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| revision 345 by ph10, Mon Apr 28 15:10:02 2008 UTC | revision 469 by ph10, Mon Oct 19 14:38:48 2009 UTC | |
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| 2 | This file contains a concatenation of the PCRE man pages, converted to plain | This file contains a concatenation of the PCRE man pages, converted to plain |
| 3 | text format for ease of searching with a text editor, or for use on systems | text format for ease of searching with a text editor, or for use on systems |
| 4 | that do not have a man page processor. The small individual files that give | that do not have a man page processor. The small individual files that give |
| 5 | synopses of each function in the library have not been included. There are | synopses of each function in the library have not been included. Neither has |
| 6 | separate text files for the pcregrep and pcretest commands. | the pcredemo program. There are separate text files for the pcregrep and |
| 7 | pcretest commands. | |
| 8 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 9 | ||
| 10 | ||
| # | Line 18 INTRODUCTION | Line 19 INTRODUCTION |
| 19 | ||
| 20 | The PCRE library is a set of functions that implement regular expres- | The PCRE library is a set of functions that implement regular expres- |
| 21 | sion pattern matching using the same syntax and semantics as Perl, with | sion pattern matching using the same syntax and semantics as Perl, with |
| 22 | just a few differences. Certain features that appeared in Python and | just a few differences. Some features that appeared in Python and PCRE |
| 23 | PCRE before they appeared in Perl are also available using the Python | before they appeared in Perl are also available using the Python syn- |
| 24 | syntax. There is also some support for certain .NET and Oniguruma syn- | tax, there is some support for one or two .NET and Oniguruma syntax |
| 25 | tax items, and there is an option for requesting some minor changes | items, and there is an option for requesting some minor changes that |
| 26 | that give better JavaScript compatibility. | give better JavaScript compatibility. |
| 27 | ||
| 28 | The current implementation of PCRE (release 7.x) corresponds approxi- | The current implementation of PCRE corresponds approximately with Perl |
| 29 | mately with Perl 5.10, including support for UTF-8 encoded strings and | 5.10, including support for UTF-8 encoded strings and Unicode general |
| 30 | Unicode general category properties. However, UTF-8 and Unicode support | category properties. However, UTF-8 and Unicode support has to be |
| 31 | has to be explicitly enabled; it is not the default. The Unicode tables | explicitly enabled; it is not the default. The Unicode tables corre- |
| 32 | correspond to Unicode release 5.0.0. | spond to Unicode release 5.1. |
| 33 | ||
| 34 | In addition to the Perl-compatible matching function, PCRE contains an | In addition to the Perl-compatible matching function, PCRE contains an |
| 35 | alternative matching function that matches the same compiled patterns | alternative function that matches the same compiled patterns in a dif- |
| 36 | in a different way. In certain circumstances, the alternative function | ferent way. In certain circumstances, the alternative function has some |
| 37 | has some advantages. For a discussion of the two matching algorithms, | advantages. For a discussion of the two matching algorithms, see the |
| 38 | see the pcrematching page. | pcrematching page. |
| 39 | ||
| 40 | PCRE is written in C and released as a C library. A number of people | PCRE is written in C and released as a C library. A number of people |
| 41 | have written wrappers and interfaces of various kinds. In particular, | have written wrappers and interfaces of various kinds. In particular, |
| # | Line 54 INTRODUCTION | Line 55 INTRODUCTION |
| 55 | library is built. The pcre_config() function makes it possible for a | library is built. The pcre_config() function makes it possible for a |
| 56 | client to discover which features are available. The features them- | client to discover which features are available. The features them- |
| 57 | selves are described in the pcrebuild page. Documentation about build- | selves are described in the pcrebuild page. Documentation about build- |
| 58 | 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 and |
| 59 | in the source distribution. | NON-UNIX-USE files in the source distribution. |
