | strings by name. It is also possible to extract the data directly, by | strings by name. It is also possible to extract the data directly, by |
| 1628 | first converting the name to a number in order to access the correct | first converting the name to a number in order to access the correct |
| 1629 | pointers in the output vector (described with pcre_exec() below). To do | pointers in the output vector (described with pcre_exec() below). To do |
| 1630 | the conversion, you need to use the name-to-number map, which is | the conversion, you need to use the name-to-number map, which is |
| 1631 | described by these three values. | described by these three values. |
| 1632 | ||
| 1633 | The map consists of a number of fixed-size entries. PCRE_INFO_NAMECOUNT | The map consists of a number of fixed-size entries. PCRE_INFO_NAMECOUNT |
| 1634 | gives the number of entries, and PCRE_INFO_NAMEENTRYSIZE gives the size | gives the number of entries, and PCRE_INFO_NAMEENTRYSIZE gives the size |
| 1635 | of each entry; both of these return an int value. The entry size | of each entry; both of these return an int value. The entry size |
| 1636 | depends on the length of the longest name. PCRE_INFO_NAMETABLE returns | depends on the length of the longest name. PCRE_INFO_NAMETABLE returns |
| 1637 | a pointer to the first entry of the table (a pointer to char). The | a pointer to the first entry of the table (a pointer to char). The |
| 1638 | first two bytes of each entry are the number of the capturing parenthe- | first two bytes of each entry are the number of the capturing parenthe- |
| 1639 | sis, most significant byte first. The rest of the entry is the corre- | sis, most significant byte first. The rest of the entry is the corre- |
| 1640 | sponding name, zero terminated. The names are in alphabetical order. | sponding name, zero terminated. The names are in alphabetical order. |
| 1641 | When PCRE_DUPNAMES is set, duplicate names are in order of their paren- | When PCRE_DUPNAMES is set, duplicate names are in order of their paren- |
| 1642 | theses numbers. For example, consider the following pattern (assume | theses numbers. For example, consider the following pattern (assume |
| 1643 | PCRE_EXTENDED is set, so white space - including newlines - is | PCRE_EXTENDED is set, so white space - including newlines - is |
| 1644 | ignored): | ignored): |
| 1645 | ||
| 1646 | (?<date> (?<year>(\d\d)?\d\d) - | (?<date> (?<year>(\d\d)?\d\d) - |
| 1647 | (?<month>\d\d) - (?<day>\d\d) ) | (?<month>\d\d) - (?<day>\d\d) ) |
| 1648 | ||
| 1649 | There are four named subpatterns, so the table has four entries, and | There are four named subpatterns, so the table has four entries, and |
| 1650 | each entry in the table is eight bytes long. The table is as follows, | each entry in the table is eight bytes long. The table is as follows, |
| 1651 | with non-printing bytes shows in hexadecimal, and undefined bytes shown | with non-printing bytes shows in hexadecimal, and undefined bytes shown |
| 1652 | as ??: | as ??: |
| 1653 | ||
| # | Line 1543 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN | Line 1656 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN |
| 1656 | 00 04 m o n t h 00 | 00 04 m o n t h 00 |
| 1657 | 00 02 y e a r 00 ?? | 00 02 y e a r 00 ?? |
| 1658 | ||
| 1659 | When writing code to extract data from named subpatterns using the | When writing code to extract data from named subpatterns using the |
| 1660 | name-to-number map, remember that the length of the entries is likely | name-to-number map, remember that the length of the entries is likely |
| 1661 | to be different for each compiled pattern. | to be different for each compiled pattern. |
| 1662 | ||
| 1663 | PCRE_INFO_OKPARTIAL | PCRE_INFO_OKPARTIAL |
| 1664 | ||
| 1665 | Return 1 if the pattern can be used for partial matching, otherwise 0. | Return 1 if the pattern can be used for partial matching, otherwise 0. |
| 1666 | The fourth argument should point to an int variable. The pcrepartial | The fourth argument should point to an int variable. The pcrepartial |
| 1667 | documentation lists the restrictions that apply to patterns when par- | documentation lists the restrictions that apply to patterns when par- |
| 1668 | tial matching is used. | tial matching is used. |
| 1669 | ||
| 1670 | PCRE_INFO_OPTIONS | PCRE_INFO_OPTIONS |
| 1671 | ||
| 1672 | Return a copy of the options with which the pattern was compiled. The | Return a copy of the options with which the pattern was compiled. The |
| 1673 | fourth argument should point to an unsigned long int variable. These | fourth argument should point to an unsigned long int variable. These |
| 1674 | option bits are those specified in the call to pcre_compile(), modified | option bits are those specified in the call to pcre_compile(), modified |
| 1675 | by any top-level option settings within the pattern itself. | by any top-level option settings at the start of the pattern itself. In |
| 1676 | other words, they are the options that will be in force when matching | |
| 1677 | starts. For example, if the pattern /(?im)abc(?-i)d/ is compiled with | |
| 1678 | the PCRE_EXTENDED option, the result is PCRE_CASELESS, PCRE_MULTILINE, | |
| 1679 | and PCRE_EXTENDED. | |
| 1680 | ||
| 1681 | A pattern is automatically anchored by PCRE if all of its top-level | A pattern is automatically anchored by PCRE if all of its top-level |
| 1682 | alternatives begin with one of the following: | alternatives begin with one of the following: |
| 1683 | ||
| 1684 | ^ unless PCRE_MULTILINE is set | ^ unless PCRE_MULTILINE is set |
| # | Line 1575 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN | Line 1692 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN |
| 1692 | ||
| 1693 | PCRE_INFO_SIZE | PCRE_INFO_SIZE |
| 1694 | ||
| 1695 | Return the size of the compiled pattern, that is, the value that was | Return the size of the compiled pattern, that is, the value that was |
| 1696 | passed as the argument to pcre_malloc() when PCRE was getting memory in | passed as the argument to pcre_malloc() when PCRE was getting memory in |
| 1697 | which to place the compiled data. The fourth argument should point to a | which to place the compiled data. The fourth argument should point to a |
| 1698 | size_t variable. | size_t variable. |
| # | Line 1583 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN | Line 1700 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN |
| 1700 | PCRE_INFO_STUDYSIZE | PCRE_INFO_STUDYSIZE |
| 1701 | ||
| 1702 | Return the size of the data block pointed to by the study_data field in | Return the size of the data block pointed to by the study_data field in |
| 1703 | a pcre_extra block. That is, it is the value that was passed to | a pcre_extra block. That is, it is the value that was passed to |
| 1704 | pcre_malloc() when PCRE was getting memory into which to place the data | pcre_malloc() when PCRE was getting memory into which to place the data |
| 1705 | created by pcre_study(). The fourth argument should point to a size_t | created by pcre_study(). The fourth argument should point to a size_t |
| 1706 | variable. | variable. |
| 1707 | ||
| 1708 | ||
| # | Line 1593 OBSOLETE INFO FUNCTION | Line 1710 OBSOLETE INFO FUNCTION |
| 1710 | ||
| 1711 | int pcre_info(const pcre *code, int *optptr, int *firstcharptr); | int pcre_info(const pcre *code, int *optptr, int *firstcharptr); |
| 1712 | ||
| 1713 | The pcre_info() function is now obsolete because its interface is too | The pcre_info() function is now obsolete because its interface is too |
| 1714 | restrictive to return all the available data about a compiled pattern. | restrictive to return all the available data about a compiled pattern. |
| 1715 | New programs should use pcre_fullinfo() instead. The yield of | New programs should use pcre_fullinfo() instead. The yield of |
| 1716 | pcre_info() is the number of capturing subpatterns, or one of the fol- | pcre_info() is the number of capturing subpatterns, or one of the fol- |
| 1717 | lowing negative numbers: | lowing negative numbers: |
| 1718 | ||
| 1719 | PCRE_ERROR_NULL the argument code was NULL | PCRE_ERROR_NULL the argument code was NULL |
| 1720 | PCRE_ERROR_BADMAGIC the "magic number" was not found | PCRE_ERROR_BADMAGIC the "magic number" was not found |
| 1721 | ||
| 1722 | If the optptr argument is not NULL, a copy of the options with which | If the optptr argument is not NULL, a copy of the options with which |
| 1723 | the pattern was compiled is placed in the integer it points to (see | the pattern was compiled is placed in the integer it points to (see |
| 1724 | PCRE_INFO_OPTIONS above). | PCRE_INFO_OPTIONS above). |
| 1725 | ||
| 1726 | If the pattern is not anchored and the firstcharptr argument is not | If the pattern is not anchored and the firstcharptr argument is not |
| 1727 | NULL, it is used to pass back information about the first character of | NULL, it is used to pass back information about the first character of |
| 1728 | any matched string (see PCRE_INFO_FIRSTBYTE above). | any matched string (see PCRE_INFO_FIRSTBYTE above). |
| 1729 | ||
| 1730 | ||
| # | Line 1615 REFERENCE COUNTS | Line 1732 REFERENCE COUNTS |
| 1732 | ||
| 1733 | int pcre_refcount(pcre *code, int adjust); | int pcre_refcount(pcre *code, int adjust); |
| 1734 | ||
| 1735 | The pcre_refcount() function is used to maintain a reference count in | The pcre_refcount() function is used to maintain a reference count in |
| 1736 | the data block that contains a compiled pattern. It is provided for the | the data block that contains a compiled pattern. It is provided for the |
| 1737 | benefit of applications that operate in an object-oriented manner, | benefit of applications that operate in an object-oriented manner, |
| 1738 | where different parts of the application may be using the same compiled | where different parts of the application may be using the same compiled |
| 1739 | pattern, but you want to free the block when they are all done. | pattern, but you want to free the block when they are all done. |
| 1740 | ||
| 1741 | When a pattern is compiled, the reference count field is initialized to | When a pattern is compiled, the reference count field is initialized to |
| 1742 | zero. It is changed only by calling this function, whose action is to | zero. It is changed only by calling this function, whose action is to |
| 1743 | add the adjust value (which may be positive or negative) to it. The | add the adjust value (which may be positive or negative) to it. The |
| 1744 | yield of the function is the new value. However, the value of the count | yield of the function is the new value. However, the value of the count |
| 1745 | is constrained to lie between 0 and 65535, inclusive. If the new value | is constrained to lie between 0 and 65535, inclusive. If the new value |
| 1746 | is outside these limits, it is forced to the appropriate limit value. | is outside these limits, it is forced to the appropriate limit value. |
| 1747 | ||
| 1748 | Except when it is zero, the reference count is not correctly preserved | Except when it is zero, the reference count is not correctly preserved |
| 1749 | if a pattern is compiled on one host and then transferred to a host | if a pattern is compiled on one host and then transferred to a host |
| 1750 | whose byte-order is different. (This seems a highly unlikely scenario.) | whose byte-order is different. (This seems a highly unlikely scenario.) |
| 1751 | ||
| 1752 | ||
| # | Line 1639 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 1756 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 1756 | const char *subject, int length, int startoffset, | const char *subject, int length, int startoffset, |
| 1757 | int options, int *ovector, int ovecsize); | int options, int *ovector, int ovecsize); |
| 1758 | ||
| 1759 | The function pcre_exec() is called to match a subject string against a | The function pcre_exec() is called to match a subject string against a |
| 1760 | compiled pattern, which is passed in the code argument. If the pattern | compiled pattern, which is passed in the code argument. If the pattern |
| 1761 | has been studied, the result of the study should be passed in the extra | has been studied, the result of the study should be passed in the extra |
| 1762 | argument. This function is the main matching facility of the library, | argument. This function is the main matching facility of the library, |
| 1763 | and it operates in a Perl-like manner. For specialist use there is also | and it operates in a Perl-like manner. For specialist use there is also |
| 1764 | an alternative matching function, which is described below in the sec- | an alternative matching function, which is described below in the sec- |
| 1765 | tion about the pcre_dfa_exec() function. | tion about the pcre_dfa_exec() function. |
| 1766 | ||
| 1767 | In most applications, the pattern will have been compiled (and option- | In most applications, the pattern will have been compiled (and option- |
| 1768 | ally studied) in the same process that calls pcre_exec(). However, it | ally studied) in the same process that calls pcre_exec(). However, it |
| 1769 | is possible to save compiled patterns and study data, and then use them | is possible to save compiled patterns and study data, and then use them |
| 1770 | later in different processes, possibly even on different hosts. For a | later in different processes, possibly even on different hosts. For a |
| 1771 | discussion about this, see the pcreprecompile documentation. | discussion about this, see the pcreprecompile documentation. |
| 1772 | ||
| 1773 | Here is an example of a simple call to pcre_exec(): | Here is an example of a simple call to pcre_exec(): |
| # | Line 1669 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 1786 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 1786 | ||
| 1787 | Extra data for pcre_exec() | Extra data for pcre_exec() |
| 1788 | ||
| 1789 | If the extra argument is not NULL, it must point to a pcre_extra data | If the extra argument is not NULL, it must point to a pcre_extra data |
| 1790 | block. The pcre_study() function returns such a block (when it doesn't | block. The pcre_study() function returns such a block (when it doesn't |
| 1791 | return NULL), but you can also create one for yourself, and pass addi- | return NULL), but you can also create one for yourself, and pass addi- |
| 1792 | tional information in it. The pcre_extra block contains the following | tional information in it. The pcre_extra block contains the following |
| 1793 | fields (not necessarily in this order): | fields (not necessarily in this order): |
| 1794 | ||
| 1795 | unsigned long int flags; | unsigned long int flags; |
| # | Line 1682 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 1799 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 1799 | void *callout_data; | void *callout_data; |
| 1800 | const unsigned char *tables; | const unsigned char *tables; |
| 1801 | ||
| 1802 | The flags field is a bitmap that specifies which of the other fields | The flags field is a bitmap that specifies which of the other fields |
| 1803 | are set. The flag bits are: | are set. The flag bits are: |
| 1804 | ||
| 1805 | PCRE_EXTRA_STUDY_DATA | PCRE_EXTRA_STUDY_DATA |
| # | Line 1691 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 1808 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 1808 | PCRE_EXTRA_CALLOUT_DATA | PCRE_EXTRA_CALLOUT_DATA |
| 1809 | PCRE_EXTRA_TABLES | PCRE_EXTRA_TABLES |
| 1810 | ||
| 1811 | Other flag bits should be set to zero. The study_data field is set in | Other flag bits should be set to zero. The study_data field is set in |
| 1812 | the pcre_extra block that is returned by pcre_study(), together with | the pcre_extra block that is returned by pcre_study(), together with |
| 1813 | the appropriate flag bit. You should not set this yourself, but you may | the appropriate flag bit. You should not set this yourself, but you may |
| 1814 | add to the block by setting the other fields and their corresponding | add to the block by setting the other fields and their corresponding |
| 1815 | flag bits. | flag bits. |
| 1816 | ||
| 1817 | The match_limit field provides a means of preventing PCRE from using up | The match_limit field provides a means of preventing PCRE from using up |
| 1818 | a vast amount of resources when running patterns that are not going to | a vast amount of resources when running patterns that are not going to |
| 1819 | match, but which have a very large number of possibilities in their | match, but which have a very large number of possibilities in their |
| 1820 | search trees. The classic example is the use of nested unlimited | search trees. The classic example is the use of nested unlimited |
| 1821 | repeats. | repeats. |
| 1822 | ||
| 1823 | Internally, PCRE uses a function called match() which it calls repeat- | Internally, PCRE uses a function called match() which it calls repeat- |
| 1824 | edly (sometimes recursively). The limit set by match_limit is imposed | edly (sometimes recursively). The limit set by match_limit is imposed |
| 1825 | on the number of times this function is called during a match, which | on the number of times this function is called during a match, which |
| 1826 | has the effect of limiting the amount of backtracking that can take | has the effect of limiting the amount of backtracking that can take |
| 1827 | place. For patterns that are not anchored, the count restarts from zero | place. For patterns that are not anchored, the count restarts from zero |
| 1828 | for each position in the subject string. | for each position in the subject string. |
| 1829 | ||
| 1830 | The default value for the limit can be set when PCRE is built; the | The default value for the limit can be set when PCRE is built; the |
| 1831 | default default is 10 million, which handles all but the most extreme | default default is 10 million, which handles all but the most extreme |
| 1832 | cases. You can override the default by suppling pcre_exec() with a | cases. You can override the default by suppling pcre_exec() with a |
| 1833 | pcre_extra block in which match_limit is set, and | pcre_extra block in which match_limit is set, and |
| 1834 | PCRE_EXTRA_MATCH_LIMIT is set in the flags field. If the limit is | PCRE_EXTRA_MATCH_LIMIT is set in the flags field. If the limit is |
| 1835 | exceeded, pcre_exec() returns PCRE_ERROR_MATCHLIMIT. | exceeded, pcre_exec() returns PCRE_ERROR_MATCHLIMIT. |
| 1836 | ||
| 1837 | The match_limit_recursion field is similar to match_limit, but instead | The match_limit_recursion field is similar to match_limit, but instead |
| 1838 | of limiting the total number of times that match() is called, it limits | of limiting the total number of times that match() is called, it limits |
| 1839 | the depth of recursion. The recursion depth is a smaller number than | the depth of recursion. The recursion depth is a smaller number than |
| 1840 | the total number of calls, because not all calls to match() are recur- | the total number of calls, because not all calls to match() are recur- |
| 1841 | sive. This limit is of use only if it is set smaller than match_limit. | sive. This limit is of use only if it is set smaller than match_limit. |
| 1842 | ||
| 1843 | Limiting the recursion depth limits the amount of stack that can be | Limiting the recursion depth limits the amount of stack that can be |
| 1844 | used, or, when PCRE has been compiled to use memory on the heap instead | used, or, when PCRE has been compiled to use memory on the heap instead |
| 1845 | of the stack, the amount of heap memory that can be used. | of the stack, the amount of heap memory that can be used. |
| 1846 | ||
| 1847 | The default value for match_limit_recursion can be set when PCRE is | The default value for match_limit_recursion can be set when PCRE is |
| 1848 | built; the default default is the same value as the default for | built; the default default is the same value as the default for |
| 1849 | match_limit. You can override the default by suppling pcre_exec() with | match_limit. You can override the default by suppling pcre_exec() with |
| 1850 | a pcre_extra block in which match_limit_recursion is set, and | a pcre_extra block in which match_limit_recursion is set, and |
| 1851 | PCRE_EXTRA_MATCH_LIMIT_RECURSION is set in the flags field. If the | PCRE_EXTRA_MATCH_LIMIT_RECURSION is set in the flags field. If the |
| 1852 | limit is exceeded, pcre_exec() returns PCRE_ERROR_RECURSIONLIMIT. | limit is exceeded, pcre_exec() returns PCRE_ERROR_RECURSIONLIMIT. |
| 1853 | ||
| 1854 | The pcre_callout field is used in conjunction with the "callout" fea- | The pcre_callout field is used in conjunction with the "callout" fea- |
| 1855 | ture, which is described in the pcrecallout documentation. | ture, which is described in the pcrecallout documentation. |
| 1856 | ||
| 1857 | The tables field is used to pass a character tables pointer to | The tables field is used to pass a character tables pointer to |
| 1858 | pcre_exec(); this overrides the value that is stored with the compiled | pcre_exec(); this overrides the value that is stored with the compiled |
| 1859 | pattern. A non-NULL value is stored with the compiled pattern only if | pattern. A non-NULL value is stored with the compiled pattern only if |
| 1860 | custom tables were supplied to pcre_compile() via its tableptr argu- | custom tables were supplied to pcre_compile() via its tableptr argu- |
| 1861 | ment. If NULL is passed to pcre_exec() using this mechanism, it forces | ment. If NULL is passed to pcre_exec() using this mechanism, it forces |
| 1862 | PCRE's internal tables to be used. This facility is helpful when re- | PCRE's internal tables to be used. This facility is helpful when re- |
| 1863 | using patterns that have been saved after compiling with an external | using patterns that have been saved after compiling with an external |
| 1864 | set of tables, because the external tables might be at a different | set of tables, because the external tables might be at a different |