| 60 | ||
| 61 | The library contains a number of undocumented internal functions and | The library contains a number of undocumented internal functions and |
| 62 | 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 |
| # | Line 71 USER DOCUMENTATION | Line 72 USER DOCUMENTATION |
| 72 | The user documentation for PCRE comprises a number of different sec- | The user documentation for PCRE comprises a number of different sec- |
| 73 | 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 |
| 74 | 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. |
| 75 | In the plain text format, all the sections are concatenated, for ease | In the plain text format, all the sections, except the pcredemo sec- |
| 76 | of searching. The sections are as follows: | tion, are concatenated, for ease of searching. The sections are as fol- |
| 77 | lows: | |
| 78 | ||
| 79 | pcre this document | pcre this document |
| 80 | pcre-config show PCRE installation configuration information | pcre-config show PCRE installation configuration information |
| # | Line 81 USER DOCUMENTATION | Line 83 USER DOCUMENTATION |
| 83 | pcrecallout details of the callout feature | pcrecallout details of the callout feature |
| 84 | pcrecompat discussion of Perl compatibility | pcrecompat discussion of Perl compatibility |
| 85 | pcrecpp details of the C++ wrapper | pcrecpp details of the C++ wrapper |
| 86 | pcredemo a demonstration C program that uses PCRE | |
| 87 | pcregrep description of the pcregrep command | pcregrep description of the pcregrep command |
| 88 | pcrematching discussion of the two matching algorithms | pcrematching discussion of the two matching algorithms |
| 89 | pcrepartial details of the partial matching facility | pcrepartial details of the partial matching facility |
| 90 | pcrepattern syntax and semantics of supported | pcrepattern syntax and semantics of supported |
| 91 | regular expressions | regular expressions |
| pcresyntax quick syntax reference | ||
| 92 | pcreperform discussion of performance issues | pcreperform discussion of performance issues |
| 93 | pcreposix the POSIX-compatible C API | pcreposix the POSIX-compatible C API |
| 94 | pcreprecompile details of saving and re-using precompiled patterns | pcreprecompile details of saving and re-using precompiled patterns |
| 95 | pcresample discussion of the sample program | pcresample discussion of the pcredemo program |
| 96 | pcrestack discussion of stack usage | pcrestack discussion of stack usage |
| 97 | pcresyntax quick syntax reference | |
| 98 | pcretest description of the pcretest testing command | pcretest description of the pcretest testing command |
| 99 | ||
| 100 | 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 |
| # | Line 136 UTF-8 AND UNICODE PROPERTY SUPPORT | Line 139 UTF-8 AND UNICODE PROPERTY SUPPORT |
| 139 | ||
| 140 | 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 |
| 141 | support in the code, and, in addition, you must call pcre_compile() | support in the code, and, in addition, you must call pcre_compile() |
| 142 | with the PCRE_UTF8 option flag. When you do this, both the pattern and | with the PCRE_UTF8 option flag, or the pattern must start with the |
| 143 | any subject strings that are matched against it are treated as UTF-8 | sequence (*UTF8). When either of these is the case, both the pattern |
| 144 | strings instead of just strings of bytes. | and any subject strings that are matched against it are treated as |
| 145 | UTF-8 strings instead of strings of 1-byte characters. | |
| 146 | ||
| 147 | 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, |
| 148 | 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 |
| 149 | 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 |
| 150 | very big. | very big. |
| 151 | ||
| 152 | If PCRE is built with Unicode character property support (which implies | If PCRE is built with Unicode character property support (which implies |
| 153 | UTF-8 support), the escape sequences \p{..}, \P{..}, and \X are sup- | UTF-8 support), the escape sequences \p{..}, \P{..}, and \X are sup- |
| 154 | ported. The available properties that can be tested are limited to the | ported. The available properties that can be tested are limited to the |
| 155 | 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 |
| 156 | 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, |
| 157 | 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 |
| 158 | pcrepattern documentation. Only the short names for properties are sup- | pcrepattern documentation. Only the short names for properties are sup- |
| 159 | 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- |
| 160 | ter}, is not supported. Furthermore, in Perl, many properties may | ter}, is not supported. Furthermore, in Perl, many properties may |
| 161 | optionally be prefixed by "Is", for compatibility with Perl 5.6. PCRE | optionally be prefixed by "Is", for compatibility with Perl 5.6. PCRE |
| 162 | does not support this. | does not support this. |
| 163 | ||
| 164 | Validity of UTF-8 strings | Validity of UTF-8 strings |
| 165 | ||
| 166 | When you set the PCRE_UTF8 flag, the strings passed as patterns and | When you set the PCRE_UTF8 flag, the strings passed as patterns and |
| 167 | subjects are (by default) checked for validity on entry to the relevant | subjects are (by default) checked for validity on entry to the relevant |
| 168 | functions. From release 7.3 of PCRE, the check is according the rules | functions. From release 7.3 of PCRE, the check is according the rules |
| 169 | of RFC 3629, which are themselves derived from the Unicode specifica- | of RFC 3629, which are themselves derived from the Unicode specifica- |
| 170 | tion. Earlier releases of PCRE followed the rules of RFC 2279, which | tion. Earlier releases of PCRE followed the rules of RFC 2279, which |
| 171 | allows the full range of 31-bit values (0 to 0x7FFFFFFF). The current | allows the full range of 31-bit values (0 to 0x7FFFFFFF). The current |
| 172 | check allows only values in the range U+0 to U+10FFFF, excluding U+D800 | check allows only values in the range U+0 to U+10FFFF, excluding U+D800 |
| 173 | to U+DFFF. | to U+DFFF. |
| 174 | ||
| 175 | The excluded code points are the "Low Surrogate Area" of Unicode, of | The excluded code points are the "Low Surrogate Area" of Unicode, of |
| 176 | which the Unicode Standard says this: "The Low Surrogate Area does not | which the Unicode Standard says this: "The Low Surrogate Area does not |
| 177 | contain any character assignments, consequently no character code | contain any character assignments, consequently no character code |
| 178 | charts or namelists are provided for this area. Surrogates are reserved | charts or namelists are provided for this area. Surrogates are reserved |
| 179 | for use with UTF-16 and then must be used in pairs." The code points | for use with UTF-16 and then must be used in pairs." The code points |
| 180 | that are encoded by UTF-16 pairs are available as independent code | that are encoded by UTF-16 pairs are available as independent code |
| 181 | points in the UTF-8 encoding. (In other words, the whole surrogate | points in the UTF-8 encoding. (In other words, the whole surrogate |
| 182 | thing is a fudge for UTF-16 which unfortunately messes up UTF-8.) | thing is a fudge for UTF-16 which unfortunately messes up UTF-8.) |
| 183 | ||
| 184 | If an invalid UTF-8 string is passed to PCRE, an error return | If an invalid UTF-8 string is passed to PCRE, an error return |
| 185 | (PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8) is given. In some situations, you may already know | (PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8) is given. In some situations, you may already know |
| 186 | that your strings are valid, and therefore want to skip these checks in | that your strings are valid, and therefore want to skip these checks in |
| 187 | order to improve performance. If you set the PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK flag at | order to improve performance. If you set the PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK flag at |
| 188 | compile time or at run time, PCRE assumes that the pattern or subject | compile time or at run time, PCRE assumes that the pattern or subject |
| 189 | it is given (respectively) contains only valid UTF-8 codes. In this | it is given (respectively) contains only valid UTF-8 codes. In this |
| 190 | case, it does not diagnose an invalid UTF-8 string. | case, it does not diagnose an invalid UTF-8 string. |
| 191 | ||
| 192 | If you pass an invalid UTF-8 string when PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK is set, | If you pass an invalid UTF-8 string when PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK is set, |
| 193 | what happens depends on why the string is invalid. If the string con- | what happens depends on why the string is invalid. If the string con- |