| 1865 | address when pcre_exec() is called. See the pcreprecompile documenta- | address when pcre_exec() is called. See the pcreprecompile documenta- |
| 1866 | tion for a discussion of saving compiled patterns for later use. | tion for a discussion of saving compiled patterns for later use. |
| 1867 | ||
| 1868 | Option bits for pcre_exec() | Option bits for pcre_exec() |
| 1869 | ||
| 1870 | The unused bits of the options argument for pcre_exec() must be zero. | The unused bits of the options argument for pcre_exec() must be zero. |
| 1871 | The only bits that may be set are PCRE_ANCHORED, PCRE_NEWLINE_xxx, | The only bits that may be set are PCRE_ANCHORED, PCRE_NEWLINE_xxx, |
| 1872 | PCRE_NOTBOL, PCRE_NOTEOL, PCRE_NOTEMPTY, PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK and | PCRE_NOTBOL, PCRE_NOTEOL, PCRE_NOTEMPTY, PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK and |
| 1873 | PCRE_PARTIAL. | PCRE_PARTIAL. |
| 1874 | ||
| 1875 | PCRE_ANCHORED | PCRE_ANCHORED |
| 1876 | ||
| 1877 | The PCRE_ANCHORED option limits pcre_exec() to matching at the first | The PCRE_ANCHORED option limits pcre_exec() to matching at the first |
| 1878 | matching position. If a pattern was compiled with PCRE_ANCHORED, or | matching position. If a pattern was compiled with PCRE_ANCHORED, or |
| 1879 | turned out to be anchored by virtue of its contents, it cannot be made | turned out to be anchored by virtue of its contents, it cannot be made |
| 1880 | unachored at matching time. | unachored at matching time. |
| 1881 | ||
| 1882 | PCRE_BSR_ANYCRLF | |
| 1883 | PCRE_BSR_UNICODE | |
| 1884 | ||
| 1885 | These options (which are mutually exclusive) control what the \R escape | |
| 1886 | sequence matches. The choice is either to match only CR, LF, or CRLF, | |
| 1887 | or to match any Unicode newline sequence. These options override the | |
| 1888 | choice that was made or defaulted when the pattern was compiled. | |
| 1889 | ||
| 1890 | PCRE_NEWLINE_CR | PCRE_NEWLINE_CR |
| 1891 | PCRE_NEWLINE_LF | PCRE_NEWLINE_LF |
| 1892 | PCRE_NEWLINE_CRLF | PCRE_NEWLINE_CRLF |
| # | Line 1773 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 1898 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 1898 | tion of pcre_compile() above. During matching, the newline choice | tion of pcre_compile() above. During matching, the newline choice |
| 1899 | affects the behaviour of the dot, circumflex, and dollar metacharac- | affects the behaviour of the dot, circumflex, and dollar metacharac- |
| 1900 | ters. It may also alter the way the match position is advanced after a | ters. It may also alter the way the match position is advanced after a |
| 1901 | match failure for an unanchored pattern. When PCRE_NEWLINE_CRLF, | match failure for an unanchored pattern. |
| 1902 | PCRE_NEWLINE_ANYCRLF, or PCRE_NEWLINE_ANY is set, and a match attempt | |
| 1903 | fails when the current position is at a CRLF sequence, the match posi- | When PCRE_NEWLINE_CRLF, PCRE_NEWLINE_ANYCRLF, or PCRE_NEWLINE_ANY is |
| 1904 | tion is advanced by two characters instead of one, in other words, to | set, and a match attempt for an unanchored pattern fails when the cur- |
| 1905 | after the CRLF. | rent position is at a CRLF sequence, and the pattern contains no |
| 1906 | explicit matches for CR or LF characters, the match position is | |
| 1907 | advanced by two characters instead of one, in other words, to after the | |
| 1908 | CRLF. | |
| 1909 | ||
| 1910 | The above rule is a compromise that makes the most common cases work as | |
| 1911 | expected. For example, if the pattern is .+A (and the PCRE_DOTALL | |
| 1912 | option is not set), it does not match the string "\r\nA" because, after | |
| 1913 | failing at the start, it skips both the CR and the LF before retrying. | |
| 1914 | However, the pattern [\r\n]A does match that string, because it con- | |
| 1915 | tains an explicit CR or LF reference, and so advances only by one char- | |
| 1916 | acter after the first failure. | |
| 1917 | ||
| 1918 | An explicit match for CR of LF is either a literal appearance of one of | |
| 1919 | those characters, or one of the \r or \n escape sequences. Implicit | |
| 1920 | matches such as [^X] do not count, nor does \s (which includes CR and | |
| 1921 | LF in the characters that it matches). | |
| 1922 | ||
| 1923 | Notwithstanding the above, anomalous effects may still occur when CRLF | |
| 1924 | is a valid newline sequence and explicit \r or \n escapes appear in the | |
| 1925 | pattern. | |
| 1926 | ||
| 1927 | PCRE_NOTBOL | PCRE_NOTBOL |
| 1928 | ||
| # | Line 1824 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 1969 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 1969 | When PCRE_UTF8 is set at compile time, the validity of the subject as a | When PCRE_UTF8 is set at compile time, the validity of the subject as a |
| 1970 | UTF-8 string is automatically checked when pcre_exec() is subsequently | UTF-8 string is automatically checked when pcre_exec() is subsequently |
| 1971 | called. The value of startoffset is also checked to ensure that it | called. The value of startoffset is also checked to ensure that it |
| 1972 | points to the start of a UTF-8 character. If an invalid UTF-8 sequence | points to the start of a UTF-8 character. There is a discussion about |
| 1973 | of bytes is found, pcre_exec() returns the error PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8. If | the validity of UTF-8 strings in the section on UTF-8 support in the |
| 1974 | startoffset contains an invalid value, PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8_OFFSET is | main pcre page. If an invalid UTF-8 sequence of bytes is found, |
| 1975 | returned. | pcre_exec() returns the error PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8. If startoffset con- |
| 1976 | tains an invalid value, PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8_OFFSET is returned. | |
| 1977 | If you already know that your subject is valid, and you want to skip | |
| 1978 | these checks for performance reasons, you can set the | If you already know that your subject is valid, and you want to skip |
| 1979 | PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK option when calling pcre_exec(). You might want to | these checks for performance reasons, you can set the |
| 1980 | do this for the second and subsequent calls to pcre_exec() if you are | PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK option when calling pcre_exec(). You might want to |
| 1981 | making repeated calls to find all the matches in a single subject | do this for the second and subsequent calls to pcre_exec() if you are |
| 1982 | string. However, you should be sure that the value of startoffset | making repeated calls to find all the matches in a single subject |
| 1983 | points to the start of a UTF-8 character. When PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK is | string. However, you should be sure that the value of startoffset |
| 1984 | set, the effect of passing an invalid UTF-8 string as a subject, or a | points to the start of a UTF-8 character. When PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK is |
| 1985 | value of startoffset that does not point to the start of a UTF-8 char- | set, the effect of passing an invalid UTF-8 string as a subject, or a |
| 1986 | value of startoffset that does not point to the start of a UTF-8 char- | |
| 1987 | acter, is undefined. Your program may crash. | acter, is undefined. Your program may crash. |
| 1988 | ||
| 1989 | PCRE_PARTIAL | PCRE_PARTIAL |
| 1990 | ||
| 1991 | This option turns on the partial matching feature. If the subject | This option turns on the partial matching feature. If the subject |
| 1992 | string fails to match the pattern, but at some point during the match- | string fails to match the pattern, but at some point during the match- |
| 1993 | ing process the end of the subject was reached (that is, the subject | ing process the end of the subject was reached (that is, the subject |
| 1994 | partially matches the pattern and the failure to match occurred only | partially matches the pattern and the failure to match occurred only |
| 1995 | because there were not enough subject characters), pcre_exec() returns | because there were not enough subject characters), pcre_exec() returns |
| 1996 | PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL instead of PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH. When PCRE_PARTIAL is | PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL instead of PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH. When PCRE_PARTIAL is |
| 1997 | used, there are restrictions on what may appear in the pattern. These | used, there are restrictions on what may appear in the pattern. These |
| 1998 | are discussed in the pcrepartial documentation. | are discussed in the pcrepartial documentation. |
| 1999 | ||
| 2000 | The string to be matched by pcre_exec() | The string to be matched by pcre_exec() |
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | The subject string is passed to pcre_exec() as a pointer in subject, a | The subject string is passed to pcre_exec() as a pointer in subject, a |
| 2003 | length in length, and a starting byte offset in startoffset. In UTF-8 | length in length, and a starting byte offset in startoffset. In UTF-8 |
| 2004 | mode, the byte offset must point to the start of a UTF-8 character. | mode, the byte offset must point to the start of a UTF-8 character. |
| 2005 | Unlike the pattern string, the subject may contain binary zero bytes. | Unlike the pattern string, the subject may contain binary zero bytes. |
| 2006 | When the starting offset is zero, the search for a match starts at the | When the starting offset is zero, the search for a match starts at the |
| 2007 | beginning of the subject, and this is by far the most common case. | beginning of the subject, and this is by far the most common case. |
| 2008 | ||
| 2009 | A non-zero starting offset is useful when searching for another match | A non-zero starting offset is useful when searching for another match |
| 2010 | in the same subject by calling pcre_exec() again after a previous suc- | in the same subject by calling pcre_exec() again after a previous suc- |
| 2011 | cess. Setting startoffset differs from just passing over a shortened | cess. Setting startoffset differs from just passing over a shortened |
| 2012 | string and setting PCRE_NOTBOL in the case of a pattern that begins | string and setting PCRE_NOTBOL in the case of a pattern that begins |
| 2013 | with any kind of lookbehind. For example, consider the pattern | with any kind of lookbehind. For example, consider the pattern |
| 2014 | ||
| 2015 | \Biss\B | \Biss\B |
| 2016 | ||
| 2017 | which finds occurrences of "iss" in the middle of words. (\B matches | which finds occurrences of "iss" in the middle of words. (\B matches |
| 2018 | only if the current position in the subject is not a word boundary.) | only if the current position in the subject is not a word boundary.) |
| 2019 | When applied to the string "Mississipi" the first call to pcre_exec() | When applied to the string "Mississipi" the first call to pcre_exec() |
| 2020 | finds the first occurrence. If pcre_exec() is called again with just | finds the first occurrence. If pcre_exec() is called again with just |
| 2021 | the remainder of the subject, namely "issipi", it does not match, | the remainder of the subject, namely "issipi", it does not match, |
| 2022 | because \B is always false at the start of the subject, which is deemed | because \B is always false at the start of the subject, which is deemed |
| 2023 | to be a word boundary. However, if pcre_exec() is passed the entire | to be a word boundary. However, if pcre_exec() is passed the entire |
| 2024 | string again, but with startoffset set to 4, it finds the second occur- | string again, but with startoffset set to 4, it finds the second occur- |
| 2025 | rence of "iss" because it is able to look behind the starting point to | rence of "iss" because it is able to look behind the starting point to |
| 2026 | discover that it is preceded by a letter. | discover that it is preceded by a letter. |
| 2027 | ||
| 2028 | If a non-zero starting offset is passed when the pattern is anchored, | If a non-zero starting offset is passed when the pattern is anchored, |
| 2029 | one attempt to match at the given offset is made. This can only succeed | one attempt to match at the given offset is made. This can only succeed |
| 2030 | if the pattern does not require the match to be at the start of the | if the pattern does not require the match to be at the start of the |
| 2031 | subject. | subject. |
| 2032 | ||
| 2033 | How pcre_exec() returns captured substrings | How pcre_exec() returns captured substrings |
| 2034 | ||
| 2035 | In general, a pattern matches a certain portion of the subject, and in | In general, a pattern matches a certain portion of the subject, and in |
| 2036 | addition, further substrings from the subject may be picked out by | addition, further substrings from the subject may be picked out by |
| 2037 | parts of the pattern. Following the usage in Jeffrey Friedl's book, | parts of the pattern. Following the usage in Jeffrey Friedl's book, |
| 2038 | this is called "capturing" in what follows, and the phrase "capturing | this is called "capturing" in what follows, and the phrase "capturing |
| 2039 | subpattern" is used for a fragment of a pattern that picks out a sub- | subpattern" is used for a fragment of a pattern that picks out a sub- |
| 2040 | string. PCRE supports several other kinds of parenthesized subpattern | string. PCRE supports several other kinds of parenthesized subpattern |
| 2041 | that do not cause substrings to be captured. | that do not cause substrings to be captured. |
| 2042 | ||
| 2043 | Captured substrings are returned to the caller via a vector of integer | Captured substrings are returned to the caller via a vector of integer |
| 2044 | offsets whose address is passed in ovector. The number of elements in | offsets whose address is passed in ovector. The number of elements in |
| 2045 | the vector is passed in ovecsize, which must be a non-negative number. | the vector is passed in ovecsize, which must be a non-negative number. |
| 2046 | Note: this argument is NOT the size of ovector in bytes. | Note: this argument is NOT the size of ovector in bytes. |
| 2047 | ||
| 2048 | The first two-thirds of the vector is used to pass back captured sub- | The first two-thirds of the vector is used to pass back captured sub- |
| 2049 | strings, each substring using a pair of integers. The remaining third | strings, each substring using a pair of integers. The remaining third |
| 2050 | of the vector is used as workspace by pcre_exec() while matching cap- | of the vector is used as workspace by pcre_exec() while matching cap- |
| 2051 | turing subpatterns, and is not available for passing back information. | turing subpatterns, and is not available for passing back information. |
| 2052 | The length passed in ovecsize should always be a multiple of three. If | The length passed in ovecsize should always be a multiple of three. If |
| 2053 | it is not, it is rounded down. | it is not, it is rounded down. |
| 2054 | ||
| 2055 | When a match is successful, information about captured substrings is | When a match is successful, information about captured substrings is |
| 2056 | returned in pairs of integers, starting at the beginning of ovector, | returned in pairs of integers, starting at the beginning of ovector, |
| 2057 | and continuing up to two-thirds of its length at the most. The first | and continuing up to two-thirds of its length at the most. The first |
| 2058 | element of a pair is set to the offset of the first character in a sub- | element of a pair is set to the offset of the first character in a sub- |
| 2059 | string, and the second is set to the offset of the first character | string, and the second is set to the offset of the first character |
| 2060 | after the end of a substring. The first pair, ovector[0] and ovec- | after the end of a substring. The first pair, ovector[0] and ovec- |
| 2061 | tor[1], identify the portion of the subject string matched by the | tor[1], identify the portion of the subject string matched by the |
| 2062 | entire pattern. The next pair is used for the first capturing subpat- | entire pattern. The next pair is used for the first capturing subpat- |
| 2063 | tern, and so on. The value returned by pcre_exec() is one more than the | tern, and so on. The value returned by pcre_exec() is one more than the |
| 2064 | highest numbered pair that has been set. For example, if two substrings | highest numbered pair that has been set. For example, if two substrings |
| 2065 | have been captured, the returned value is 3. If there are no capturing | have been captured, the returned value is 3. If there are no capturing |
| 2066 | subpatterns, the return value from a successful match is 1, indicating | subpatterns, the return value from a successful match is 1, indicating |
| 2067 | that just the first pair of offsets has been set. | that just the first pair of offsets has been set. |
| 2068 | ||
| 2069 | If a capturing subpattern is matched repeatedly, it is the last portion | If a capturing subpattern is matched repeatedly, it is the last portion |
| 2070 | of the string that it matched that is returned. | of the string that it matched that is returned. |
| 2071 | ||
| 2072 | If the vector is too small to hold all the captured substring offsets, | If the vector is too small to hold all the captured substring offsets, |
| 2073 | it is used as far as possible (up to two-thirds of its length), and the | it is used as far as possible (up to two-thirds of its length), and the |
| 2074 | function returns a value of zero. In particular, if the substring off- | function returns a value of zero. In particular, if the substring off- |
| 2075 | sets are not of interest, pcre_exec() may be called with ovector passed | sets are not of interest, pcre_exec() may be called with ovector passed |
| 2076 | as NULL and ovecsize as zero. However, if the pattern contains back | as NULL and ovecsize as zero. However, if the pattern contains back |
| 2077 | references and the ovector is not big enough to remember the related | references and the ovector is not big enough to remember the related |
| 2078 | substrings, PCRE has to get additional memory for use during matching. | substrings, PCRE has to get additional memory for use during matching. |
| 2079 | Thus it is usually advisable to supply an ovector. | Thus it is usually advisable to supply an ovector. |
| 2080 | ||
| 2081 | The pcre_info() function can be used to find out how many capturing | The pcre_info() function can be used to find out how many capturing |
| 2082 | subpatterns there are in a compiled pattern. The smallest size for | subpatterns there are in a compiled pattern. The smallest size for |
| 2083 | ovector that will allow for n captured substrings, in addition to the | ovector that will allow for n captured substrings, in addition to the |
| 2084 | offsets of the substring matched by the whole pattern, is (n+1)*3. | offsets of the substring matched by the whole pattern, is (n+1)*3. |
| 2085 | ||
| 2086 | It is possible for capturing subpattern number n+1 to match some part | It is possible for capturing subpattern number n+1 to match some part |
| 2087 | of the subject when subpattern n has not been used at all. For example, | of the subject when subpattern n has not been used at all. For example, |
| 2088 | if the string "abc" is matched against the pattern (a|(z))(bc) the | if the string "abc" is matched against the pattern (a|(z))(bc) the |
| 2089 | return from the function is 4, and subpatterns 1 and 3 are matched, but | return from the function is 4, and subpatterns 1 and 3 are matched, but |
| 2090 | 2 is not. When this happens, both values in the offset pairs corre- | 2 is not. When this happens, both values in the offset pairs corre- |
| 2091 | sponding to unused subpatterns are set to -1. | sponding to unused subpatterns are set to -1. |
| 2092 | ||
| 2093 | Offset values that correspond to unused subpatterns at the end of the | Offset values that correspond to unused subpatterns at the end of the |
| 2094 | expression are also set to -1. For example, if the string "abc" is | expression are also set to -1. For example, if the string "abc" is |
| 2095 | matched against the pattern (abc)(x(yz)?)? subpatterns 2 and 3 are not | matched against the pattern (abc)(x(yz)?)? subpatterns 2 and 3 are not |
| 2096 | matched. The return from the function is 2, because the highest used | matched. The return from the function is 2, because the highest used |
| 2097 | capturing subpattern number is 1. However, you can refer to the offsets | capturing subpattern number is 1. However, you can refer to the offsets |
| 2098 | for the second and third capturing subpatterns if you wish (assuming | for the second and third capturing subpatterns if you wish (assuming |
| 2099 | the vector is large enough, of course). | the vector is large enough, of course). |
| 2100 | ||
| 2101 | Some convenience functions are provided for extracting the captured | Some convenience functions are provided for extracting the captured |
| 2102 | substrings as separate strings. These are described below. | substrings as separate strings. These are described below. |
| 2103 | ||
| 2104 | Error return values from pcre_exec() | Error return values from pcre_exec() |
| 2105 | ||
| 2106 | If pcre_exec() fails, it returns a negative number. The following are | If pcre_exec() fails, it returns a negative number. The following are |
| 2107 | defined in the header file: | defined in the header file: |
| 2108 | ||
| 2109 | PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH (-1) | PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH (-1) |
| # | Line 1966 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 2112 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 2112 | ||