| 194 | forms to the "old" definition of UTF-8 (RFC 2279), it is processed as a | forms to the "old" definition of UTF-8 (RFC 2279), it is processed as a |
| 195 | string of characters in the range 0 to 0x7FFFFFFF. In other words, | string of characters in the range 0 to 0x7FFFFFFF. In other words, |
| 196 | apart from the initial validity test, PCRE (when in UTF-8 mode) handles | apart from the initial validity test, PCRE (when in UTF-8 mode) handles |
| 197 | strings according to the more liberal rules of RFC 2279. However, if | strings according to the more liberal rules of RFC 2279. However, if |
| 198 | the string does not even conform to RFC 2279, the result is undefined. | the string does not even conform to RFC 2279, the result is undefined. |
| 199 | Your program may crash. | Your program may crash. |
| 200 | ||
| 201 | If you want to process strings of values in the full range 0 to | If you want to process strings of values in the full range 0 to |
| 202 | 0x7FFFFFFF, encoded in a UTF-8-like manner as per the old RFC, you can | 0x7FFFFFFF, encoded in a UTF-8-like manner as per the old RFC, you can |
| 203 | set PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK to bypass the more restrictive test. However, in | set PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK to bypass the more restrictive test. However, in |
| 204 | this situation, you will have to apply your own validity check. | this situation, you will have to apply your own validity check. |
| 205 | ||
| 206 | General comments about UTF-8 mode | General comments about UTF-8 mode |
| 207 | ||
| 208 | 1. An unbraced hexadecimal escape sequence (such as \xb3) matches a | 1. An unbraced hexadecimal escape sequence (such as \xb3) matches a |
| 209 | two-byte UTF-8 character if the value is greater than 127. | two-byte UTF-8 character if the value is greater than 127. |
| 210 | ||
| 211 | 2. 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 |
| 212 | characters for values greater than \177. | characters for values greater than \177. |
| 213 | ||
| 214 | 3. Repeat quantifiers apply to complete UTF-8 characters, not to indi- | 3. Repeat quantifiers apply to complete UTF-8 characters, not to indi- |
| 215 | vidual bytes, for example: \x{100}{3}. | vidual bytes, for example: \x{100}{3}. |
| 216 | ||
| 217 | 4. 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- |
| 218 | gle byte. | gle byte. |
| 219 | ||
| 220 | 5. 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 |
| 221 | 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 |
| 222 | not available in the alternative matching function, pcre_dfa_exec(). | not available in the alternative matching function, pcre_dfa_exec(). |
| 223 | ||
| 224 | 6. 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 |
| 225 | test characters of any code value, but the characters that PCRE recog- | test characters of any code value, but the characters that PCRE recog- |
| 226 | nizes as digits, spaces, or word characters remain the same set as | nizes as digits, spaces, or word characters remain the same set as |
| 227 | 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 |
| 228 | includes Unicode property support, because to do otherwise would slow | includes Unicode property support, because to do otherwise would slow |
| 229 | 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 |
| 230 | sense of, say, "digit", you must use Unicode property tests such as | sense of, say, "digit", you must use Unicode property tests such as |
| 231 | \p{Nd}. | \p{Nd}. Note that this also applies to \b, because it is defined in |
| 232 | terms of \w and \W. | |
| 233 | ||
| 234 | 7. Similarly, characters that match the POSIX named character classes | 7. Similarly, characters that match the POSIX named character classes |
| 235 | are all low-valued characters. | are all low-valued characters. |
| # | Line 258 AUTHOR | Line 263 AUTHOR |
| 263 | ||
| 264 | REVISION | REVISION |
| 265 | ||
| 266 | Last updated: 12 April 2008 | Last updated: 28 September 2009 |
| 267 | Copyright (c) 1997-2008 University of Cambridge. | Copyright (c) 1997-2009 University of Cambridge. |
| 268 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 269 | ||
| 270 | ||
| # | Line 277 PCRE BUILD-TIME OPTIONS | Line 282 PCRE BUILD-TIME OPTIONS |
| 282 | script, where the optional features are selected or deselected by pro- | script, where the optional features are selected or deselected by pro- |
| 283 | viding options to configure before running the make command. However, | viding options to configure before running the make command. However, |
| 284 | the same options can be selected in both Unix-like and non-Unix-like | the same options can be selected in both Unix-like and non-Unix-like |
| 285 | environments using the GUI facility of CMakeSetup if you are using | environments using the GUI facility of cmake-gui if you are using CMake |
| 286 | CMake instead of configure to build PCRE. | instead of configure to build PCRE. |
| 287 | ||
| 288 | There is a lot more information about building PCRE in non-Unix-like | |
| 289 | environments in the file called NON_UNIX_USE, which is part of the PCRE | |
| 290 | distribution. You should consult this file as well as the README file | |
| 291 | if you are building in a non-Unix-like environment. | |
| 292 | ||
| 293 | The complete list of options for configure (which includes the standard | The complete list of options for configure (which includes the standard |
| 294 | ones such as the selection of the installation directory) can be | ones such as the selection of the installation directory) can be |
| 295 | obtained by running | obtained by running |
| 296 | ||
| 297 | ./configure --help | ./configure --help |
| 298 | ||
| 299 | The following sections include descriptions of options whose names | The following sections include descriptions of options whose names |
| 300 | begin with --enable or --disable. These settings specify changes to the | begin with --enable or --disable. These settings specify changes to the |
| 301 | defaults for the configure command. Because of the way that configure | defaults for the configure command. Because of the way that configure |
| 302 | works, --enable and --disable always come in pairs, so the complemen- | works, --enable and --disable always come in pairs, so the complemen- |
| 303 | 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 |
| 304 | is not described. | is not described. |
| 305 | ||
| 306 | ||
| # | Line 307 C++ SUPPORT | Line 317 C++ SUPPORT |
| 317 | ||
| 318 | UTF-8 SUPPORT | UTF-8 SUPPORT |
| 319 | ||
| 320 | To build PCRE with support for UTF-8 character strings, add | To build PCRE with support for UTF-8 Unicode character strings, add |
| 321 | ||
| 322 | --enable-utf8 | --enable-utf8 |
| 323 | ||
| 324 | to the configure command. Of itself, this does not make PCRE treat | to the configure command. Of itself, this does not make PCRE treat |
| 325 | 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 |
| 326 | 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() |
| 327 | function. | or pcre_compile2() functions. |
| 328 | ||
| 329 | If you set --enable-utf8 when compiling in an EBCDIC environment, PCRE | |
| 330 | expects its input to be either ASCII or UTF-8 (depending on the runtime | |
| 331 | option). It is not possible to support both EBCDIC and UTF-8 codes in | |
| 332 | the same version of the library. Consequently, --enable-utf8 and | |
| 333 | --enable-ebcdic are mutually exclusive. | |
| 334 | ||
| 335 | ||
| 336 | UNICODE CHARACTER PROPERTY SUPPORT | UNICODE CHARACTER PROPERTY SUPPORT |
| 337 | ||
| 338 | UTF-8 support allows PCRE to process character values greater than 255 | UTF-8 support allows PCRE to process character values greater than 255 |
| 339 | 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- |
| 340 | vide any facilities for accessing the properties of such characters. If | vide any facilities for accessing the properties of such characters. If |
| 341 | 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 |
| 342 | refer to Unicode character properties, you must add | refer to Unicode character properties, you must add |
| 343 | ||
| 344 | --enable-unicode-properties | --enable-unicode-properties |
| 345 | ||
| 346 | 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 |
| 347 | not explicitly requested it. | not explicitly requested it. |
| 348 | ||
| 349 | Including Unicode property support adds around 30K of tables to the | Including Unicode property support adds around 30K of tables to the |
| 350 | PCRE library. Only the general category properties such as Lu and Nd | PCRE library. Only the general category properties such as Lu and Nd |
| 351 | are supported. Details are given in the pcrepattern documentation. | are supported. Details are given in the pcrepattern documentation. |
| 352 | ||
| 353 | ||
| 354 | CODE VALUE OF NEWLINE | CODE VALUE OF NEWLINE |
| 355 | ||
| 356 | By default, PCRE interprets character 10 (linefeed, LF) as indicating | By default, PCRE interprets the linefeed (LF) character as indicating |