| 2113 | PCRE_ERROR_NULL (-2) | PCRE_ERROR_NULL (-2) |
| 2114 | ||
| 2115 | Either code or subject was passed as NULL, or ovector was NULL and | Either code or subject was passed as NULL, or ovector was NULL and |
| 2116 | ovecsize was not zero. | ovecsize was not zero. |
| 2117 | ||
| 2118 | PCRE_ERROR_BADOPTION (-3) | PCRE_ERROR_BADOPTION (-3) |
| # | Line 1975 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 2121 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 2121 | ||
| 2122 | PCRE_ERROR_BADMAGIC (-4) | PCRE_ERROR_BADMAGIC (-4) |
| 2123 | ||
| 2124 | PCRE stores a 4-byte "magic number" at the start of the compiled code, | PCRE stores a 4-byte "magic number" at the start of the compiled code, |
| 2125 | to catch the case when it is passed a junk pointer and to detect when a | to catch the case when it is passed a junk pointer and to detect when a |
| 2126 | pattern that was compiled in an environment of one endianness is run in | pattern that was compiled in an environment of one endianness is run in |
| 2127 | an environment with the other endianness. This is the error that PCRE | an environment with the other endianness. This is the error that PCRE |
| 2128 | gives when the magic number is not present. | gives when the magic number is not present. |
| 2129 | ||
| 2130 | PCRE_ERROR_UNKNOWN_OPCODE (-5) | PCRE_ERROR_UNKNOWN_OPCODE (-5) |
| 2131 | ||
| 2132 | While running the pattern match, an unknown item was encountered in the | While running the pattern match, an unknown item was encountered in the |
| 2133 | compiled pattern. This error could be caused by a bug in PCRE or by | compiled pattern. This error could be caused by a bug in PCRE or by |
| 2134 | overwriting of the compiled pattern. | overwriting of the compiled pattern. |
| 2135 | ||
| 2136 | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY (-6) | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY (-6) |
| 2137 | ||
| 2138 | If a pattern contains back references, but the ovector that is passed | If a pattern contains back references, but the ovector that is passed |
| 2139 | to pcre_exec() is not big enough to remember the referenced substrings, | to pcre_exec() is not big enough to remember the referenced substrings, |
| 2140 | PCRE gets a block of memory at the start of matching to use for this | PCRE gets a block of memory at the start of matching to use for this |
| 2141 | purpose. If the call via pcre_malloc() fails, this error is given. The | purpose. If the call via pcre_malloc() fails, this error is given. The |
| 2142 | memory is automatically freed at the end of matching. | memory is automatically freed at the end of matching. |
| 2143 | ||
| 2144 | PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) | PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) |
| 2145 | ||
| 2146 | This error is used by the pcre_copy_substring(), pcre_get_substring(), | This error is used by the pcre_copy_substring(), pcre_get_substring(), |
| 2147 | and pcre_get_substring_list() functions (see below). It is never | and pcre_get_substring_list() functions (see below). It is never |
| 2148 | returned by pcre_exec(). | returned by pcre_exec(). |
| 2149 | ||
| 2150 | PCRE_ERROR_MATCHLIMIT (-8) | PCRE_ERROR_MATCHLIMIT (-8) |
| 2151 | ||
| 2152 | The backtracking limit, as specified by the match_limit field in a | The backtracking limit, as specified by the match_limit field in a |
| 2153 | pcre_extra structure (or defaulted) was reached. See the description | pcre_extra structure (or defaulted) was reached. See the description |
| 2154 | above. | above. |
| 2155 | ||
| 2156 | PCRE_ERROR_CALLOUT (-9) | PCRE_ERROR_CALLOUT (-9) |
| 2157 | ||
| 2158 | This error is never generated by pcre_exec() itself. It is provided for | This error is never generated by pcre_exec() itself. It is provided for |
| 2159 | use by callout functions that want to yield a distinctive error code. | use by callout functions that want to yield a distinctive error code. |
| 2160 | See the pcrecallout documentation for details. | See the pcrecallout documentation for details. |
| 2161 | ||
| 2162 | PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8 (-10) | PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8 (-10) |
| 2163 | ||
| 2164 | A string that contains an invalid UTF-8 byte sequence was passed as a | A string that contains an invalid UTF-8 byte sequence was passed as a |
| 2165 | subject. | subject. |
| 2166 | ||
| 2167 | PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8_OFFSET (-11) | PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8_OFFSET (-11) |
| 2168 | ||
| 2169 | The UTF-8 byte sequence that was passed as a subject was valid, but the | The UTF-8 byte sequence that was passed as a subject was valid, but the |
| 2170 | value of startoffset did not point to the beginning of a UTF-8 charac- | value of startoffset did not point to the beginning of a UTF-8 charac- |
| 2171 | ter. | ter. |
| 2172 | ||
| 2173 | PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL (-12) | PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL (-12) |
| 2174 | ||
| 2175 | The subject string did not match, but it did match partially. See the | The subject string did not match, but it did match partially. See the |
| 2176 | pcrepartial documentation for details of partial matching. | pcrepartial documentation for details of partial matching. |
| 2177 | ||
| 2178 | PCRE_ERROR_BADPARTIAL (-13) | PCRE_ERROR_BADPARTIAL (-13) |
| 2179 | ||
| 2180 | The PCRE_PARTIAL option was used with a compiled pattern containing | The PCRE_PARTIAL option was used with a compiled pattern containing |
| 2181 | items that are not supported for partial matching. See the pcrepartial | items that are not supported for partial matching. See the pcrepartial |
| 2182 | documentation for details of partial matching. | documentation for details of partial matching. |
| 2183 | ||
| 2184 | PCRE_ERROR_INTERNAL (-14) | PCRE_ERROR_INTERNAL (-14) |
| 2185 | ||
| 2186 | An unexpected internal error has occurred. This error could be caused | An unexpected internal error has occurred. This error could be caused |
| 2187 | by a bug in PCRE or by overwriting of the compiled pattern. | by a bug in PCRE or by overwriting of the compiled pattern. |
| 2188 | ||
| 2189 | PCRE_ERROR_BADCOUNT (-15) | PCRE_ERROR_BADCOUNT (-15) |
| 2190 | ||
| 2191 | This error is given if the value of the ovecsize argument is negative. | This error is given if the value of the ovecsize argument is negative. |
| 2192 | ||
| 2193 | PCRE_ERROR_RECURSIONLIMIT (-21) | PCRE_ERROR_RECURSIONLIMIT (-21) |
| 2194 | ||
| 2195 | The internal recursion limit, as specified by the match_limit_recursion | The internal recursion limit, as specified by the match_limit_recursion |
| 2196 | field in a pcre_extra structure (or defaulted) was reached. See the | field in a pcre_extra structure (or defaulted) was reached. See the |
| 2197 | description above. | description above. |
| 2198 | ||
| PCRE_ERROR_NULLWSLIMIT (-22) | ||
| When a group that can match an empty substring is repeated with an | ||
| unbounded upper limit, the subject position at the start of the group | ||
| must be remembered, so that a test for an empty string can be made when | ||
| the end of the group is reached. Some workspace is required for this; | ||
| if it runs out, this error is given. | ||
| 2199 | PCRE_ERROR_BADNEWLINE (-23) | PCRE_ERROR_BADNEWLINE (-23) |
| 2200 | ||
| 2201 | An invalid combination of PCRE_NEWLINE_xxx options was given. | An invalid combination of PCRE_NEWLINE_xxx options was given. |
| 2202 | ||
| 2203 | Error numbers -16 to -20 are not used by pcre_exec(). | Error numbers -16 to -20 and -22 are not used by pcre_exec(). |
| 2204 | ||
| 2205 | ||
| 2206 | EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NUMBER | EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NUMBER |
| # | Line 2078 EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NUMBER | Line 2216 EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NUMBER |
| 2216 | int pcre_get_substring_list(const char *subject, | int pcre_get_substring_list(const char *subject, |
| 2217 | int *ovector, int stringcount, const char ***listptr); | int *ovector, int stringcount, const char ***listptr); |
| 2218 | ||
| 2219 | Captured substrings can be accessed directly by using the offsets | Captured substrings can be accessed directly by using the offsets |
| 2220 | returned by pcre_exec() in ovector. For convenience, the functions | returned by pcre_exec() in ovector. For convenience, the functions |
| 2221 | pcre_copy_substring(), pcre_get_substring(), and pcre_get_sub- | pcre_copy_substring(), pcre_get_substring(), and pcre_get_sub- |
| 2222 | string_list() are provided for extracting captured substrings as new, | string_list() are provided for extracting captured substrings as new, |
| 2223 | separate, zero-terminated strings. These functions identify substrings | separate, zero-terminated strings. These functions identify substrings |
| 2224 | by number. The next section describes functions for extracting named | by number. The next section describes functions for extracting named |
| 2225 | substrings. | substrings. |
| 2226 | ||
| 2227 | A substring that contains a binary zero is correctly extracted and has | A substring that contains a binary zero is correctly extracted and has |
| 2228 | a further zero added on the end, but the result is not, of course, a C | a further zero added on the end, but the result is not, of course, a C |
| 2229 | string. However, you can process such a string by referring to the | string. However, you can process such a string by referring to the |
| 2230 | length that is returned by pcre_copy_substring() and pcre_get_sub- | length that is returned by pcre_copy_substring() and pcre_get_sub- |
| 2231 | string(). Unfortunately, the interface to pcre_get_substring_list() is | string(). Unfortunately, the interface to pcre_get_substring_list() is |
| 2232 | not adequate for handling strings containing binary zeros, because the | not adequate for handling strings containing binary zeros, because the |
| 2233 | end of the final string is not independently indicated. | end of the final string is not independently indicated. |
| 2234 | ||
| 2235 | The first three arguments are the same for all three of these func- | The first three arguments are the same for all three of these func- |
| 2236 | tions: subject is the subject string that has just been successfully | tions: subject is the subject string that has just been successfully |
| 2237 | matched, ovector is a pointer to the vector of integer offsets that was | matched, ovector is a pointer to the vector of integer offsets that was |
| 2238 | passed to pcre_exec(), and stringcount is the number of substrings that | passed to pcre_exec(), and stringcount is the number of substrings that |
| 2239 | were captured by the match, including the substring that matched the | were captured by the match, including the substring that matched the |
| 2240 | entire regular expression. This is the value returned by pcre_exec() if | entire regular expression. This is the value returned by pcre_exec() if |
| 2241 | it is greater than zero. If pcre_exec() returned zero, indicating that | it is greater than zero. If pcre_exec() returned zero, indicating that |
| 2242 | it ran out of space in ovector, the value passed as stringcount should | it ran out of space in ovector, the value passed as stringcount should |
| 2243 | be the number of elements in the vector divided by three. | be the number of elements in the vector divided by three. |
| 2244 | ||
| 2245 | The functions pcre_copy_substring() and pcre_get_substring() extract a | The functions pcre_copy_substring() and pcre_get_substring() extract a |
| 2246 | single substring, whose number is given as stringnumber. A value of | single substring, whose number is given as stringnumber. A value of |
| 2247 | zero extracts the substring that matched the entire pattern, whereas | zero extracts the substring that matched the entire pattern, whereas |
| 2248 | higher values extract the captured substrings. For pcre_copy_sub- | higher values extract the captured substrings. For pcre_copy_sub- |
| 2249 | string(), the string is placed in buffer, whose length is given by | string(), the string is placed in buffer, whose length is given by |
| 2250 | buffersize, while for pcre_get_substring() a new block of memory is | buffersize, while for pcre_get_substring() a new block of memory is |
| 2251 | obtained via pcre_malloc, and its address is returned via stringptr. | obtained via pcre_malloc, and its address is returned via stringptr. |
| 2252 | The yield of the function is the length of the string, not including | The yield of the function is the length of the string, not including |
| 2253 | the terminating zero, or one of these error codes: | the terminating zero, or one of these error codes: |
| 2254 | ||
| 2255 | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY (-6) | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY (-6) |
| 2256 | ||
| 2257 | The buffer was too small for pcre_copy_substring(), or the attempt to | The buffer was too small for pcre_copy_substring(), or the attempt to |
| 2258 | get memory failed for pcre_get_substring(). | get memory failed for pcre_get_substring(). |
| 2259 | ||
| 2260 | PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) | PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) |
| 2261 | ||
| 2262 | There is no substring whose number is stringnumber. | There is no substring whose number is stringnumber. |
| 2263 | ||
| 2264 | The pcre_get_substring_list() function extracts all available sub- | The pcre_get_substring_list() function extracts all available sub- |
| 2265 | strings and builds a list of pointers to them. All this is done in a | strings and builds a list of pointers to them. All this is done in a |
| 2266 | single block of memory that is obtained via pcre_malloc. The address of | single block of memory that is obtained via pcre_malloc. The address of |
| 2267 | the memory block is returned via listptr, which is also the start of | the memory block is returned via listptr, which is also the start of |
| 2268 | the list of string pointers. The end of the list is marked by a NULL | the list of string pointers. The end of the list is marked by a NULL |
| 2269 | pointer. The yield of the function is zero if all went well, or the | pointer. The yield of the function is zero if all went well, or the |
| 2270 | error code | error code |
| 2271 | ||
| 2272 | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY (-6) | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY (-6) |
| 2273 | ||
| 2274 | if the attempt to get the memory block failed. | if the attempt to get the memory block failed. |
| 2275 | ||
| 2276 | When any of these functions encounter a substring that is unset, which | When any of these functions encounter a substring that is unset, which |
| 2277 | can happen when capturing subpattern number n+1 matches some part of | can happen when capturing subpattern number n+1 matches some part of |
| 2278 | the subject, but subpattern n has not been used at all, they return an | the subject, but subpattern n has not been used at all, they return an |
| 2279 | empty string. This can be distinguished from a genuine zero-length sub- | empty string. This can be distinguished from a genuine zero-length sub- |
| 2280 | string by inspecting the appropriate offset in ovector, which is nega- | string by inspecting the appropriate offset in ovector, which is nega- |
| 2281 | tive for unset substrings. | tive for unset substrings. |
| 2282 | ||
| 2283 | The two convenience functions pcre_free_substring() and pcre_free_sub- | The two convenience functions pcre_free_substring() and pcre_free_sub- |
| 2284 | string_list() can be used to free the memory returned by a previous | string_list() can be used to free the memory returned by a previous |
| 2285 | call of pcre_get_substring() or pcre_get_substring_list(), respec- | call of pcre_get_substring() or pcre_get_substring_list(), respec- |
| 2286 | tively. They do nothing more than call the function pointed to by | tively. They do nothing more than call the function pointed to by |
| 2287 | pcre_free, which of course could be called directly from a C program. | pcre_free, which of course could be called directly from a C program. |
| 2288 | However, PCRE is used in some situations where it is linked via a spe- | However, PCRE is used in some situations where it is linked via a spe- |
| 2289 | cial interface to another programming language that cannot use | cial interface to another programming language that cannot use |
| 2290 | pcre_free directly; it is for these cases that the functions are pro- | pcre_free directly; it is for these cases that the functions are pro- |
| 2291 | vided. | vided. |
| 2292 | ||
| 2293 | ||
| # | Line 2168 EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NAME | Line 2306 EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NAME |
| 2306 | int stringcount, const char *stringname, | int stringcount, const char *stringname, |
| 2307 | const char **stringptr); | const char **stringptr); |
| 2308 | ||
| 2309 | To extract a substring by name, you first have to find associated num- | To extract a substring by name, you first have to find associated num- |
| 2310 | ber. For example, for this pattern | ber. For example, for this pattern |
| 2311 | ||
| 2312 | (a+)b(?<xxx>\d+)... | (a+)b(?<xxx>\d+)... |
| # | Line 2177 EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NAME | Line 2315 EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NAME |
| 2315 | be unique (PCRE_DUPNAMES was not set), you can find the number from the | be unique (PCRE_DUPNAMES was not set), you can find the number from the |
| 2316 | name by calling pcre_get_stringnumber(). The first argument is the com- | name by calling pcre_get_stringnumber(). The first argument is the com- |
| 2317 | piled pattern, and the second is the name. The yield of the function is | piled pattern, and the second is the name. The yield of the function is |
| 2318 | the subpattern number, or PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) if there is no | the subpattern number, or PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) if there is no |
| 2319 | subpattern of that name. | subpattern of that name. |
| 2320 | ||
| 2321 | Given the number, you can extract the substring directly, or use one of | Given the number, you can extract the substring directly, or use one of |
| 2322 | the functions described in the previous section. For convenience, there | the functions described in the previous section. For convenience, there |
| 2323 | are also two functions that do the whole job. | are also two functions that do the whole job. |
| 2324 | ||
| 2325 | Most of the arguments of pcre_copy_named_substring() and | Most of the arguments of pcre_copy_named_substring() and |
| 2326 | pcre_get_named_substring() are the same as those for the similarly | pcre_get_named_substring() are the same as those for the similarly |
| 2327 | named functions that extract by number. As these are described in the | named functions that extract by number. As these are described in the |
| 2328 | previous section, they are not re-described here. There are just two | previous section, they are not re-described here. There are just two |
| 2329 | differences: | differences: |
| 2330 | ||
| 2331 | First, instead of a substring number, a substring name is given. Sec- | First, instead of a substring number, a substring name is given. Sec- |
| 2332 | ond, there is an extra argument, given at the start, which is a pointer | ond, there is an extra argument, given at the start, which is a pointer |
| 2333 | to the compiled pattern. This is needed in order to gain access to the | to the compiled pattern. This is needed in order to gain access to the |
| 2334 | name-to-number translation table. | name-to-number translation table. |
| 2335 | ||
| 2336 | These functions call pcre_get_stringnumber(), and if it succeeds, they | These functions call pcre_get_stringnumber(), and if it succeeds, they |
| 2337 | then call pcre_copy_substring() or pcre_get_substring(), as appropri- | then call pcre_copy_substring() or pcre_get_substring(), as appropri- |
| 2338 | ate. NOTE: If PCRE_DUPNAMES is set and there are duplicate names, the | ate. NOTE: If PCRE_DUPNAMES is set and there are duplicate names, the |
| 2339 | behaviour may not be what you want (see the next section). | behaviour may not be what you want (see the next section). |
| 2340 | ||
| 2341 | ||
| # | Line 2206 DUPLICATE SUBPATTERN NAMES | Line 2344 DUPLICATE SUBPATTERN NAMES |
| 2344 | int pcre_get_stringtable_entries(const pcre *code, | int pcre_get_stringtable_entries(const pcre *code, |
| 2345 | const char *name, char **first, char **last); | const char *name, char **first, char **last); |
| 2346 | ||
| 2347 | When a pattern is compiled with the PCRE_DUPNAMES option, names for | When a pattern is compiled with the PCRE_DUPNAMES option, names for |
| 2348 | subpatterns are not required to be unique. Normally, patterns with | subpatterns are not required to be unique. Normally, patterns with |
| 2349 | duplicate names are such that in any one match, only one of the named | duplicate names are such that in any one match, only one of the named |
| 2350 | subpatterns participates. An example is shown in the pcrepattern docu- | subpatterns participates. An example is shown in the pcrepattern docu- |
| 2351 | mentation. When duplicates are present, pcre_copy_named_substring() and | mentation. |
| 2352 | pcre_get_named_substring() return the first substring corresponding to | |
| 2353 | the given name that is set. If none are set, an empty string is | When duplicates are present, pcre_copy_named_substring() and |
| 2354 | returned. The pcre_get_stringnumber() function returns one of the num- | pcre_get_named_substring() return the first substring corresponding to |
| 2355 | bers that are associated with the name, but it is not defined which it | the given name that is set. If none are set, PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING |
| 2356 | is. | (-7) is returned; no data is returned. The pcre_get_stringnumber() |
| 2357 | function returns one of the numbers that are associated with the name, | |
| 2358 | but it is not defined which it is. | |
| 2359 | ||
| 2360 | If you want to get full details of all captured substrings for a given | If you want to get full details of all captured substrings for a given |
| 2361 | name, you must use the pcre_get_stringtable_entries() function. The | name, you must use the pcre_get_stringtable_entries() function. The |
| 2362 | first argument is the compiled pattern, and the second is the name. The | first argument is the compiled pattern, and the second is the name. The |
| 2363 | third and fourth are pointers to variables which are updated by the | third and fourth are pointers to variables which are updated by the |
| 2364 | function. After it has run, they point to the first and last entries in | function. After it has run, they point to the first and last entries in |
| 2365 | the name-to-number table for the given name. The function itself | the name-to-number table for the given name. The function itself |
| 2366 | returns the length of each entry, or PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) if | returns the length of each entry, or PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) if |
| 2367 | there are none. The format of the table is described above in the sec- | there are none. The format of the table is described above in the sec- |
| 2368 | tion entitled Information about a pattern. Given all the relevant | tion entitled Information about a pattern. Given all the relevant |
| 2369 | entries for the name, you can extract each of their numbers, and hence | entries for the name, you can extract each of their numbers, and hence |
| 2370 | the captured data, if any. | the captured data, if any. |
| 2371 | ||
| 2372 | ||
| 2373 | FINDING ALL POSSIBLE MATCHES | FINDING ALL POSSIBLE MATCHES |
| 2374 | ||
| 2375 | The traditional matching function uses a similar algorithm to Perl, | The traditional matching function uses a similar algorithm to Perl, |
| 2376 | which stops when it finds the first match, starting at a given point in | which stops when it finds the first match, starting at a given point in |
| 2377 | the subject. If you want to find all possible matches, or the longest | the subject. If you want to find all possible matches, or the longest |
| 2378 | possible match, consider using the alternative matching function (see | possible match, consider using the alternative matching function (see |
| 2379 | below) instead. If you cannot use the alternative function, but still | below) instead. If you cannot use the alternative function, but still |
| 2380 | need to find all possible matches, you can kludge it up by making use | need to find all possible matches, you can kludge it up by making use |
| 2381 | of the callout facility, which is described in the pcrecallout documen- | of the callout facility, which is described in the pcrecallout documen- |
| 2382 | tation. | tation. |
| 2383 | ||
| 2384 | What you have to do is to insert a callout right at the end of the pat- | What you have to do is to insert a callout right at the end of the pat- |
| 2385 | tern. When your callout function is called, extract and save the cur- | tern. When your callout function is called, extract and save the cur- |
| 2386 | rent matched substring. Then return 1, which forces pcre_exec() to | rent matched substring. Then return 1, which forces pcre_exec() to |
| 2387 | backtrack and try other alternatives. Ultimately, when it runs out of | backtrack and try other alternatives. Ultimately, when it runs out of |
| 2388 | matches, pcre_exec() will yield PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH. | matches, pcre_exec() will yield PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH. |
| 2389 | ||
| 2390 | ||
| # | Line 2255 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE ALTERNATIVE FUNC | Line 2395 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE ALTERNATIVE FUNC |
| 2395 | int options, int *ovector, int ovecsize, | int options, int *ovector, int ovecsize, |
| 2396 | int *workspace, int wscount); | int *workspace, int wscount); |
| 2397 | ||
| 2398 | The function pcre_dfa_exec() is called to match a subject string | The function pcre_dfa_exec() is called to match a subject string |
| 2399 | against a compiled pattern, using a matching algorithm that scans the | against a compiled pattern, using a matching algorithm that scans the |
| 2400 | subject string just once, and does not backtrack. This has different | subject string just once, and does not backtrack. This has different |
| 2401 | characteristics to the normal algorithm, and is not compatible with | characteristics to the normal algorithm, and is not compatible with |
| 2402 | Perl. Some of the features of PCRE patterns are not supported. Never- | Perl. Some of the features of PCRE patterns are not supported. Never- |
| 2403 | theless, there are times when this kind of matching can be useful. For | theless, there are times when this kind of matching can be useful. For |
| 2404 | a discussion of the two matching algorithms, see the pcrematching docu- | a discussion of the two matching algorithms, see the pcrematching docu- |
| 2405 | mentation. | mentation. |
| 2406 | ||
| 2407 | The arguments for the pcre_dfa_exec() function are the same as for | The arguments for the pcre_dfa_exec() function are the same as for |
| 2408 | pcre_exec(), plus two extras. The ovector argument is used in a differ- | pcre_exec(), plus two extras. The ovector argument is used in a differ- |
| 2409 | ent way, and this is described below. The other common arguments are | ent way, and this is described below. The other common arguments are |
| 2410 | used in the same way as for pcre_exec(), so their description is not | used in the same way as for pcre_exec(), so their description is not |
| 2411 | repeated here. | repeated here. |
| 2412 | ||
| 2413 | The two additional arguments provide workspace for the function. The | The two additional arguments provide workspace for the function. The |
| 2414 | workspace vector should contain at least 20 elements. It is used for | workspace vector should contain at least 20 elements. It is used for |
| 2415 | keeping track of multiple paths through the pattern tree. More | keeping track of multiple paths through the pattern tree. More |
| 2416 | workspace will be needed for patterns and subjects where there are a | workspace will be needed for patterns and subjects where there are a |
| 2417 | lot of potential matches. | lot of potential matches. |
| 2418 | ||
| 2419 | Here is an example of a simple call to pcre_dfa_exec(): | Here is an example of a simple call to pcre_dfa_exec(): |
| # | Line 2295 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE ALTERNATIVE FUNC | Line 2435 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE ALTERNATIVE FUNC |
| 2435 | ||
| 2436 | Option bits for pcre_dfa_exec() | Option bits for pcre_dfa_exec() |
| 2437 | ||
| 2438 | The unused bits of the options argument for pcre_dfa_exec() must be | The unused bits of the options argument for pcre_dfa_exec() must be |
| 2439 | zero. The only bits that may be set are PCRE_ANCHORED, PCRE_NEW- | zero. The only bits that may be set are PCRE_ANCHORED, PCRE_NEW- |
| 2440 | LINE_xxx, PCRE_NOTBOL, PCRE_NOTEOL, PCRE_NOTEMPTY, PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK, | LINE_xxx, PCRE_NOTBOL, PCRE_NOTEOL, PCRE_NOTEMPTY, PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK, |
| 2441 | PCRE_PARTIAL, PCRE_DFA_SHORTEST, and PCRE_DFA_RESTART. All but the last | PCRE_PARTIAL, PCRE_DFA_SHORTEST, and PCRE_DFA_RESTART. All but the last |
| 2442 | three of these are the same as for pcre_exec(), so their description is | three of these are the same as for pcre_exec(), so their description is |
| 2443 | not repeated here. | not repeated here. |
| 2444 | ||
| 2445 | PCRE_PARTIAL | PCRE_PARTIAL |
| 2446 | ||
| 2447 | This has the same general effect as it does for pcre_exec(), but the | This has the same general effect as it does for pcre_exec(), but the |
| 2448 | details are slightly different. When PCRE_PARTIAL is set for | details are slightly different. When PCRE_PARTIAL is set for |
| 2449 | pcre_dfa_exec(), the return code PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH is converted into | pcre_dfa_exec(), the return code PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH is converted into |
| 2450 | PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL if the end of the subject is reached, there have | PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL if the end of the subject is reached, there have |
| 2451 | been no complete matches, but there is still at least one matching pos- | been no complete matches, but there is still at least one matching pos- |
| 2452 | sibility. The portion of the string that provided the partial match is | sibility. The portion of the string that provided the partial match is |
| 2453 | set as the first matching string. | set as the first matching string. |
| 2454 | ||
| 2455 | PCRE_DFA_SHORTEST | PCRE_DFA_SHORTEST |
| 2456 | ||
| 2457 | Setting the PCRE_DFA_SHORTEST option causes the matching algorithm to | Setting the PCRE_DFA_SHORTEST option causes the matching algorithm to |
| 2458 | stop as soon as it has found one match. Because of the way the alterna- | stop as soon as it has found one match. Because of the way the alterna- |
| 2459 | tive algorithm works, this is necessarily the shortest possible match | tive algorithm works, this is necessarily the shortest possible match |
| 2460 | at the first possible matching point in the subject string. | at the first possible matching point in the subject string. |
| 2461 | ||
| 2462 | PCRE_DFA_RESTART | PCRE_DFA_RESTART |
| 2463 | ||
| 2464 | When pcre_dfa_exec() is called with the PCRE_PARTIAL option, and | When pcre_dfa_exec() is called with the PCRE_PARTIAL option, and |
| 2465 | returns a partial match, it is possible to call it again, with addi- | returns a partial match, it is possible to call it again, with addi- |
| 2466 | tional subject characters, and have it continue with the same match. | tional subject characters, and have it continue with the same match. |
| 2467 | The PCRE_DFA_RESTART option requests this action; when it is set, the | The PCRE_DFA_RESTART option requests this action; when it is set, the |
| 2468 | workspace and wscount options must reference the same vector as before | workspace and wscount options must reference the same vector as before |
| 2469 | because data about the match so far is left in them after a partial | because data about the match so far is left in them after a partial |
| 2470 | match. There is more discussion of this facility in the pcrepartial | match. There is more discussion of this facility in the pcrepartial |
| 2471 | documentation. | documentation. |
| 2472 | ||
| 2473 | Successful returns from pcre_dfa_exec() | Successful returns from pcre_dfa_exec() |
| 2474 | ||
| 2475 | When pcre_dfa_exec() succeeds, it may have matched more than one sub- | When pcre_dfa_exec() succeeds, it may have matched more than one sub- |
| 2476 | string in the subject. Note, however, that all the matches from one run | string in the subject. Note, however, that all the matches from one run |
| 2477 | of the function start at the same point in the subject. The shorter | of the function start at the same point in the subject. The shorter |
| 2478 | matches are all initial substrings of the longer matches. For example, | matches are all initial substrings of the longer matches. For example, |
| 2479 | if the pattern | if the pattern |
| 2480 | ||
| 2481 | <.*> | <.*> |
| # | Line 2350 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE ALTERNATIVE FUNC | Line 2490 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE ALTERNATIVE FUNC |
| 2490 | <something> <something else> | <something> <something else> |
| 2491 | <something> <something else> <something further> | <something> <something else> <something further> |
| 2492 | ||
| 2493 | On success, the yield of the function is a number greater than zero, | On success, the yield of the function is a number greater than zero, |
| 2494 | which is the number of matched substrings. The substrings themselves | which is the number of matched substrings. The substrings themselves |
| 2495 | are returned in ovector. Each string uses two elements; the first is | are returned in ovector. Each string uses two elements; the first is |
| 2496 | the offset to the start, and the second is the offset to the end. In | the offset to the start, and the second is the offset to the end. In |
| 2497 | fact, all the strings have the same start offset. (Space could have | fact, all the strings have the same start offset. (Space could have |
| 2498 | been saved by giving this only once, but it was decided to retain some | been saved by giving this only once, but it was decided to retain some |
| 2499 | compatibility with the way pcre_exec() returns data, even though the | compatibility with the way pcre_exec() returns data, even though the |
| 2500 | meaning of the strings is different.) | meaning of the strings is different.) |
| 2501 | ||
| 2502 | The strings are returned in reverse order of length; that is, the long- | The strings are returned in reverse order of length; that is, the long- |
| 2503 | est matching string is given first. If there were too many matches to | est matching string is given first. If there were too many matches to |
| 2504 | fit into ovector, the yield of the function is zero, and the vector is | fit into ovector, the yield of the function is zero, and the vector is |
| 2505 | filled with the longest matches. | filled with the longest matches. |
| 2506 | ||
| 2507 | Error returns from pcre_dfa_exec() | Error returns from pcre_dfa_exec() |
| 2508 | ||
| 2509 | The pcre_dfa_exec() function returns a negative number when it fails. | The pcre_dfa_exec() function returns a negative number when it fails. |
| 2510 | Many of the errors are the same as for pcre_exec(), and these are | Many of the errors are the same as for pcre_exec(), and these are |
| 2511 | described above. There are in addition the following errors that are | described above. There are in addition the following errors that are |
| 2512 | specific to pcre_dfa_exec(): | specific to pcre_dfa_exec(): |
| 2513 | ||
| 2514 | PCRE_ERROR_DFA_UITEM (-16) | PCRE_ERROR_DFA_UITEM (-16) |
| 2515 | ||
| 2516 | This return is given if pcre_dfa_exec() encounters an item in the pat- | This return is given if pcre_dfa_exec() encounters an item in the pat- |
| 2517 | tern that it does not support, for instance, the use of \C or a back | tern that it does not support, for instance, the use of \C or a back |
| 2518 | reference. | reference. |
| 2519 | ||
| 2520 | PCRE_ERROR_DFA_UCOND (-17) | PCRE_ERROR_DFA_UCOND (-17) |
| 2521 | ||
| 2522 | This return is given if pcre_dfa_exec() encounters a condition item | This return is given if pcre_dfa_exec() encounters a condition item |
| 2523 | that uses a back reference for the condition, or a test for recursion | that uses a back reference for the condition, or a test for recursion |
| 2524 | in a specific group. These are not supported. | in a specific group. These are not supported. |
| 2525 | ||
| 2526 | PCRE_ERROR_DFA_UMLIMIT (-18) | PCRE_ERROR_DFA_UMLIMIT (-18) |
| 2527 | ||
| 2528 | This return is given if pcre_dfa_exec() is called with an extra block | This return is given if pcre_dfa_exec() is called with an extra block |
| 2529 | that contains a setting of the match_limit field. This is not supported | that contains a setting of the match_limit field. This is not supported |
| 2530 | (it is meaningless). | (it is meaningless). |
| 2531 | ||
| 2532 | PCRE_ERROR_DFA_WSSIZE (-19) | PCRE_ERROR_DFA_WSSIZE (-19) |
| 2533 | ||
| 2534 | This return is given if pcre_dfa_exec() runs out of space in the | This return is given if pcre_dfa_exec() runs out of space in the |
| 2535 | workspace vector. | workspace vector. |
| 2536 | ||
| 2537 | PCRE_ERROR_DFA_RECURSE (-20) | PCRE_ERROR_DFA_RECURSE (-20) |
| 2538 | ||
| 2539 | When a recursive subpattern is processed, the matching function calls | When a recursive subpattern is processed, the matching function calls |
| 2540 | itself recursively, using private vectors for ovector and workspace. | itself recursively, using private vectors for ovector and workspace. |
| 2541 | This error is given if the output vector is not large enough. This | This error is given if the output vector is not large enough. This |
| 2542 | should be extremely rare, as a vector of size 1000 is used. | should be extremely rare, as a vector of size 1000 is used. |
| 2543 | ||
| 2544 | ||
| 2545 | SEE ALSO | SEE ALSO |
| 2546 | ||
| 2547 | pcrebuild(3), pcrecallout(3), pcrecpp(3)(3), pcrematching(3), pcrepar- | pcrebuild(3), pcrecallout(3), pcrecpp(3)(3), pcrematching(3), pcrepar- |
| 2548 | tial(3), pcreposix(3), pcreprecompile(3), pcresample(3), pcrestack(3). | tial(3), pcreposix(3), pcreprecompile(3), pcresample(3), pcrestack(3). |
| 2549 | ||
| 2550 | ||
| 2551 | AUTHOR | AUTHOR |
| # | Line 2417 AUTHOR | Line 2557 AUTHOR |
| 2557 | ||
| 2558 | REVISION | REVISION |
| 2559 | ||
| 2560 | Last updated: 13 June 2007 | Last updated: 27 November 2007 |
| 2561 | Copyright (c) 1997-2007 University of Cambridge. | Copyright (c) 1997-2007 University of Cambridge. |
| 2562 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 2563 | ||
| # | Line 2670 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PCRE AND PERL | Line 2810 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PCRE AND PERL |
| 2810 | matching "aba" against the pattern /^(a(b)?)+$/ in Perl leaves $2 | matching "aba" against the pattern /^(a(b)?)+$/ in Perl leaves $2 |
| 2811 | unset, but in PCRE it is set to "b". | unset, but in PCRE it is set to "b". |
| 2812 | ||
| 2813 | 11. PCRE provides some extensions to the Perl regular expression facil- | 11. PCRE does support Perl 5.10's backtracking verbs (*ACCEPT), |
| 2814 | (*FAIL), (*F), (*COMMIT), (*PRUNE), (*SKIP), and (*THEN), but only in | |
| 2815 | the forms without an argument. PCRE does not support (*MARK). If | |
| 2816 | (*ACCEPT) is within capturing parentheses, PCRE does not set that cap- | |
| 2817 | ture group; this is different to Perl. | |
| 2818 | ||
| 2819 | 12. PCRE provides some extensions to the Perl regular expression facil- | |
| 2820 | ities. Perl 5.10 will include new features that are not in earlier | ities. Perl 5.10 will include new features that are not in earlier |
| 2821 | versions, some of which (such as named parentheses) have been in PCRE | versions, some of which (such as named parentheses) have been in PCRE |
| 2822 | for some time. This list is with respect to Perl 5.10: | for some time. This list is with respect to Perl 5.10: |
| # | Line 2696 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PCRE AND PERL | Line 2842 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PCRE AND PERL |
| 2842 | (f) The PCRE_NOTBOL, PCRE_NOTEOL, PCRE_NOTEMPTY, and PCRE_NO_AUTO_CAP- | (f) The PCRE_NOTBOL, PCRE_NOTEOL, PCRE_NOTEMPTY, and PCRE_NO_AUTO_CAP- |
| 2843 | TURE options for pcre_exec() have no Perl equivalents. | TURE options for pcre_exec() have no Perl equivalents. |
| 2844 | ||
| 2845 | (g) The callout facility is PCRE-specific. | (g) The \R escape sequence can be restricted to match only CR, LF, or |
| 2846 | CRLF by the PCRE_BSR_ANYCRLF option. | |
| 2847 | ||
| 2848 | (h) The partial matching facility is PCRE-specific. | (h) The callout facility is PCRE-specific. |
| 2849 | ||
| 2850 | (i) Patterns compiled by PCRE can be saved and re-used at a later time, | (i) The partial matching facility is PCRE-specific. |
| 2851 | ||
| 2852 | (j) Patterns compiled by PCRE can be saved and re-used at a later time, | |
| 2853 | even on different hosts that have the other endianness. | even on different hosts that have the other endianness. |
| 2854 | ||
| 2855 | (j) The alternative matching function (pcre_dfa_exec()) matches in a | (k) The alternative matching function (pcre_dfa_exec()) matches in a |
| 2856 | different way and is not Perl-compatible. | different way and is not Perl-compatible. |
| 2857 | ||
| 2858 | (l) PCRE recognizes some special sequences such as (*CR) at the start | |
| 2859 | of a pattern that set overall options that cannot be changed within the | |
| 2860 | pattern. | |
| 2861 | ||
| 2862 | ||
| 2863 | AUTHOR | AUTHOR |
| 2864 | ||
| # | Line 2716 AUTHOR | Line 2869 AUTHOR |
| 2869 | ||
| 2870 | REVISION | REVISION |
| 2871 | ||
| 2872 | Last updated: 13 June 2007 | Last updated: 11 September 2007 |
| 2873 | Copyright (c) 1997-2007 University of Cambridge. | Copyright (c) 1997-2007 University of Cambridge. |
| 2874 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 2875 | ||
| # | Line 2730 NAME | Line 2883 NAME |
| 2883 | ||
| 2884 | PCRE REGULAR EXPRESSION DETAILS | PCRE REGULAR EXPRESSION DETAILS |
| 2885 | ||
| 2886 | The syntax and semantics of the regular expressions supported by PCRE | The syntax and semantics of the regular expressions that are supported |
| 2887 | are described below. Regular expressions are also described in the Perl | by PCRE are described in detail below. There is a quick-reference syn- |
| 2888 | documentation and in a number of books, some of which have copious | tax summary in the pcresyntax page. Perl's regular expressions are |
| 2889 | examples. Jeffrey Friedl's "Mastering Regular Expressions", published | described in its own documentation, and regular expressions in general |
| 2890 | by O'Reilly, covers regular expressions in great detail. This descrip- | are covered in a number of books, some of which have copious examples. |
| 2891 | tion of PCRE's regular expressions is intended as reference material. | Jeffrey Friedl's "Mastering Regular Expressions", published by |
| 2892 | O'Reilly, covers regular expressions in great detail. This description | |
| 2893 | of PCRE's regular expressions is intended as reference material. | |