| 357 | 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 |
| 358 | systems. You can compile PCRE to use character 13 (carriage return, CR) | systems. You can compile PCRE to use carriage return (CR) instead, by |
| 359 | instead, by adding | adding |
| 360 | ||
| 361 | --enable-newline-is-cr | --enable-newline-is-cr |
| 362 | ||
| 363 | to the configure command. There is also a --enable-newline-is-lf | to the configure command. There is also a --enable-newline-is-lf |
| 364 | option, which explicitly specifies linefeed as the newline character. | option, which explicitly specifies linefeed as the newline character. |
| 365 | ||
| 366 | 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 356 CODE VALUE OF NEWLINE | Line 372 CODE VALUE OF NEWLINE |
| 372 | ||
| 373 | --enable-newline-is-anycrlf | --enable-newline-is-anycrlf |
| 374 | ||
| 375 | 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 |
| 376 | CRLF as indicating a line ending. Finally, a fifth option, specified by | CRLF as indicating a line ending. Finally, a fifth option, specified by |
| 377 | ||
| 378 | --enable-newline-is-any | --enable-newline-is-any |
| # | Line 416 HANDLING VERY LARGE PATTERNS | Line 432 HANDLING VERY LARGE PATTERNS |
| 432 | nation metacharacter). By default, two-byte values are used for these | nation metacharacter). By default, two-byte values are used for these |
| 433 | offsets, leading to a maximum size for a compiled pattern of around | offsets, leading to a maximum size for a compiled pattern of around |
| 434 | 64K. This is sufficient to handle all but the most gigantic patterns. | 64K. This is sufficient to handle all but the most gigantic patterns. |
| 435 | Nevertheless, some people do want to process enormous patterns, so it | Nevertheless, some people do want to process truyl enormous patterns, |
| 436 | is possible to compile PCRE to use three-byte or four-byte offsets by | so it is possible to compile PCRE to use three-byte or four-byte off- |
| 437 | adding a setting such as | sets by adding a setting such as |
| 438 | ||
| 439 | --with-link-size=3 | --with-link-size=3 |
| 440 | ||
| # | Line 445 AVOIDING EXCESSIVE STACK USAGE | Line 461 AVOIDING EXCESSIVE STACK USAGE |
| 461 | to the configure command. With this configuration, PCRE will use the | to the configure command. With this configuration, PCRE will use the |
| 462 | pcre_stack_malloc and pcre_stack_free variables to call memory manage- | pcre_stack_malloc and pcre_stack_free variables to call memory manage- |
| 463 | ment functions. By default these point to malloc() and free(), but you | ment functions. By default these point to malloc() and free(), but you |
| 464 | can replace the pointers so that your own functions are used. | can replace the pointers so that your own functions are used instead. |
| 465 | ||
| 466 | Separate functions are provided rather than using pcre_malloc and | Separate functions are provided rather than using pcre_malloc and |
| 467 | pcre_free because the usage is very predictable: the block sizes | pcre_free because the usage is very predictable: the block sizes |
| # | Line 453 AVOIDING EXCESSIVE STACK USAGE | Line 469 AVOIDING EXCESSIVE STACK USAGE |
| 469 | reverse order. A calling program might be able to implement optimized | reverse order. A calling program might be able to implement optimized |
| 470 | functions that perform better than malloc() and free(). PCRE runs | functions that perform better than malloc() and free(). PCRE runs |
| 471 | noticeably more slowly when built in this way. This option affects only | noticeably more slowly when built in this way. This option affects only |
| 472 | the pcre_exec() function; it is not relevant for the the | the pcre_exec() function; it is not relevant for pcre_dfa_exec(). |
| pcre_dfa_exec() function. | ||
| 473 | ||
| 474 | ||
| 475 | LIMITING PCRE RESOURCE USAGE | LIMITING PCRE RESOURCE USAGE |
| 476 | ||
| 477 | Internally, PCRE has a function called match(), which it calls repeat- | Internally, PCRE has a function called match(), which it calls repeat- |
| 478 | edly (sometimes recursively) when matching a pattern with the | edly (sometimes recursively) when matching a pattern with the |
| 479 | pcre_exec() function. By controlling the maximum number of times this | pcre_exec() function. By controlling the maximum number of times this |
| 480 | function may be called during a single matching operation, a limit can | function may be called during a single matching operation, a limit can |