| 2894 | ||
| 2895 | The original operation of PCRE was on strings of one-byte characters. | The original operation of PCRE was on strings of one-byte characters. |
| 2896 | However, there is now also support for UTF-8 character strings. To use | However, there is now also support for UTF-8 character strings. To use |
| # | Line 2755 PCRE REGULAR EXPRESSION DETAILS | Line 2910 PCRE REGULAR EXPRESSION DETAILS |
| 2910 | discussed in the pcrematching page. | discussed in the pcrematching page. |
| 2911 | ||
| 2912 | ||
| 2913 | NEWLINE CONVENTIONS | |
| 2914 | ||
| 2915 | PCRE supports five different conventions for indicating line breaks in | |
| 2916 | strings: a single CR (carriage return) character, a single LF (line- | |
| 2917 | feed) character, the two-character sequence CRLF, any of the three pre- | |
| 2918 | ceding, or any Unicode newline sequence. The pcreapi page has further | |
| 2919 | discussion about newlines, and shows how to set the newline convention | |
| 2920 | in the options arguments for the compiling and matching functions. | |
| 2921 | ||
| 2922 | It is also possible to specify a newline convention by starting a pat- | |
| 2923 | tern string with one of the following five sequences: | |
| 2924 | ||
| 2925 | (*CR) carriage return | |
| 2926 | (*LF) linefeed | |
| 2927 | (*CRLF) carriage return, followed by linefeed | |
| 2928 | (*ANYCRLF) any of the three above | |
| 2929 | (*ANY) all Unicode newline sequences | |
| 2930 | ||
| 2931 | These override the default and the options given to pcre_compile(). For | |
| 2932 | example, on a Unix system where LF is the default newline sequence, the | |
| 2933 | pattern | |
| 2934 | ||
| 2935 | (*CR)a.b | |
| 2936 | ||
| 2937 | changes the convention to CR. That pattern matches "a\nb" because LF is | |
| 2938 | no longer a newline. Note that these special settings, which are not | |
| 2939 | Perl-compatible, are recognized only at the very start of a pattern, | |
| 2940 | and that they must be in upper case. If more than one of them is | |
| 2941 | present, the last one is used. | |
| 2942 | ||
| 2943 | The newline convention does not affect what the \R escape sequence | |
| 2944 | matches. By default, this is any Unicode newline sequence, for Perl | |
| 2945 | compatibility. However, this can be changed; see the description of \R | |
| 2946 | in the section entitled "Newline sequences" below. A change of \R set- | |
| 2947 | ting can be combined with a change of newline convention. | |
| 2948 | ||
| 2949 | ||
| 2950 | CHARACTERS AND METACHARACTERS | CHARACTERS AND METACHARACTERS |
| 2951 | ||
| 2952 | A regular expression is a pattern that is matched against a subject | A regular expression is a pattern that is matched against a subject |
| # | Line 2862 BACKSLASH | Line 3054 BACKSLASH |
| 3054 | \cx "control-x", where x is any character | \cx "control-x", where x is any character |
| 3055 | \e escape (hex 1B) | \e escape (hex 1B) |
| 3056 | \f formfeed (hex 0C) | \f formfeed (hex 0C) |
| 3057 | \n newline (hex 0A) | \n linefeed (hex 0A) |
| 3058 | \r carriage return (hex 0D) | \r carriage return (hex 0D) |
| 3059 | \t tab (hex 09) | \t tab (hex 09) |
| 3060 | \ddd character with octal code ddd, or backreference | \ddd character with octal code ddd, or backreference |
| # | Line 2877 BACKSLASH | Line 3069 BACKSLASH |
| 3069 | After \x, from zero to two hexadecimal digits are read (letters can be | After \x, from zero to two hexadecimal digits are read (letters can be |
| 3070 | in upper or lower case). Any number of hexadecimal digits may appear | in upper or lower case). Any number of hexadecimal digits may appear |
| 3071 | between \x{ and }, but the value of the character code must be less | between \x{ and }, but the value of the character code must be less |
| 3072 | than 256 in non-UTF-8 mode, and less than 2**31 in UTF-8 mode (that is, | than 256 in non-UTF-8 mode, and less than 2**31 in UTF-8 mode. That is, |
| 3073 | the maximum hexadecimal value is 7FFFFFFF). If characters other than | the maximum value in hexadecimal is 7FFFFFFF. Note that this is bigger |
| 3074 | hexadecimal digits appear between \x{ and }, or if there is no termi- | than the largest Unicode code point, which is 10FFFF. |
| 3075 | nating }, this form of escape is not recognized. Instead, the initial | |
| 3076 | \x will be interpreted as a basic hexadecimal escape, with no following | If characters other than hexadecimal digits appear between \x{ and }, |
| 3077 | digits, giving a character whose value is zero. | or if there is no terminating }, this form of escape is not recognized. |
| 3078 | Instead, the initial \x will be interpreted as a basic hexadecimal | |
| 3079 | escape, with no following digits, giving a character whose value is | |
| 3080 | zero. | |
| 3081 | ||
| 3082 | Characters whose value is less than 256 can be defined by either of the | Characters whose value is less than 256 can be defined by either of the |
| 3083 | two syntaxes for \x. There is no difference in the way they are han- | two syntaxes for \x. There is no difference in the way they are han- |
| 3084 | dled. For example, \xdc is exactly the same as \x{dc}. | dled. For example, \xdc is exactly the same as \x{dc}. |
| 3085 | ||
| 3086 | After \0 up to two further octal digits are read. If there are fewer | After \0 up to two further octal digits are read. If there are fewer |
| 3087 | than two digits, just those that are present are used. Thus the | than two digits, just those that are present are used. Thus the |
| 3088 | sequence \0\x\07 specifies two binary zeros followed by a BEL character | sequence \0\x\07 specifies two binary zeros followed by a BEL character |
| 3089 | (code value 7). Make sure you supply two digits after the initial zero | (code value 7). Make sure you supply two digits after the initial zero |
| 3090 | if the pattern character that follows is itself an octal digit. | if the pattern character that follows is itself an octal digit. |
| 3091 | ||
| 3092 | The handling of a backslash followed by a digit other than 0 is compli- | The handling of a backslash followed by a digit other than 0 is compli- |
| 3093 | cated. Outside a character class, PCRE reads it and any following dig- | cated. Outside a character class, PCRE reads it and any following dig- |
| 3094 | its as a decimal number. If the number is less than 10, or if there | its as a decimal number. If the number is less than 10, or if there |
| 3095 | have been at least that many previous capturing left parentheses in the | have been at least that many previous capturing left parentheses in the |
| 3096 | expression, the entire sequence is taken as a back reference. A | expression, the entire sequence is taken as a back reference. A |
| 3097 | description of how this works is given later, following the discussion | description of how this works is given later, following the discussion |
| 3098 | of parenthesized subpatterns. | of parenthesized subpatterns. |
| 3099 | ||
| 3100 | Inside a character class, or if the decimal number is greater than 9 | Inside a character class, or if the decimal number is greater than 9 |
| 3101 | and there have not been that many capturing subpatterns, PCRE re-reads | and there have not been that many capturing subpatterns, PCRE re-reads |
| 3102 | up to three octal digits following the backslash, and uses them to gen- | up to three octal digits following the backslash, and uses them to gen- |
| 3103 | erate a data character. Any subsequent digits stand for themselves. In | erate a data character. Any subsequent digits stand for themselves. In |
| 3104 | non-UTF-8 mode, the value of a character specified in octal must be | non-UTF-8 mode, the value of a character specified in octal must be |
| 3105 | less than \400. In UTF-8 mode, values up to \777 are permitted. For | less than \400. In UTF-8 mode, values up to \777 are permitted. For |
| 3106 | example: | example: |
| 3107 | ||
| 3108 | \040 is another way of writing a space | \040 is another way of writing a space |
| # | Line 2925 BACKSLASH | Line 3120 BACKSLASH |
| 3120 | \81 is either a back reference, or a binary zero | \81 is either a back reference, or a binary zero |
| 3121 | followed by the two characters "8" and "1" | followed by the two characters "8" and "1" |
| 3122 | ||
| 3123 | Note that octal values of 100 or greater must not be introduced by a | Note that octal values of 100 or greater must not be introduced by a |
| 3124 | leading zero, because no more than three octal digits are ever read. | leading zero, because no more than three octal digits are ever read. |
| 3125 | ||
| 3126 | All the sequences that define a single character value can be used both | All the sequences that define a single character value can be used both |
| 3127 | inside and outside character classes. In addition, inside a character | inside and outside character classes. In addition, inside a character |
| 3128 | class, the sequence \b is interpreted as the backspace character (hex | class, the sequence \b is interpreted as the backspace character (hex |
| 3129 | 08), and the sequences \R and \X are interpreted as the characters "R" | 08), and the sequences \R and \X are interpreted as the characters "R" |
| 3130 | and "X", respectively. Outside a character class, these sequences have | and "X", respectively. Outside a character class, these sequences have |
| 3131 | different meanings (see below). | different meanings (see below). |
| 3132 | ||
| 3133 | Absolute and relative back references | Absolute and relative back references |
| 3134 | ||
| 3135 | The sequence \g followed by a positive or negative number, optionally | The sequence \g followed by an unsigned or a negative number, option- |
| 3136 | enclosed in braces, is an absolute or relative back reference. A named | ally enclosed in braces, is an absolute or relative back reference. A |
| 3137 | back reference can be coded as \g{name}. Back references are discussed | named back reference can be coded as \g{name}. Back references are dis- |
| 3138 | later, following the discussion of parenthesized subpatterns. | cussed later, following the discussion of parenthesized subpatterns. |
| 3139 | ||
| 3140 | Generic character types | Generic character types |
| 3141 | ||
| # | Line 2959 BACKSLASH | Line 3154 BACKSLASH |
| 3154 | \W any "non-word" character | \W any "non-word" character |
| 3155 | ||
| 3156 | Each pair of escape sequences partitions the complete set of characters | Each pair of escape sequences partitions the complete set of characters |
| 3157 | into two disjoint sets. Any given character matches one, and only one, | into two disjoint sets. Any given character matches one, and only one, |
| 3158 | of each pair. | of each pair. |
| 3159 | ||
| 3160 | These character type sequences can appear both inside and outside char- | These character type sequences can appear both inside and outside char- |
| 3161 | acter classes. They each match one character of the appropriate type. | acter classes. They each match one character of the appropriate type. |
| 3162 | If the current matching point is at the end of the subject string, all | If the current matching point is at the end of the subject string, all |
| 3163 | of them fail, since there is no character to match. | of them fail, since there is no character to match. |
| 3164 | ||
| 3165 | For compatibility with Perl, \s does not match the VT character (code | For compatibility with Perl, \s does not match the VT character (code |
| 3166 | 11). This makes it different from the the POSIX "space" class. The \s | 11). This makes it different from the the POSIX "space" class. The \s |
| 3167 | characters are HT (9), LF (10), FF (12), CR (13), and space (32). If | characters are HT (9), LF (10), FF (12), CR (13), and space (32). If |
| 3168 | "use locale;" is included in a Perl script, \s may match the VT charac- | "use locale;" is included in a Perl script, \s may match the VT charac- |
| 3169 | ter. In PCRE, it never does. | ter. In PCRE, it never does. |
| 3170 | ||
| 3171 | In UTF-8 mode, characters with values greater than 128 never match \d, | In UTF-8 mode, characters with values greater than 128 never match \d, |
| 3172 | \s, or \w, and always match \D, \S, and \W. This is true even when Uni- | \s, or \w, and always match \D, \S, and \W. This is true even when Uni- |
| 3173 | code character property support is available. These sequences retain | code character property support is available. These sequences retain |
| 3174 | their original meanings from before UTF-8 support was available, mainly | their original meanings from before UTF-8 support was available, mainly |
| 3175 | for efficiency reasons. | for efficiency reasons. |
| 3176 | ||
| 3177 | The sequences \h, \H, \v, and \V are Perl 5.10 features. In contrast to | The sequences \h, \H, \v, and \V are Perl 5.10 features. In contrast to |
| 3178 | the other sequences, these do match certain high-valued codepoints in | the other sequences, these do match certain high-valued codepoints in |
| 3179 | UTF-8 mode. The horizontal space characters are: | UTF-8 mode. The horizontal space characters are: |
| 3180 | ||
| 3181 | U+0009 Horizontal tab | U+0009 Horizontal tab |
| # | Line 3014 BACKSLASH | Line 3209 BACKSLASH |
| 3209 | U+2029 Paragraph separator | U+2029 Paragraph separator |
| 3210 | ||
| 3211 | A "word" character is an underscore or any character less than 256 that | A "word" character is an underscore or any character less than 256 that |
| 3212 | is a letter or digit. The definition of letters and digits is con- | is a letter or digit. The definition of letters and digits is con- |
| 3213 | trolled by PCRE's low-valued character tables, and may vary if locale- | trolled by PCRE's low-valued character tables, and may vary if locale- |
| 3214 | specific matching is taking place (see "Locale support" in the pcreapi | specific matching is taking place (see "Locale support" in the pcreapi |
| 3215 | page). For example, in a French locale such as "fr_FR" in Unix-like | page). For example, in a French locale such as "fr_FR" in Unix-like |
| 3216 | systems, or "french" in Windows, some character codes greater than 128 | systems, or "french" in Windows, some character codes greater than 128 |
| 3217 | are used for accented letters, and these are matched by \w. The use of | are used for accented letters, and these are matched by \w. The use of |
| 3218 | locales with Unicode is discouraged. | locales with Unicode is discouraged. |
| 3219 | ||
| 3220 | Newline sequences | Newline sequences |
| 3221 | ||
| 3222 | Outside a character class, the escape sequence \R matches any Unicode | Outside a character class, by default, the escape sequence \R matches |
| 3223 | newline sequence. This is a Perl 5.10 feature. In non-UTF-8 mode \R is | any Unicode newline sequence. This is a Perl 5.10 feature. In non-UTF-8 |
| 3224 | equivalent to the following: | mode \R is equivalent to the following: |
| 3225 | ||
| 3226 | (?>\r\n|\n|\x0b|\f|\r|\x85) | (?>\r\n|\n|\x0b|\f|\r|\x85) |
| 3227 | ||
| 3228 | This is an example of an "atomic group", details of which are given | This is an example of an "atomic group", details of which are given |
| 3229 | below. This particular group matches either the two-character sequence | below. This particular group matches either the two-character sequence |
| 3230 | CR followed by LF, or one of the single characters LF (linefeed, | CR followed by LF, or one of the single characters LF (linefeed, |
| 3231 | U+000A), VT (vertical tab, U+000B), FF (formfeed, U+000C), CR (carriage | U+000A), VT (vertical tab, U+000B), FF (formfeed, U+000C), CR (carriage |
| 3232 | return, U+000D), or NEL (next line, U+0085). The two-character sequence | return, U+000D), or NEL (next line, U+0085). The two-character sequence |
| 3233 | is treated as a single unit that cannot be split. | is treated as a single unit that cannot be split. |
| 3234 | ||
| 3235 | In UTF-8 mode, two additional characters whose codepoints are greater | In UTF-8 mode, two additional characters whose codepoints are greater |
| 3236 | than 255 are added: LS (line separator, U+2028) and PS (paragraph sepa- | than 255 are added: LS (line separator, U+2028) and PS (paragraph sepa- |
| 3237 | rator, U+2029). Unicode character property support is not needed for | rator, U+2029). Unicode character property support is not needed for |
| 3238 | these characters to be recognized. | these characters to be recognized. |
| 3239 | ||
| 3240 | It is possible to restrict \R to match only CR, LF, or CRLF (instead of | |
| 3241 | the complete set of Unicode line endings) by setting the option | |
| 3242 | PCRE_BSR_ANYCRLF either at compile time or when the pattern is matched. | |
| 3243 | (BSR is an abbrevation for "backslash R".) This can be made the default | |
| 3244 | when PCRE is built; if this is the case, the other behaviour can be | |
| 3245 | requested via the PCRE_BSR_UNICODE option. It is also possible to | |
| 3246 | specify these settings by starting a pattern string with one of the | |
| 3247 | following sequences: | |
| 3248 | ||
| 3249 | (*BSR_ANYCRLF) CR, LF, or CRLF only | |
| 3250 | (*BSR_UNICODE) any Unicode newline sequence | |
| 3251 | ||
| 3252 | These override the default and the options given to pcre_compile(), but | |
| 3253 | they can be overridden by options given to pcre_exec(). Note that these | |
| 3254 | special settings, which are not Perl-compatible, are recognized only at | |
| 3255 | the very start of a pattern, and that they must be in upper case. If | |
| 3256 | more than one of them is present, the last one is used. They can be | |
| 3257 | combined with a change of newline convention, for example, a pattern | |
| 3258 | can start with: | |
| 3259 | ||
| 3260 | (*ANY)(*BSR_ANYCRLF) | |
| 3261 | ||
| 3262 | Inside a character class, \R matches the letter "R". | Inside a character class, \R matches the letter "R". |
| 3263 | ||
| 3264 | Unicode character properties | Unicode character properties |
| # | Line 3145 BACKSLASH | Line 3362 BACKSLASH |
| 3362 | has the Lu, Ll, or Lt property, in other words, a letter that is not | has the Lu, Ll, or Lt property, in other words, a letter that is not |
| 3363 | classified as a modifier or "other". | classified as a modifier or "other". |
| 3364 | ||
| 3365 | The Cs (Surrogate) property applies only to characters in the range | |
| 3366 | U+D800 to U+DFFF. Such characters are not valid in UTF-8 strings (see | |
| 3367 | RFC 3629) and so cannot be tested by PCRE, unless UTF-8 validity check- | |
| 3368 | ing has been turned off (see the discussion of PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK in | |
| 3369 | the pcreapi page). | |
| 3370 | ||
| 3371 | The long synonyms for these properties that Perl supports (such as | The long synonyms for these properties that Perl supports (such as |
| 3372 | \p{Letter}) are not supported by PCRE, nor is it permitted to prefix | \p{Letter}) are not supported by PCRE, nor is it permitted to prefix |
| 3373 | any of these properties with "Is". | any of these properties with "Is". |
| # | Line 3491 VERTICAL BAR | Line 3714 VERTICAL BAR |
| 3714 | INTERNAL OPTION SETTING | INTERNAL OPTION SETTING |
| 3715 | ||
| 3716 | The settings of the PCRE_CASELESS, PCRE_MULTILINE, PCRE_DOTALL, and | The settings of the PCRE_CASELESS, PCRE_MULTILINE, PCRE_DOTALL, and |
| 3717 | PCRE_EXTENDED options can be changed from within the pattern by a | PCRE_EXTENDED options (which are Perl-compatible) can be changed from |
| 3718 | sequence of Perl option letters enclosed between "(?" and ")". The | within the pattern by a sequence of Perl option letters enclosed |
| 3719 | option letters are | between "(?" and ")". The option letters are |
| 3720 | ||
| 3721 | i for PCRE_CASELESS | i for PCRE_CASELESS |
| 3722 | m for PCRE_MULTILINE | m for PCRE_MULTILINE |
| # | Line 3507 INTERNAL OPTION SETTING | Line 3730 INTERNAL OPTION SETTING |
| 3730 | is also permitted. If a letter appears both before and after the | is also permitted. If a letter appears both before and after the |
| 3731 | hyphen, the option is unset. | hyphen, the option is unset. |
| 3732 | ||
| 3733 | The PCRE-specific options PCRE_DUPNAMES, PCRE_UNGREEDY, and PCRE_EXTRA | |
| 3734 | can be changed in the same way as the Perl-compatible options by using | |
| 3735 | the characters J, U and X respectively. | |
| 3736 | ||
| 3737 | When an option change occurs at top level (that is, not inside subpat- | When an option change occurs at top level (that is, not inside subpat- |
| 3738 | tern parentheses), the change applies to the remainder of the pattern | tern parentheses), the change applies to the remainder of the pattern |
| 3739 | that follows. If the change is placed right at the start of a pattern, | that follows. If the change is placed right at the start of a pattern, |
| # | Line 3532 INTERNAL OPTION SETTING | Line 3759 INTERNAL OPTION SETTING |
| 3759 | the effects of option settings happen at compile time. There would be | the effects of option settings happen at compile time. There would be |
| 3760 | some very weird behaviour otherwise. | some very weird behaviour otherwise. |
| 3761 | ||
| 3762 | The PCRE-specific options PCRE_DUPNAMES, PCRE_UNGREEDY, and PCRE_EXTRA | Note: There are other PCRE-specific options that can be set by the |
| 3763 | can be changed in the same way as the Perl-compatible options by using | application when the compile or match functions are called. In some |
| 3764 | the characters J, U and X respectively. | cases the pattern can contain special leading sequences to override |
| 3765 | what the application has set or what has been defaulted. Details are | |
| 3766 | given in the section entitled "Newline sequences" above. | |
| 3767 | ||
| 3768 | ||
| 3769 | SUBPATTERNS | SUBPATTERNS |
| # | Line 3876 ATOMIC GROUPING AND POSSESSIVE QUANTIFIE | Line 4105 ATOMIC GROUPING AND POSSESSIVE QUANTIFIE |
| 4105 | ||
| 4106 | \d++foo | \d++foo |
| 4107 | ||
| 4108 | Possessive quantifiers are always greedy; the setting of the | Note that a possessive quantifier can be used with an entire group, for |
| 4109 | example: | |
| 4110 | ||
| 4111 | (abc|xyz){2,3}+ | |
| 4112 | ||
| 4113 | Possessive quantifiers are always greedy; the setting of the | |
| 4114 | PCRE_UNGREEDY option is ignored. They are a convenient notation for the | PCRE_UNGREEDY option is ignored. They are a convenient notation for the |
| 4115 | simpler forms of atomic group. However, there is no difference in the | simpler forms of atomic group. However, there is no difference in the |
| 4116 | meaning of a possessive quantifier and the equivalent atomic group, | meaning of a possessive quantifier and the equivalent atomic group, |
| 4117 | though there may be a performance difference; possessive quantifiers | though there may be a performance difference; possessive quantifiers |
| 4118 | should be slightly faster. | should be slightly faster. |
| 4119 | ||
| 4120 | The possessive quantifier syntax is an extension to the Perl 5.8 syn- | The possessive quantifier syntax is an extension to the Perl 5.8 syn- |
| 4121 | tax. Jeffrey Friedl originated the idea (and the name) in the first | tax. Jeffrey Friedl originated the idea (and the name) in the first |
| 4122 | edition of his book. Mike McCloskey liked it, so implemented it when he | edition of his book. Mike McCloskey liked it, so implemented it when he |
| 4123 | built Sun's Java package, and PCRE copied it from there. It ultimately | built Sun's Java package, and PCRE copied it from there. It ultimately |
| 4124 | found its way into Perl at release 5.10. | found its way into Perl at release 5.10. |
| 4125 | ||
| 4126 | PCRE has an optimization that automatically "possessifies" certain sim- | PCRE has an optimization that automatically "possessifies" certain sim- |
| 4127 | ple pattern constructs. For example, the sequence A+B is treated as | ple pattern constructs. For example, the sequence A+B is treated as |
| 4128 | A++B because there is no point in backtracking into a sequence of A's | A++B because there is no point in backtracking into a sequence of A's |
| 4129 | when B must follow. | when B must follow. |
| 4130 | ||
| 4131 | When a pattern contains an unlimited repeat inside a subpattern that | When a pattern contains an unlimited repeat inside a subpattern that |
| 4132 | can itself be repeated an unlimited number of times, the use of an | can itself be repeated an unlimited number of times, the use of an |
| 4133 | atomic group is the only way to avoid some failing matches taking a | atomic group is the only way to avoid some failing matches taking a |
| 4134 | very long time indeed. The pattern | very long time indeed. The pattern |
| 4135 | ||
| 4136 | (\D+|<\d+>)*[!?] | (\D+|<\d+>)*[!?] |
| 4137 | ||
| 4138 | matches an unlimited number of substrings that either consist of non- | matches an unlimited number of substrings that either consist of non- |
| 4139 | digits, or digits enclosed in <>, followed by either ! or ?. When it | digits, or digits enclosed in <>, followed by either ! or ?. When it |
| 4140 | matches, it runs quickly. However, if it is applied to | matches, it runs quickly. However, if it is applied to |
| 4141 | ||
| 4142 | aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa | aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa |
| 4143 | ||
| 4144 | it takes a long time before reporting failure. This is because the | it takes a long time before reporting failure. This is because the |
| 4145 | string can be divided between the internal \D+ repeat and the external | string can be divided between the internal \D+ repeat and the external |
| 4146 | * repeat in a large number of ways, and all have to be tried. (The | * repeat in a large number of ways, and all have to be tried. (The |
| 4147 | example uses [!?] rather than a single character at the end, because | example uses [!?] rather than a single character at the end, because |
| 4148 | both PCRE and Perl have an optimization that allows for fast failure | both PCRE and Perl have an optimization that allows for fast failure |
| 4149 | when a single character is used. They remember the last single charac- | when a single character is used. They remember the last single charac- |
| 4150 | ter that is required for a match, and fail early if it is not present | ter that is required for a match, and fail early if it is not present |
| 4151 | in the string.) If the pattern is changed so that it uses an atomic | in the string.) If the pattern is changed so that it uses an atomic |
| 4152 | group, like this: | group, like this: |
| 4153 | ||
| 4154 | ((?>\D+)|<\d+>)*[!?] | ((?>\D+)|<\d+>)*[!?] |
| 4155 | ||
| 4156 | sequences of non-digits cannot be broken, and failure happens quickly. | sequences of non-digits cannot be broken, and failure happens quickly. |
| 4157 | ||
| 4158 | ||
| 4159 | BACK REFERENCES | BACK REFERENCES |
| 4160 | ||
| 4161 | Outside a character class, a backslash followed by a digit greater than | Outside a character class, a backslash followed by a digit greater than |
| 4162 | 0 (and possibly further digits) is a back reference to a capturing sub- | 0 (and possibly further digits) is a back reference to a capturing sub- |
| 4163 | pattern earlier (that is, to its left) in the pattern, provided there | pattern earlier (that is, to its left) in the pattern, provided there |
| 4164 | have been that many previous capturing left parentheses. | have been that many previous capturing left parentheses. |
| 4165 | ||
| 4166 | However, if the decimal number following the backslash is less than 10, | However, if the decimal number following the backslash is less than 10, |
| 4167 | it is always taken as a back reference, and causes an error only if | it is always taken as a back reference, and causes an error only if |
| 4168 | there are not that many capturing left parentheses in the entire pat- | there are not that many capturing left parentheses in the entire pat- |
| 4169 | tern. In other words, the parentheses that are referenced need not be | tern. In other words, the parentheses that are referenced need not be |
| 4170 | to the left of the reference for numbers less than 10. A "forward back | to the left of the reference for numbers less than 10. A "forward back |
| 4171 | reference" of this type can make sense when a repetition is involved | reference" of this type can make sense when a repetition is involved |
| 4172 | and the subpattern to the right has participated in an earlier itera- | and the subpattern to the right has participated in an earlier itera- |
| 4173 | tion. | tion. |
| 4174 | ||
| 4175 | It is not possible to have a numerical "forward back reference" to a | It is not possible to have a numerical "forward back reference" to a |
| 4176 | subpattern whose number is 10 or more using this syntax because a | subpattern whose number is 10 or more using this syntax because a |
| 4177 | sequence such as \50 is interpreted as a character defined in octal. | sequence such as \50 is interpreted as a character defined in octal. |
| 4178 | See the subsection entitled "Non-printing characters" above for further | See the subsection entitled "Non-printing characters" above for further |
| 4179 | details of the handling of digits following a backslash. There is no | details of the handling of digits following a backslash. There is no |
| 4180 | such problem when named parentheses are used. A back reference to any | such problem when named parentheses are used. A back reference to any |
| 4181 | subpattern is possible using named parentheses (see below). | subpattern is possible using named parentheses (see below). |
| 4182 | ||
| 4183 | Another way of avoiding the ambiguity inherent in the use of digits | Another way of avoiding the ambiguity inherent in the use of digits |
| 4184 | following a backslash is to use the \g escape sequence, which is a fea- | following a backslash is to use the \g escape sequence, which is a fea- |
| 4185 | ture introduced in Perl 5.10. This escape must be followed by a posi- | ture introduced in Perl 5.10. This escape must be followed by an |
| 4186 | tive or a negative number, optionally enclosed in braces. These exam- | unsigned number or a negative number, optionally enclosed in braces. |
| 4187 | ples are all identical: | These examples are all identical: |
| 4188 | ||
| 4189 | (ring), \1 | (ring), \1 |
| 4190 | (ring), \g1 | (ring), \g1 |
| 4191 | (ring), \g{1} | (ring), \g{1} |
| 4192 | ||
| 4193 | A positive number specifies an absolute reference without the ambiguity | An unsigned number specifies an absolute reference without the ambigu- |
| 4194 | that is present in the older syntax. It is also useful when literal | ity that is present in the older syntax. It is also useful when literal |
| 4195 | digits follow the reference. A negative number is a relative reference. | digits follow the reference. A negative number is a relative reference. |
| 4196 | Consider this example: | Consider this example: |
| 4197 | ||
| 4198 | (abc(def)ghi)\g{-1} | (abc(def)ghi)\g{-1} |
| 4199 | ||
| 4200 | The sequence \g{-1} is a reference to the most recently started captur- | The sequence \g{-1} is a reference to the most recently started captur- |
| 4201 | ing subpattern before \g, that is, is it equivalent to \2. Similarly, | ing subpattern before \g, that is, is it equivalent to \2. Similarly, |
| 4202 | \g{-2} would be equivalent to \1. The use of relative references can be | \g{-2} would be equivalent to \1. The use of relative references can be |
| 4203 | helpful in long patterns, and also in patterns that are created by | helpful in long patterns, and also in patterns that are created by |
| 4204 | joining together fragments that contain references within themselves. | joining together fragments that contain references within themselves. |
| 4205 | ||
| 4206 | A back reference matches whatever actually matched the capturing sub- | A back reference matches whatever actually matched the capturing sub- |
| 4207 | pattern in the current subject string, rather than anything matching | pattern in the current subject string, rather than anything matching |
| 4208 | the subpattern itself (see "Subpatterns as subroutines" below for a way | the subpattern itself (see "Subpatterns as subroutines" below for a way |
| 4209 | of doing that). So the pattern | of doing that). So the pattern |
| 4210 | ||
| 4211 | (sens|respons)e and \1ibility | (sens|respons)e and \1ibility |
| 4212 | ||
| 4213 | matches "sense and sensibility" and "response and responsibility", but | matches "sense and sensibility" and "response and responsibility", but |
| 4214 | not "sense and responsibility". If caseful matching is in force at the | not "sense and responsibility". If caseful matching is in force at the |
| 4215 | time of the back reference, the case of letters is relevant. For exam- | time of the back reference, the case of letters is relevant. For exam- |
| 4216 | ple, | ple, |
| 4217 | ||
| 4218 | ((?i)rah)\s+\1 | ((?i)rah)\s+\1 |
| 4219 | ||
| 4220 | matches "rah rah" and "RAH RAH", but not "RAH rah", even though the | matches "rah rah" and "RAH RAH", but not "RAH rah", even though the |
| 4221 | original capturing subpattern is matched caselessly. | original capturing subpattern is matched caselessly. |
| 4222 | ||
| 4223 | There are several different ways of writing back references to named | There are several different ways of writing back references to named |
| 4224 | subpatterns. The .NET syntax \k{name} and the Perl syntax \k<name> or | subpatterns. The .NET syntax \k{name} and the Perl syntax \k<name> or |
| 4225 | \k'name' are supported, as is the Python syntax (?P=name). Perl 5.10's | \k'name' are supported, as is the Python syntax (?P=name). Perl 5.10's |
| 4226 | unified back reference syntax, in which \g can be used for both numeric | unified back reference syntax, in which \g can be used for both numeric |
| 4227 | and named references, is also supported. We could rewrite the above | and named references, is also supported. We could rewrite the above |
| 4228 | example in any of the following ways: | example in any of the following ways: |
| 4229 | ||
| 4230 | (?<p1>(?i)rah)\s+\k<p1> | (?<p1>(?i)rah)\s+\k<p1> |
| # | Line 3998 BACK REFERENCES | Line 4232 BACK REFERENCES |
| 4232 | (?P<p1>(?i)rah)\s+(?P=p1) | (?P<p1>(?i)rah)\s+(?P=p1) |
| 4233 | (?<p1>(?i)rah)\s+\g{p1} | (?<p1>(?i)rah)\s+\g{p1} |
| 4234 | ||
| 4235 | A subpattern that is referenced by name may appear in the pattern | A subpattern that is referenced by name may appear in the pattern |
| 4236 | before or after the reference. | before or after the reference. |
| 4237 | ||
| 4238 | There may be more than one back reference to the same subpattern. If a | There may be more than one back reference to the same subpattern. If a |
| 4239 | subpattern has not actually been used in a particular match, any back | subpattern has not actually been used in a particular match, any back |
| 4240 | references to it always fail. For example, the pattern | references to it always fail. For example, the pattern |
| 4241 | ||
| 4242 | (a|(bc))\2 | (a|(bc))\2 |
| 4243 | ||
| 4244 | always fails if it starts to match "a" rather than "bc". Because there | always fails if it starts to match "a" rather than "bc". Because there |
| 4245 | may be many capturing parentheses in a pattern, all digits following | may be many capturing parentheses in a pattern, all digits following |
| 4246 | the backslash are taken as part of a potential back reference number. | the backslash are taken as part of a potential back reference number. |
| 4247 | If the pattern continues with a digit character, some delimiter must be | If the pattern continues with a digit character, some delimiter must be |
| 4248 | used to terminate the back reference. If the PCRE_EXTENDED option is | used to terminate the back reference. If the PCRE_EXTENDED option is |
| 4249 | set, this can be whitespace. Otherwise an empty comment (see "Com- | set, this can be whitespace. Otherwise an empty comment (see "Com- |
| 4250 | ments" below) can be used. | ments" below) can be used. |
| 4251 | ||
| 4252 | A back reference that occurs inside the parentheses to which it refers | A back reference that occurs inside the parentheses to which it refers |
| 4253 | fails when the subpattern is first used, so, for example, (a\1) never | fails when the subpattern is first used, so, for example, (a\1) never |
| 4254 | matches. However, such references can be useful inside repeated sub- | matches. However, such references can be useful inside repeated sub- |
| 4255 | patterns. For example, the pattern | patterns. For example, the pattern |
| 4256 | ||
| 4257 | (a|b\1)+ | (a|b\1)+ |
| 4258 | ||
| 4259 | matches any number of "a"s and also "aba", "ababbaa" etc. At each iter- | matches any number of "a"s and also "aba", "ababbaa" etc. At each iter- |
| 4260 | ation of the subpattern, the back reference matches the character | ation of the subpattern, the back reference matches the character |
| 4261 | string corresponding to the previous iteration. In order for this to | string corresponding to the previous iteration. In order for this to |
| 4262 | work, the pattern must be such that the first iteration does not need | work, the pattern must be such that the first iteration does not need |
| 4263 | to match the back reference. This can be done using alternation, as in | to match the back reference. This can be done using alternation, as in |
| 4264 | the example above, or by a quantifier with a minimum of zero. | the example above, or by a quantifier with a minimum of zero. |
| 4265 | ||
| 4266 | ||
| 4267 | ASSERTIONS | ASSERTIONS |
| 4268 | ||
| 4269 | An assertion is a test on the characters following or preceding the | An assertion is a test on the characters following or preceding the |
| 4270 | current matching point that does not actually consume any characters. | current matching point that does not actually consume any characters. |
| 4271 | The simple assertions coded as \b, \B, \A, \G, \Z, \z, ^ and $ are | The simple assertions coded as \b, \B, \A, \G, \Z, \z, ^ and $ are |
| 4272 | described above. | described above. |
| 4273 | ||
| 4274 | More complicated assertions are coded as subpatterns. There are two | More complicated assertions are coded as subpatterns. There are two |
| 4275 | kinds: those that look ahead of the current position in the subject | kinds: those that look ahead of the current position in the subject |
| 4276 | string, and those that look behind it. An assertion subpattern is | string, and those that look behind it. An assertion subpattern is |
| 4277 | matched in the normal way, except that it does not cause the current | matched in the normal way, except that it does not cause the current |
| 4278 | matching position to be changed. | matching position to be changed. |
| 4279 | ||
| 4280 | Assertion subpatterns are not capturing subpatterns, and may not be | Assertion subpatterns are not capturing subpatterns, and may not be |
| 4281 | repeated, because it makes no sense to assert the same thing several | repeated, because it makes no sense to assert the same thing several |
| 4282 | times. If any kind of assertion contains capturing subpatterns within | times. If any kind of assertion contains capturing subpatterns within |
| 4283 | it, these are counted for the purposes of numbering the capturing sub- | it, these are counted for the purposes of numbering the capturing sub- |
| 4284 | patterns in the whole pattern. However, substring capturing is carried | patterns in the whole pattern. However, substring capturing is carried |
| 4285 | out only for positive assertions, because it does not make sense for | out only for positive assertions, because it does not make sense for |
| 4286 | negative assertions. | negative assertions. |
| 4287 | ||
| 4288 | Lookahead assertions | Lookahead assertions |
| # | Line 4058 ASSERTIONS | Line 4292 ASSERTIONS |
| 4292 | ||
| 4293 | \w+(?=;) | \w+(?=;) |
| 4294 | ||
| 4295 | matches a word followed by a semicolon, but does not include the semi- | matches a word followed by a semicolon, but does not include the semi- |
| 4296 | colon in the match, and | colon in the match, and |
| 4297 | ||
| 4298 | foo(?!bar) | foo(?!bar) |
| 4299 | ||
| 4300 | matches any occurrence of "foo" that is not followed by "bar". Note | matches any occurrence of "foo" that is not followed by "bar". Note |
| 4301 | that the apparently similar pattern | that the apparently similar pattern |
| 4302 | ||
| 4303 | (?!foo)bar | (?!foo)bar |
| 4304 | ||
| 4305 | does not find an occurrence of "bar" that is preceded by something | does not find an occurrence of "bar" that is preceded by something |
| 4306 | other than "foo"; it finds any occurrence of "bar" whatsoever, because | other than "foo"; it finds any occurrence of "bar" whatsoever, because |
| 4307 | the assertion (?!foo) is always true when the next three characters are | the assertion (?!foo) is always true when the next three characters are |
| 4308 | "bar". A lookbehind assertion is needed to achieve the other effect. | "bar". A lookbehind assertion is needed to achieve the other effect. |
| 4309 | ||
| 4310 | If you want to force a matching failure at some point in a pattern, the | If you want to force a matching failure at some point in a pattern, the |
| 4311 | most convenient way to do it is with (?!) because an empty string | most convenient way to do it is with (?!) because an empty string |
| 4312 | always matches, so an assertion that requires there not to be an empty | always matches, so an assertion that requires there not to be an empty |
| 4313 | string must always fail. | string must always fail. |
| 4314 | ||
| 4315 | Lookbehind assertions | Lookbehind assertions |
| 4316 | ||
| 4317 | Lookbehind assertions start with (?<= for positive assertions and (?<! | Lookbehind assertions start with (?<= for positive assertions and (?<! |
| 4318 | for negative assertions. For example, | for negative assertions. For example, |
| 4319 | ||
| 4320 | (?<!foo)bar | (?<!foo)bar |
| 4321 | ||
| 4322 | does find an occurrence of "bar" that is not preceded by "foo". The | does find an occurrence of "bar" that is not preceded by "foo". The |
| 4323 | contents of a lookbehind assertion are restricted such that all the | contents of a lookbehind assertion are restricted such that all the |
| 4324 | strings it matches must have a fixed length. However, if there are sev- | strings it matches must have a fixed length. However, if there are sev- |
| 4325 | eral top-level alternatives, they do not all have to have the same | eral top-level alternatives, they do not all have to have the same |
| 4326 | fixed length. Thus | fixed length. Thus |
| 4327 | ||
| 4328 | (?<=bullock|donkey) | (?<=bullock|donkey) |
| # | Line 4097 ASSERTIONS | Line 4331 ASSERTIONS |
| 4331 | ||
| 4332 | (?<!dogs?|cats?) | (?<!dogs?|cats?) |
| 4333 | ||
| 4334 | causes an error at compile time. Branches that match different length | causes an error at compile time. Branches that match different length |
| 4335 | strings are permitted only at the top level of a lookbehind assertion. | strings are permitted only at the top level of a lookbehind assertion. |
| 4336 | This is an extension compared with Perl (at least for 5.8), which | This is an extension compared with Perl (at least for 5.8), which |
| 4337 | requires all branches to match the same length of string. An assertion | requires all branches to match the same length of string. An assertion |
| 4338 | such as | such as |
| 4339 | ||
| 4340 | (?<=ab(c|de)) | (?<=ab(c|de)) |
| 4341 | ||
| 4342 | is not permitted, because its single top-level branch can match two | is not permitted, because its single top-level branch can match two |
| 4343 | different lengths, but it is acceptable if rewritten to use two top- | different lengths, but it is acceptable if rewritten to use two top- |
| 4344 | level branches: | level branches: |
| 4345 | ||
| 4346 | (?<=abc|abde) | (?<=abc|abde) |
| 4347 | ||
| 4348 | In some cases, the Perl 5.10 escape sequence \K (see above) can be used | In some cases, the Perl 5.10 escape sequence \K (see above) can be used |