| 481 | 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 |
| 482 | 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- |
| 483 | 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 |
| 484 | setting such as | setting such as |
| 485 | ||
| 486 | --with-match-limit=500000 | --with-match-limit=500000 |
| 487 | ||
| 488 | to the configure command. This setting has no effect on the | to the configure command. This setting has no effect on the |
| 489 | pcre_dfa_exec() matching function. | pcre_dfa_exec() matching function. |
| 490 | ||
| 491 | In some environments it is desirable to limit the depth of recursive | In some environments it is desirable to limit the depth of recursive |
| 492 | 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 |
| 493 | to restrict the maximum amount of stack (or heap, if --disable-stack- | to restrict the maximum amount of stack (or heap, if --disable-stack- |
| 494 | for-recursion is specified) that is used. A second limit controls this; | for-recursion is specified) that is used. A second limit controls this; |
| 495 | 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 |
| 496 | imposes no additional constraints. However, you can set a lower limit | imposes no additional constraints. However, you can set a lower limit |
| 497 | by adding, for example, | by adding, for example, |
| 498 | ||
| 499 | --with-match-limit-recursion=10000 | --with-match-limit-recursion=10000 |
| 500 | ||
| 501 | to the configure command. This value can also be overridden at run | to the configure command. This value can also be overridden at run |
| 502 | time. | time. |
| 503 | ||
| 504 | ||
| 505 | CREATING CHARACTER TABLES AT BUILD TIME | CREATING CHARACTER TABLES AT BUILD TIME |
| 506 | ||
| 507 | PCRE uses fixed tables for processing characters whose code values are | PCRE uses fixed tables for processing characters whose code values are |
| 508 | 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 |
| 509 | distributed in the file pcre_chartables.c.dist. These tables are for | distributed in the file pcre_chartables.c.dist. These tables are for |
| 510 | ASCII codes only. If you add | ASCII codes only. If you add |
| 511 | ||
| 512 | --enable-rebuild-chartables | --enable-rebuild-chartables |
| 513 | ||
| 514 | to the configure command, the distributed tables are no longer used. | to the configure command, the distributed tables are no longer used. |
| 515 | Instead, a program called dftables is compiled and run. This outputs | Instead, a program called dftables is compiled and run. This outputs |
| 516 | 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 |
| 517 | 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 |
| 518 | 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 |
| 519 | you need to create alternative tables when cross compiling, you will | you need to create alternative tables when cross compiling, you will |
| 520 | have to do so "by hand".) | have to do so "by hand".) |
| 521 | ||
| 522 | ||
| 523 | USING EBCDIC CODE | USING EBCDIC CODE |
| 524 | ||
| 525 | 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 |
| 526 | character code is ASCII (or Unicode, which is a superset of ASCII). | character code is ASCII (or Unicode, which is a superset of ASCII). |
| 527 | This is the case for most computer operating systems. PCRE can, how- | This is the case for most computer operating systems. PCRE can, how- |
| 528 | ever, be compiled to run in an EBCDIC environment by adding | ever, be compiled to run in an EBCDIC environment by adding |
| 529 | ||
| 530 | --enable-ebcdic | --enable-ebcdic |
| 531 | ||
| 532 | to the configure command. This setting implies --enable-rebuild-charta- | to the configure command. This setting implies --enable-rebuild-charta- |
| 533 | bles. You should only use it if you know that you are in an EBCDIC | bles. You should only use it if you know that you are in an EBCDIC |
| 534 | environment (for example, an IBM mainframe operating system). | environment (for example, an IBM mainframe operating system). The |
| 535 | --enable-ebcdic option is incompatible with --enable-utf8. | |
| 536 | ||
| 537 | ||
| 538 | PCREGREP OPTIONS FOR COMPRESSED FILE SUPPORT | PCREGREP OPTIONS FOR COMPRESSED FILE SUPPORT |
| # | Line 542 PCRETEST OPTION FOR LIBREADLINE SUPPORT | Line 558 PCRETEST OPTION FOR LIBREADLINE SUPPORT |