| 4349 | instead of a lookbehind assertion; this is not restricted to a fixed- | instead of a lookbehind assertion; this is not restricted to a fixed- |
| 4350 | length. | length. |
| 4351 | ||
| 4352 | The implementation of lookbehind assertions is, for each alternative, | The implementation of lookbehind assertions is, for each alternative, |
| 4353 | to temporarily move the current position back by the fixed length and | to temporarily move the current position back by the fixed length and |
| 4354 | then try to match. If there are insufficient characters before the cur- | then try to match. If there are insufficient characters before the cur- |
| 4355 | rent position, the assertion fails. | rent position, the assertion fails. |
| 4356 | ||
| 4357 | PCRE does not allow the \C escape (which matches a single byte in UTF-8 | PCRE does not allow the \C escape (which matches a single byte in UTF-8 |
| 4358 | mode) to appear in lookbehind assertions, because it makes it impossi- | mode) to appear in lookbehind assertions, because it makes it impossi- |
| 4359 | ble to calculate the length of the lookbehind. The \X and \R escapes, | ble to calculate the length of the lookbehind. The \X and \R escapes, |
| 4360 | which can match different numbers of bytes, are also not permitted. | which can match different numbers of bytes, are also not permitted. |
| 4361 | ||
| 4362 | Possessive quantifiers can be used in conjunction with lookbehind | Possessive quantifiers can be used in conjunction with lookbehind |
| 4363 | assertions to specify efficient matching at the end of the subject | assertions to specify efficient matching at the end of the subject |
| 4364 | string. Consider a simple pattern such as | string. Consider a simple pattern such as |
| 4365 | ||
| 4366 | abcd$ | abcd$ |
| 4367 | ||
| 4368 | when applied to a long string that does not match. Because matching | when applied to a long string that does not match. Because matching |
| 4369 | proceeds from left to right, PCRE will look for each "a" in the subject | proceeds from left to right, PCRE will look for each "a" in the subject |
| 4370 | and then see if what follows matches the rest of the pattern. If the | and then see if what follows matches the rest of the pattern. If the |
| 4371 | pattern is specified as | pattern is specified as |
| 4372 | ||
| 4373 | ^.*abcd$ | ^.*abcd$ |
| 4374 | ||
| 4375 | the initial .* matches the entire string at first, but when this fails | the initial .* matches the entire string at first, but when this fails |
| 4376 | (because there is no following "a"), it backtracks to match all but the | (because there is no following "a"), it backtracks to match all but the |
| 4377 | last character, then all but the last two characters, and so on. Once | last character, then all but the last two characters, and so on. Once |
| 4378 | again the search for "a" covers the entire string, from right to left, | again the search for "a" covers the entire string, from right to left, |
| 4379 | so we are no better off. However, if the pattern is written as | so we are no better off. However, if the pattern is written as |
| 4380 | ||
| 4381 | ^.*+(?<=abcd) | ^.*+(?<=abcd) |
| 4382 | ||
| 4383 | there can be no backtracking for the .*+ item; it can match only the | there can be no backtracking for the .*+ item; it can match only the |
| 4384 | entire string. The subsequent lookbehind assertion does a single test | entire string. The subsequent lookbehind assertion does a single test |
| 4385 | on the last four characters. If it fails, the match fails immediately. | on the last four characters. If it fails, the match fails immediately. |
| 4386 | For long strings, this approach makes a significant difference to the | For long strings, this approach makes a significant difference to the |
| 4387 | processing time. | processing time. |
| 4388 | ||
| 4389 | Using multiple assertions | Using multiple assertions |
| # | Line 4158 ASSERTIONS | Line 4392 ASSERTIONS |
| 4392 | ||
| 4393 | (?<=\d{3})(?<!999)foo | (?<=\d{3})(?<!999)foo |
| 4394 | ||
| 4395 | matches "foo" preceded by three digits that are not "999". Notice that | matches "foo" preceded by three digits that are not "999". Notice that |
| 4396 | each of the assertions is applied independently at the same point in | each of the assertions is applied independently at the same point in |
| 4397 | the subject string. First there is a check that the previous three | the subject string. First there is a check that the previous three |
| 4398 | characters are all digits, and then there is a check that the same | characters are all digits, and then there is a check that the same |
| 4399 | three characters are not "999". This pattern does not match "foo" pre- | three characters are not "999". This pattern does not match "foo" pre- |
| 4400 | ceded by six characters, the first of which are digits and the last | ceded by six characters, the first of which are digits and the last |
| 4401 | three of which are not "999". For example, it doesn't match "123abc- | three of which are not "999". For example, it doesn't match "123abc- |
| 4402 | foo". A pattern to do that is | foo". A pattern to do that is |
| 4403 | ||
| 4404 | (?<=\d{3}...)(?<!999)foo | (?<=\d{3}...)(?<!999)foo |
| 4405 | ||
| 4406 | This time the first assertion looks at the preceding six characters, | This time the first assertion looks at the preceding six characters, |
| 4407 | checking that the first three are digits, and then the second assertion | checking that the first three are digits, and then the second assertion |
| 4408 | checks that the preceding three characters are not "999". | checks that the preceding three characters are not "999". |
| 4409 | ||
| # | Line 4177 ASSERTIONS | Line 4411 ASSERTIONS |
| 4411 | ||
| 4412 | (?<=(?<!foo)bar)baz | (?<=(?<!foo)bar)baz |
| 4413 | ||
| 4414 | matches an occurrence of "baz" that is preceded by "bar" which in turn | matches an occurrence of "baz" that is preceded by "bar" which in turn |
| 4415 | is not preceded by "foo", while | is not preceded by "foo", while |
| 4416 | ||
| 4417 | (?<=\d{3}(?!999)...)foo | (?<=\d{3}(?!999)...)foo |
| 4418 | ||
| 4419 | is another pattern that matches "foo" preceded by three digits and any | is another pattern that matches "foo" preceded by three digits and any |
| 4420 | three characters that are not "999". | three characters that are not "999". |
| 4421 | ||
| 4422 | ||
| 4423 | CONDITIONAL SUBPATTERNS | CONDITIONAL SUBPATTERNS |
| 4424 | ||
| 4425 | It is possible to cause the matching process to obey a subpattern con- | It is possible to cause the matching process to obey a subpattern con- |
| 4426 | ditionally or to choose between two alternative subpatterns, depending | ditionally or to choose between two alternative subpatterns, depending |
| 4427 | on the result of an assertion, or whether a previous capturing subpat- | on the result of an assertion, or whether a previous capturing subpat- |
| 4428 | tern matched or not. The two possible forms of conditional subpattern | tern matched or not. The two possible forms of conditional subpattern |
| 4429 | are | are |
| 4430 | ||
| 4431 | (?(condition)yes-pattern) | (?(condition)yes-pattern) |
| 4432 | (?(condition)yes-pattern|no-pattern) | (?(condition)yes-pattern|no-pattern) |
| 4433 | ||
| 4434 | If the condition is satisfied, the yes-pattern is used; otherwise the | If the condition is satisfied, the yes-pattern is used; otherwise the |
| 4435 | no-pattern (if present) is used. If there are more than two alterna- | no-pattern (if present) is used. If there are more than two alterna- |
| 4436 | tives in the subpattern, a compile-time error occurs. | tives in the subpattern, a compile-time error occurs. |
| 4437 | ||
| 4438 | There are four kinds of condition: references to subpatterns, refer- | There are four kinds of condition: references to subpatterns, refer- |
| 4439 | ences to recursion, a pseudo-condition called DEFINE, and assertions. | ences to recursion, a pseudo-condition called DEFINE, and assertions. |
| 4440 | ||
| 4441 | Checking for a used subpattern by number | Checking for a used subpattern by number |
| 4442 | ||
| 4443 | If the text between the parentheses consists of a sequence of digits, | If the text between the parentheses consists of a sequence of digits, |
| 4444 | the condition is true if the capturing subpattern of that number has | the condition is true if the capturing subpattern of that number has |
| 4445 | previously matched. An alternative notation is to precede the digits | previously matched. An alternative notation is to precede the digits |
| 4446 | with a plus or minus sign. In this case, the subpattern number is rela- | with a plus or minus sign. In this case, the subpattern number is rela- |
| 4447 | tive rather than absolute. The most recently opened parentheses can be | tive rather than absolute. The most recently opened parentheses can be |
| 4448 | referenced by (?(-1), the next most recent by (?(-2), and so on. In | referenced by (?(-1), the next most recent by (?(-2), and so on. In |
| 4449 | looping constructs it can also make sense to refer to subsequent groups | looping constructs it can also make sense to refer to subsequent groups |
| 4450 | with constructs such as (?(+2). | with constructs such as (?(+2). |
| 4451 | ||
| 4452 | Consider the following pattern, which contains non-significant white | Consider the following pattern, which contains non-significant white |
| 4453 | space to make it more readable (assume the PCRE_EXTENDED option) and to | space to make it more readable (assume the PCRE_EXTENDED option) and to |
| 4454 | divide it into three parts for ease of discussion: | divide it into three parts for ease of discussion: |
| 4455 | ||
| 4456 | ( \( )? [^()]+ (?(1) \) ) | ( \( )? [^()]+ (?(1) \) ) |
| 4457 | ||
| 4458 | The first part matches an optional opening parenthesis, and if that | The first part matches an optional opening parenthesis, and if that |
| 4459 | character is present, sets it as the first captured substring. The sec- | character is present, sets it as the first captured substring. The sec- |
| 4460 | ond part matches one or more characters that are not parentheses. The | ond part matches one or more characters that are not parentheses. The |
| 4461 | third part is a conditional subpattern that tests whether the first set | third part is a conditional subpattern that tests whether the first set |
| 4462 | of parentheses matched or not. If they did, that is, if subject started | of parentheses matched or not. If they did, that is, if subject started |
| 4463 | with an opening parenthesis, the condition is true, and so the yes-pat- | with an opening parenthesis, the condition is true, and so the yes-pat- |
| 4464 | tern is executed and a closing parenthesis is required. Otherwise, | tern is executed and a closing parenthesis is required. Otherwise, |
| 4465 | since no-pattern is not present, the subpattern matches nothing. In | since no-pattern is not present, the subpattern matches nothing. In |
| 4466 | other words, this pattern matches a sequence of non-parentheses, | other words, this pattern matches a sequence of non-parentheses, |
| 4467 | optionally enclosed in parentheses. | optionally enclosed in parentheses. |
| 4468 | ||
| 4469 | If you were embedding this pattern in a larger one, you could use a | If you were embedding this pattern in a larger one, you could use a |
| 4470 | relative reference: | relative reference: |
| 4471 | ||
| 4472 | ...other stuff... ( \( )? [^()]+ (?(-1) \) ) ... | ...other stuff... ( \( )? [^()]+ (?(-1) \) ) ... |
| 4473 | ||
| 4474 | This makes the fragment independent of the parentheses in the larger | This makes the fragment independent of the parentheses in the larger |
| 4475 | pattern. | pattern. |
| 4476 | ||
| 4477 | Checking for a used subpattern by name | Checking for a used subpattern by name |
| 4478 | ||
| 4479 | Perl uses the syntax (?(<name>)...) or (?('name')...) to test for a | Perl uses the syntax (?(<name>)...) or (?('name')...) to test for a |
| 4480 | used subpattern by name. For compatibility with earlier versions of | used subpattern by name. For compatibility with earlier versions of |
| 4481 | PCRE, which had this facility before Perl, the syntax (?(name)...) is | PCRE, which had this facility before Perl, the syntax (?(name)...) is |
| 4482 | also recognized. However, there is a possible ambiguity with this syn- | also recognized. However, there is a possible ambiguity with this syn- |
| 4483 | tax, because subpattern names may consist entirely of digits. PCRE | tax, because subpattern names may consist entirely of digits. PCRE |
| 4484 | looks first for a named subpattern; if it cannot find one and the name | looks first for a named subpattern; if it cannot find one and the name |
| 4485 | consists entirely of digits, PCRE looks for a subpattern of that num- | consists entirely of digits, PCRE looks for a subpattern of that num- |
| 4486 | ber, which must be greater than zero. Using subpattern names that con- | ber, which must be greater than zero. Using subpattern names that con- |
| 4487 | sist entirely of digits is not recommended. | sist entirely of digits is not recommended. |
| 4488 | ||
| 4489 | Rewriting the above example to use a named subpattern gives this: | Rewriting the above example to use a named subpattern gives this: |
| # | Line 4260 CONDITIONAL SUBPATTERNS | Line 4494 CONDITIONAL SUBPATTERNS |
| 4494 | Checking for pattern recursion | Checking for pattern recursion |
| 4495 | ||
| 4496 | If the condition is the string (R), and there is no subpattern with the | If the condition is the string (R), and there is no subpattern with the |
| 4497 | name R, the condition is true if a recursive call to the whole pattern | name R, the condition is true if a recursive call to the whole pattern |
| 4498 | or any subpattern has been made. If digits or a name preceded by amper- | or any subpattern has been made. If digits or a name preceded by amper- |
| 4499 | sand follow the letter R, for example: | sand follow the letter R, for example: |
| 4500 | ||
| 4501 | (?(R3)...) or (?(R&name)...) | (?(R3)...) or (?(R&name)...) |
| 4502 | ||
| 4503 | the condition is true if the most recent recursion is into the subpat- | the condition is true if the most recent recursion is into the subpat- |
| 4504 | tern whose number or name is given. This condition does not check the | tern whose number or name is given. This condition does not check the |
| 4505 | entire recursion stack. | entire recursion stack. |
| 4506 | ||
| 4507 | At "top level", all these recursion test conditions are false. Recur- | At "top level", all these recursion test conditions are false. Recur- |
| 4508 | sive patterns are described below. | sive patterns are described below. |
| 4509 | ||
| 4510 | Defining subpatterns for use by reference only | Defining subpatterns for use by reference only |
| 4511 | ||
| 4512 | If the condition is the string (DEFINE), and there is no subpattern | If the condition is the string (DEFINE), and there is no subpattern |
| 4513 | with the name DEFINE, the condition is always false. In this case, | with the name DEFINE, the condition is always false. In this case, |
| 4514 | there may be only one alternative in the subpattern. It is always | there may be only one alternative in the subpattern. It is always |
| 4515 | skipped if control reaches this point in the pattern; the idea of | skipped if control reaches this point in the pattern; the idea of |
| 4516 | DEFINE is that it can be used to define "subroutines" that can be ref- | DEFINE is that it can be used to define "subroutines" that can be ref- |
| 4517 | erenced from elsewhere. (The use of "subroutines" is described below.) | erenced from elsewhere. (The use of "subroutines" is described below.) |
| 4518 | For example, a pattern to match an IPv4 address could be written like | For example, a pattern to match an IPv4 address could be written like |
| 4519 | this (ignore whitespace and line breaks): | this (ignore whitespace and line breaks): |
| 4520 | ||
| 4521 | (?(DEFINE) (?<byte> 2[0-4]\d | 25[0-5] | 1\d\d | [1-9]?\d) ) | (?(DEFINE) (?<byte> 2[0-4]\d | 25[0-5] | 1\d\d | [1-9]?\d) ) |
| 4522 | \b (?&byte) (\.(?&byte)){3} \b | \b (?&byte) (\.(?&byte)){3} \b |
| 4523 | ||
| 4524 | The first part of the pattern is a DEFINE group inside which a another | The first part of the pattern is a DEFINE group inside which a another |
| 4525 | group named "byte" is defined. This matches an individual component of | group named "byte" is defined. This matches an individual component of |
| 4526 | an IPv4 address (a number less than 256). When matching takes place, | an IPv4 address (a number less than 256). When matching takes place, |
| 4527 | this part of the pattern is skipped because DEFINE acts like a false | this part of the pattern is skipped because DEFINE acts like a false |
| 4528 | condition. | condition. |
| 4529 | ||
| 4530 | The rest of the pattern uses references to the named group to match the | The rest of the pattern uses references to the named group to match the |
| 4531 | four dot-separated components of an IPv4 address, insisting on a word | four dot-separated components of an IPv4 address, insisting on a word |
| 4532 | boundary at each end. | boundary at each end. |
| 4533 | ||
| 4534 | Assertion conditions | Assertion conditions |
| 4535 | ||
| 4536 | If the condition is not in any of the above formats, it must be an | If the condition is not in any of the above formats, it must be an |
| 4537 | assertion. This may be a positive or negative lookahead or lookbehind | assertion. This may be a positive or negative lookahead or lookbehind |
| 4538 | assertion. Consider this pattern, again containing non-significant | assertion. Consider this pattern, again containing non-significant |
| 4539 | white space, and with the two alternatives on the second line: | white space, and with the two alternatives on the second line: |
| 4540 | ||
| 4541 | (?(?=[^a-z]*[a-z]) | (?(?=[^a-z]*[a-z]) |
| 4542 | \d{2}-[a-z]{3}-\d{2} | \d{2}-\d{2}-\d{2} ) | \d{2}-[a-z]{3}-\d{2} | \d{2}-\d{2}-\d{2} ) |
| 4543 | ||
| 4544 | The condition is a positive lookahead assertion that matches an | The condition is a positive lookahead assertion that matches an |
| 4545 | optional sequence of non-letters followed by a letter. In other words, | optional sequence of non-letters followed by a letter. In other words, |
| 4546 | it tests for the presence of at least one letter in the subject. If a | it tests for the presence of at least one letter in the subject. If a |
| 4547 | letter is found, the subject is matched against the first alternative; | letter is found, the subject is matched against the first alternative; |
| 4548 | otherwise it is matched against the second. This pattern matches | otherwise it is matched against the second. This pattern matches |
| 4549 | strings in one of the two forms dd-aaa-dd or dd-dd-dd, where aaa are | strings in one of the two forms dd-aaa-dd or dd-dd-dd, where aaa are |
| 4550 | letters and dd are digits. | letters and dd are digits. |
| 4551 | ||
| 4552 | ||
| 4553 | COMMENTS | COMMENTS |
| 4554 | ||
| 4555 | The sequence (?# marks the start of a comment that continues up to the | The sequence (?# marks the start of a comment that continues up to the |
| 4556 | next closing parenthesis. Nested parentheses are not permitted. The | next closing parenthesis. Nested parentheses are not permitted. The |
| 4557 | characters that make up a comment play no part in the pattern matching | characters that make up a comment play no part in the pattern matching |
| 4558 | at all. | at all. |
| 4559 | ||
| 4560 | If the PCRE_EXTENDED option is set, an unescaped # character outside a | If the PCRE_EXTENDED option is set, an unescaped # character outside a |
| 4561 | character class introduces a comment that continues to immediately | character class introduces a comment that continues to immediately |
| 4562 | after the next newline in the pattern. | after the next newline in the pattern. |
| 4563 | ||
| 4564 | ||
| 4565 | RECURSIVE PATTERNS | RECURSIVE PATTERNS |
| 4566 | ||
| 4567 | Consider the problem of matching a string in parentheses, allowing for | Consider the problem of matching a string in parentheses, allowing for |
| 4568 | unlimited nested parentheses. Without the use of recursion, the best | unlimited nested parentheses. Without the use of recursion, the best |
| 4569 | that can be done is to use a pattern that matches up to some fixed | that can be done is to use a pattern that matches up to some fixed |
| 4570 | depth of nesting. It is not possible to handle an arbitrary nesting | depth of nesting. It is not possible to handle an arbitrary nesting |
| 4571 | depth. | depth. |
| 4572 | ||
| 4573 | For some time, Perl has provided a facility that allows regular expres- | For some time, Perl has provided a facility that allows regular expres- |
| 4574 | sions to recurse (amongst other things). It does this by interpolating | sions to recurse (amongst other things). It does this by interpolating |
| 4575 | Perl code in the expression at run time, and the code can refer to the | Perl code in the expression at run time, and the code can refer to the |
| 4576 | expression itself. A Perl pattern using code interpolation to solve the | expression itself. A Perl pattern using code interpolation to solve the |
| 4577 | parentheses problem can be created like this: | parentheses problem can be created like this: |
| 4578 | ||
| # | Line 4348 RECURSIVE PATTERNS | Line 4582 RECURSIVE PATTERNS |
| 4582 | refers recursively to the pattern in which it appears. | refers recursively to the pattern in which it appears. |
| 4583 | ||
| 4584 | Obviously, PCRE cannot support the interpolation of Perl code. Instead, | Obviously, PCRE cannot support the interpolation of Perl code. Instead, |
| 4585 | it supports special syntax for recursion of the entire pattern, and | it supports special syntax for recursion of the entire pattern, and |
| 4586 | also for individual subpattern recursion. After its introduction in | also for individual subpattern recursion. After its introduction in |
| 4587 | PCRE and Python, this kind of recursion was introduced into Perl at | PCRE and Python, this kind of recursion was introduced into Perl at |
| 4588 | release 5.10. | release 5.10. |
| 4589 | ||
| 4590 | A special item that consists of (? followed by a number greater than | A special item that consists of (? followed by a number greater than |
| 4591 | zero and a closing parenthesis is a recursive call of the subpattern of | zero and a closing parenthesis is a recursive call of the subpattern of |
| 4592 | the given number, provided that it occurs inside that subpattern. (If | the given number, provided that it occurs inside that subpattern. (If |
| 4593 | not, it is a "subroutine" call, which is described in the next sec- | not, it is a "subroutine" call, which is described in the next sec- |
| 4594 | tion.) The special item (?R) or (?0) is a recursive call of the entire | tion.) The special item (?R) or (?0) is a recursive call of the entire |
| 4595 | regular expression. | regular expression. |
| 4596 | ||
| 4597 | In PCRE (like Python, but unlike Perl), a recursive subpattern call is | In PCRE (like Python, but unlike Perl), a recursive subpattern call is |
| 4598 | always treated as an atomic group. That is, once it has matched some of | always treated as an atomic group. That is, once it has matched some of |
| 4599 | the subject string, it is never re-entered, even if it contains untried | the subject string, it is never re-entered, even if it contains untried |
| 4600 | alternatives and there is a subsequent matching failure. | alternatives and there is a subsequent matching failure. |
| 4601 | ||
| 4602 | This PCRE pattern solves the nested parentheses problem (assume the | This PCRE pattern solves the nested parentheses problem (assume the |
| 4603 | PCRE_EXTENDED option is set so that white space is ignored): | PCRE_EXTENDED option is set so that white space is ignored): |
| 4604 | ||
| 4605 | \( ( (?>[^()]+) | (?R) )* \) | \( ( (?>[^()]+) | (?R) )* \) |
| 4606 | ||
| 4607 | First it matches an opening parenthesis. Then it matches any number of | First it matches an opening parenthesis. Then it matches any number of |
| 4608 | substrings which can either be a sequence of non-parentheses, or a | substrings which can either be a sequence of non-parentheses, or a |
| 4609 | recursive match of the pattern itself (that is, a correctly parenthe- | recursive match of the pattern itself (that is, a correctly parenthe- |
| 4610 | sized substring). Finally there is a closing parenthesis. | sized substring). Finally there is a closing parenthesis. |
| 4611 | ||
| 4612 | If this were part of a larger pattern, you would not want to recurse | If this were part of a larger pattern, you would not want to recurse |
| 4613 | the entire pattern, so instead you could use this: | the entire pattern, so instead you could use this: |
| 4614 | ||
| 4615 | ( \( ( (?>[^()]+) | (?1) )* \) ) | ( \( ( (?>[^()]+) | (?1) )* \) ) |
| 4616 | ||
| 4617 | We have put the pattern into parentheses, and caused the recursion to | We have put the pattern into parentheses, and caused the recursion to |
| 4618 | refer to them instead of the whole pattern. | refer to them instead of the whole pattern. |
| 4619 | ||
| 4620 | In a larger pattern, keeping track of parenthesis numbers can be | In a larger pattern, keeping track of parenthesis numbers can be |
| 4621 | tricky. This is made easier by the use of relative references. (A Perl | tricky. This is made easier by the use of relative references. (A Perl |
| 4622 | 5.10 feature.) Instead of (?1) in the pattern above you can write | 5.10 feature.) Instead of (?1) in the pattern above you can write |
| 4623 | (?-2) to refer to the second most recently opened parentheses preceding | (?-2) to refer to the second most recently opened parentheses preceding |
| 4624 | the recursion. In other words, a negative number counts capturing | the recursion. In other words, a negative number counts capturing |
| 4625 | parentheses leftwards from the point at which it is encountered. | parentheses leftwards from the point at which it is encountered. |
| 4626 | ||
| 4627 | It is also possible to refer to subsequently opened parentheses, by | It is also possible to refer to subsequently opened parentheses, by |
| 4628 | writing references such as (?+2). However, these cannot be recursive | writing references such as (?+2). However, these cannot be recursive |
| 4629 | because the reference is not inside the parentheses that are refer- | because the reference is not inside the parentheses that are refer- |
| 4630 | enced. They are always "subroutine" calls, as described in the next | enced. They are always "subroutine" calls, as described in the next |
| 4631 | section. | section. |
| 4632 | ||
| 4633 | An alternative approach is to use named parentheses instead. The Perl | An alternative approach is to use named parentheses instead. The Perl |
| 4634 | syntax for this is (?&name); PCRE's earlier syntax (?P>name) is also | syntax for this is (?&name); PCRE's earlier syntax (?P>name) is also |
| 4635 | supported. We could rewrite the above example as follows: | supported. We could rewrite the above example as follows: |
| 4636 | ||
| 4637 | (?<pn> \( ( (?>[^()]+) | (?&pn) )* \) ) | (?<pn> \( ( (?>[^()]+) | (?&pn) )* \) ) |
| 4638 | ||
| 4639 | If there is more than one subpattern with the same name, the earliest | If there is more than one subpattern with the same name, the earliest |
| 4640 | one is used. | one is used. |
| 4641 | ||
| 4642 | This particular example pattern that we have been looking at contains | This particular example pattern that we have been looking at contains |
| 4643 | nested unlimited repeats, and so the use of atomic grouping for match- | nested unlimited repeats, and so the use of atomic grouping for match- |
| 4644 | ing strings of non-parentheses is important when applying the pattern | ing strings of non-parentheses is important when applying the pattern |
| 4645 | to strings that do not match. For example, when this pattern is applied | to strings that do not match. For example, when this pattern is applied |
| 4646 | to | to |
| 4647 | ||
| 4648 | (aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa() | (aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa() |
| 4649 | ||
| 4650 | it yields "no match" quickly. However, if atomic grouping is not used, | it yields "no match" quickly. However, if atomic grouping is not used, |
| 4651 | the match runs for a very long time indeed because there are so many | the match runs for a very long time indeed because there are so many |
| 4652 | different ways the + and * repeats can carve up the subject, and all | different ways the + and * repeats can carve up the subject, and all |
| 4653 | have to be tested before failure can be reported. | have to be tested before failure can be reported. |
| 4654 | ||
| 4655 | At the end of a match, the values set for any capturing subpatterns are | At the end of a match, the values set for any capturing subpatterns are |
| 4656 | those from the outermost level of the recursion at which the subpattern | those from the outermost level of the recursion at which the subpattern |
| 4657 | value is set. If you want to obtain intermediate values, a callout | value is set. If you want to obtain intermediate values, a callout |
| 4658 | function can be used (see below and the pcrecallout documentation). If | function can be used (see below and the pcrecallout documentation). If |
| 4659 | the pattern above is matched against | the pattern above is matched against |
| 4660 | ||
| 4661 | (ab(cd)ef) | (ab(cd)ef) |
| 4662 | ||
| 4663 | the value for the capturing parentheses is "ef", which is the last | the value for the capturing parentheses is "ef", which is the last |
| 4664 | value taken on at the top level. If additional parentheses are added, | value taken on at the top level. If additional parentheses are added, |
| 4665 | giving | giving |
| 4666 | ||
| 4667 | \( ( ( (?>[^()]+) | (?R) )* ) \) | \( ( ( (?>[^()]+) | (?R) )* ) \) |
| 4668 | ^ ^ | ^ ^ |
| 4669 | ^ ^ | ^ ^ |
| 4670 | ||
| 4671 | the string they capture is "ab(cd)ef", the contents of the top level | the string they capture is "ab(cd)ef", the contents of the top level |
| 4672 | parentheses. If there are more than 15 capturing parentheses in a pat- | parentheses. If there are more than 15 capturing parentheses in a pat- |
| 4673 | tern, PCRE has to obtain extra memory to store data during a recursion, | tern, PCRE has to obtain extra memory to store data during a recursion, |
| 4674 | which it does by using pcre_malloc, freeing it via pcre_free after- | which it does by using pcre_malloc, freeing it via pcre_free after- |
| 4675 | wards. If no memory can be obtained, the match fails with the | wards. If no memory can be obtained, the match fails with the |
| 4676 | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY error. | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY error. |
| 4677 | ||
| 4678 | Do not confuse the (?R) item with the condition (R), which tests for | Do not confuse the (?R) item with the condition (R), which tests for |
| 4679 | recursion. Consider this pattern, which matches text in angle brack- | recursion. Consider this pattern, which matches text in angle brack- |
| 4680 | ets, allowing for arbitrary nesting. Only digits are allowed in nested | ets, allowing for arbitrary nesting. Only digits are allowed in nested |
| 4681 | brackets (that is, when recursing), whereas any characters are permit- | brackets (that is, when recursing), whereas any characters are permit- |
| 4682 | ted at the outer level. | ted at the outer level. |
| 4683 | ||
| 4684 | < (?: (?(R) \d++ | [^<>]*+) | (?R)) * > | < (?: (?(R) \d++ | [^<>]*+) | (?R)) * > |
| 4685 | ||
| 4686 | In this pattern, (?(R) is the start of a conditional subpattern, with | In this pattern, (?(R) is the start of a conditional subpattern, with |
| 4687 | two different alternatives for the recursive and non-recursive cases. | two different alternatives for the recursive and non-recursive cases. |
| 4688 | The (?R) item is the actual recursive call. | The (?R) item is the actual recursive call. |
| 4689 | ||
| 4690 | ||
| 4691 | SUBPATTERNS AS SUBROUTINES | SUBPATTERNS AS SUBROUTINES |
| 4692 | ||
| 4693 | If the syntax for a recursive subpattern reference (either by number or | If the syntax for a recursive subpattern reference (either by number or |
| 4694 | by name) is used outside the parentheses to which it refers, it oper- | by name) is used outside the parentheses to which it refers, it oper- |
| 4695 | ates like a subroutine in a programming language. The "called" subpat- | ates like a subroutine in a programming language. The "called" subpat- |
| 4696 | tern may be defined before or after the reference. A numbered reference | tern may be defined before or after the reference. A numbered reference |
| 4697 | can be absolute or relative, as in these examples: | can be absolute or relative, as in these examples: |
| 4698 | ||
| # | Line 4470 SUBPATTERNS AS SUBROUTINES | Line 4704 SUBPATTERNS AS SUBROUTINES |
| 4704 | ||
| 4705 | (sens|respons)e and \1ibility | (sens|respons)e and \1ibility |
| 4706 | ||
| 4707 | matches "sense and sensibility" and "response and responsibility", but | matches "sense and sensibility" and "response and responsibility", but |
| 4708 | not "sense and responsibility". If instead the pattern | not "sense and responsibility". If instead the pattern |
| 4709 | ||
| 4710 | (sens|respons)e and (?1)ibility | (sens|respons)e and (?1)ibility |
| 4711 | ||
| 4712 | is used, it does match "sense and responsibility" as well as the other | is used, it does match "sense and responsibility" as well as the other |
| 4713 | two strings. Another example is given in the discussion of DEFINE | two strings. Another example is given in the discussion of DEFINE |
| 4714 | above. | above. |
| 4715 | ||
| 4716 | Like recursive subpatterns, a "subroutine" call is always treated as an | Like recursive subpatterns, a "subroutine" call is always treated as an |
| 4717 | atomic group. That is, once it has matched some of the subject string, | atomic group. That is, once it has matched some of the subject string, |
| 4718 | it is never re-entered, even if it contains untried alternatives and | it is never re-entered, even if it contains untried alternatives and |
| 4719 | there is a subsequent matching failure. | there is a subsequent matching failure. |
| 4720 | ||
| 4721 | When a subpattern is used as a subroutine, processing options such as | When a subpattern is used as a subroutine, processing options such as |
| 4722 | case-independence are fixed when the subpattern is defined. They cannot | case-independence are fixed when the subpattern is defined. They cannot |
| 4723 | be changed for different calls. For example, consider this pattern: | be changed for different calls. For example, consider this pattern: |
| 4724 | ||
| 4725 | (abc)(?i:(?-1)) | (abc)(?i:(?-1)) |
| 4726 | ||
| 4727 | It matches "abcabc". It does not match "abcABC" because the change of | It matches "abcabc". It does not match "abcABC" because the change of |
| 4728 | processing option does not affect the called subpattern. | processing option does not affect the called subpattern. |
| 4729 | ||
| 4730 | ||
| 4731 | CALLOUTS | CALLOUTS |
| 4732 | ||
| 4733 | Perl has a feature whereby using the sequence (?{...}) causes arbitrary | Perl has a feature whereby using the sequence (?{...}) causes arbitrary |
| 4734 | Perl code to be obeyed in the middle of matching a regular expression. | Perl code to be obeyed in the middle of matching a regular expression. |
| 4735 | This makes it possible, amongst other things, to extract different sub- | This makes it possible, amongst other things, to extract different sub- |
| 4736 | strings that match the same pair of parentheses when there is a repeti- | strings that match the same pair of parentheses when there is a repeti- |
| 4737 | tion. | tion. |
| 4738 | ||
| 4739 | PCRE provides a similar feature, but of course it cannot obey arbitrary | PCRE provides a similar feature, but of course it cannot obey arbitrary |
| 4740 | Perl code. The feature is called "callout". The caller of PCRE provides | Perl code. The feature is called "callout". The caller of PCRE provides |
| 4741 | an external function by putting its entry point in the global variable | an external function by putting its entry point in the global variable |
| 4742 | pcre_callout. By default, this variable contains NULL, which disables | pcre_callout. By default, this variable contains NULL, which disables |
| 4743 | all calling out. | all calling out. |
| 4744 | ||
| 4745 | Within a regular expression, (?C) indicates the points at which the | Within a regular expression, (?C) indicates the points at which the |
| 4746 | external function is to be called. If you want to identify different | external function is to be called. If you want to identify different |
| 4747 | callout points, you can put a number less than 256 after the letter C. | callout points, you can put a number less than 256 after the letter C. |
| 4748 | The default value is zero. For example, this pattern has two callout | The default value is zero. For example, this pattern has two callout |
| 4749 | points: | points: |
| 4750 | ||
| 4751 | (?C1)abc(?C2)def | (?C1)abc(?C2)def |
| 4752 | ||
| 4753 | If the PCRE_AUTO_CALLOUT flag is passed to pcre_compile(), callouts are | If the PCRE_AUTO_CALLOUT flag is passed to pcre_compile(), callouts are |
| 4754 | automatically installed before each item in the pattern. They are all | automatically installed before each item in the pattern. They are all |
| 4755 | numbered 255. | numbered 255. |
| 4756 | ||
| 4757 | During matching, when PCRE reaches a callout point (and pcre_callout is | During matching, when PCRE reaches a callout point (and pcre_callout is |
| 4758 | set), the external function is called. It is provided with the number | set), the external function is called. It is provided with the number |
| 4759 | of the callout, the position in the pattern, and, optionally, one item | of the callout, the position in the pattern, and, optionally, one item |
| 4760 | of data originally supplied by the caller of pcre_exec(). The callout | of data originally supplied by the caller of pcre_exec(). The callout |
| 4761 | function may cause matching to proceed, to backtrack, or to fail alto- | function may cause matching to proceed, to backtrack, or to fail alto- |
| 4762 | gether. A complete description of the interface to the callout function | gether. A complete description of the interface to the callout function |
| 4763 | is given in the pcrecallout documentation. | is given in the pcrecallout documentation. |
| 4764 | ||
| 4765 | ||
| 4766 | BACKTRACKING CONTROL | |
| 4767 | ||
| 4768 | Perl 5.10 introduced a number of "Special Backtracking Control Verbs", | |
| 4769 | which are described in the Perl documentation as "experimental and sub- | |
| 4770 | ject to change or removal in a future version of Perl". It goes on to | |
| 4771 | say: "Their usage in production code should be noted to avoid problems | |
| 4772 | during upgrades." The same remarks apply to the PCRE features described | |
| 4773 | in this section. | |
| 4774 | ||
| 4775 | Since these verbs are specifically related to backtracking, they can be | |
| 4776 | used only when the pattern is to be matched using pcre_exec(), which | |
| 4777 | uses a backtracking algorithm. They cause an error if encountered by | |
| 4778 | pcre_dfa_exec(). | |
| 4779 | ||
| 4780 | The new verbs make use of what was previously invalid syntax: an open- | |
| 4781 | ing parenthesis followed by an asterisk. In Perl, they are generally of | |
| 4782 | the form (*VERB:ARG) but PCRE does not support the use of arguments, so | |
| 4783 | its general form is just (*VERB). Any number of these verbs may occur | |
| 4784 | in a pattern. There are two kinds: | |
| 4785 | ||
| 4786 | Verbs that act immediately | |
| 4787 | ||
| 4788 | The following verbs act as soon as they are encountered: | |
| 4789 | ||
| 4790 | (*ACCEPT) | |
| 4791 | ||
| 4792 | This verb causes the match to end successfully, skipping the remainder | |
| 4793 | of the pattern. When inside a recursion, only the innermost pattern is | |
| 4794 | ended immediately. PCRE differs from Perl in what happens if the | |
| 4795 | (*ACCEPT) is inside capturing parentheses. In Perl, the data so far is | |
| 4796 | captured: in PCRE no data is captured. For example: | |
| 4797 | ||
| 4798 | A(A|B(*ACCEPT)|C)D | |
| 4799 | ||
| 4800 | This matches "AB", "AAD", or "ACD", but when it matches "AB", no data | |
| 4801 | is captured. | |
| 4802 | ||
| 4803 | (*FAIL) or (*F) | |
| 4804 | ||
| 4805 | This verb causes the match to fail, forcing backtracking to occur. It | |
| 4806 | is equivalent to (?!) but easier to read. The Perl documentation notes | |
| 4807 | that it is probably useful only when combined with (?{}) or (??{}). | |
| 4808 | Those are, of course, Perl features that are not present in PCRE. The | |
| 4809 | nearest equivalent is the callout feature, as for example in this pat- | |
| 4810 | tern: | |
| 4811 | ||
| 4812 | a+(?C)(*FAIL) | |
| 4813 | ||
| 4814 | A match with the string "aaaa" always fails, but the callout is taken | |
| 4815 | before each backtrack happens (in this example, 10 times). | |
| 4816 | ||
| 4817 | Verbs that act after backtracking | |
| 4818 | ||
| 4819 | The following verbs do nothing when they are encountered. Matching con- | |
| 4820 | tinues with what follows, but if there is no subsequent match, a fail- | |
| 4821 | ure is forced. The verbs differ in exactly what kind of failure | |
| 4822 | occurs. | |
| 4823 | ||
| 4824 | (*COMMIT) | |
| 4825 | ||
| 4826 | This verb causes the whole match to fail outright if the rest of the | |
| 4827 | pattern does not match. Even if the pattern is unanchored, no further | |
| 4828 | attempts to find a match by advancing the start point take place. Once | |
| 4829 | (*COMMIT) has been passed, pcre_exec() is committed to finding a match | |
| 4830 | at the current starting point, or not at all. For example: | |
| 4831 | ||
| 4832 | a+(*COMMIT)b | |
| 4833 | ||
| 4834 | This matches "xxaab" but not "aacaab". It can be thought of as a kind | |
| 4835 | of dynamic anchor, or "I've started, so I must finish." | |
| 4836 | ||
| 4837 | (*PRUNE) | |
| 4838 | ||
| 4839 | This verb causes the match to fail at the current position if the rest | |
| 4840 | of the pattern does not match. If the pattern is unanchored, the normal | |
| 4841 | "bumpalong" advance to the next starting character then happens. Back- | |
| 4842 | tracking can occur as usual to the left of (*PRUNE), or when matching | |
| 4843 | to the right of (*PRUNE), but if there is no match to the right, back- | |
| 4844 | tracking cannot cross (*PRUNE). In simple cases, the use of (*PRUNE) | |
| 4845 | is just an alternative to an atomic group or possessive quantifier, but | |
| 4846 | there are some uses of (*PRUNE) that cannot be expressed in any other | |
| 4847 | way. | |
| 4848 | ||
| 4849 | (*SKIP) | |
| 4850 | ||
| 4851 | This verb is like (*PRUNE), except that if the pattern is unanchored, | |
| 4852 | the "bumpalong" advance is not to the next character, but to the posi- | |
| 4853 | tion in the subject where (*SKIP) was encountered. (*SKIP) signifies | |
| 4854 | that whatever text was matched leading up to it cannot be part of a | |
| 4855 | successful match. Consider: | |
| 4856 | ||
| 4857 | a+(*SKIP)b | |
| 4858 | ||
| 4859 | If the subject is "aaaac...", after the first match attempt fails | |
| 4860 | (starting at the first character in the string), the starting point | |
| 4861 | skips on to start the next attempt at "c". Note that a possessive quan- | |
| 4862 | tifer does not have the same effect in this example; although it would | |
| 4863 | suppress backtracking during the first match attempt, the second | |
| 4864 | attempt would start at the second character instead of skipping on to | |
| 4865 | "c". | |
| 4866 |