| 558 | to the configure command, pcretest is linked with the libreadline | to the configure command, pcretest is linked with the libreadline |
| 559 | library, and when its input is from a terminal, it reads it using the | library, and when its input is from a terminal, it reads it using the |
| 560 | readline() function. This provides line-editing and history facilities. | readline() function. This provides line-editing and history facilities. |
| 561 | Note that libreadline is GPL-licenced, so if you distribute a binary of | Note that libreadline is GPL-licensed, so if you distribute a binary of |
| 562 | pcretest linked in this way, there may be licensing issues. | pcretest linked in this way, there may be licensing issues. |
| 563 | ||
| 564 | Setting this option causes the -lreadline option to be added to the | Setting this option causes the -lreadline option to be added to the |
| # | Line 578 AUTHOR | Line 594 AUTHOR |
| 594 | ||
| 595 | REVISION | REVISION |
| 596 | ||
| 597 | Last updated: 13 April 2008 | Last updated: 29 September 2009 |
| 598 | Copyright (c) 1997-2008 University of Cambridge. | Copyright (c) 1997-2009 University of Cambridge. |
| 599 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 600 | ||
| 601 | ||
| # | Line 666 THE ALTERNATIVE MATCHING ALGORITHM | Line 682 THE ALTERNATIVE MATCHING ALGORITHM |
| 682 | though it is not implemented as a traditional finite state machine (it | though it is not implemented as a traditional finite state machine (it |
| 683 | keeps multiple states active simultaneously). | keeps multiple states active simultaneously). |
| 684 | ||
| 685 | Although the general principle of this matching algorithm is that it | |
| 686 | scans the subject string only once, without backtracking, there is one | |
| 687 | exception: when a lookaround assertion is encountered, the characters | |
| 688 | following or preceding the current point have to be independently | |
| 689 | inspected. | |
| 690 | ||
| 691 | The scan continues until either the end of the subject is reached, or | The scan continues until either the end of the subject is reached, or |
| 692 | there are no more unterminated paths. At this point, terminated paths | there are no more unterminated paths. At this point, terminated paths |
| 693 | represent the different matching possibilities (if there are none, the | represent the different matching possibilities (if there are none, the |
| 694 | match has failed). Thus, if there is more than one possible match, | match has failed). Thus, if there is more than one possible match, |
| 695 | this algorithm finds all of them, and in particular, it finds the long- | this algorithm finds all of them, and in particular, it finds the long- |
| 696 | est. In PCRE, there is an option to stop the algorithm after the first | est. There is an option to stop the algorithm after the first match |
| 697 | match (which is necessarily the shortest) has been found. | (which is necessarily the shortest) is found. |
| 698 | ||
| 699 | Note that all the matches that are found start at the same point in the | Note that all the matches that are found start at the same point in the |
| 700 | subject. If the pattern | subject. If the pattern |
| # | Line 742 ADVANTAGES OF THE ALTERNATIVE ALGORITHM | Line 764 ADVANTAGES OF THE ALTERNATIVE ALGORITHM |
| 764 | 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 |
| 765 | things with callouts. | things with callouts. |
| 766 | ||
| 767 | 2. There is much better support for partial matching. The restrictions | 2. Because the alternative algorithm scans the subject string just |
| on the content of the pattern that apply when using the standard algo- | ||
| rithm for partial matching do not apply to the alternative algorithm. | ||
| For non-anchored patterns, the starting position of a partial match is | ||
| available. | ||
| 3. Because the alternative algorithm scans the subject string just | ||
| 768 | 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 |
| 769 | subject strings to the matching function in several pieces, checking | subject strings to the matching function in several pieces, checking |
| 770 | for partial matching each time. | for partial matching each time. The pcrepartial documentation gives |
| 771 | details of partial matching. | |
| 772 | ||
| 773 | ||
| 774 | DISADVANTAGES OF THE ALTERNATIVE ALGORITHM | DISADVANTAGES OF THE ALTERNATIVE ALGORITHM |
| 775 | ||
| 776 | The alternative algorithm suffers from a number of disadvantages: | The alternative algorithm suffers from a number of disadvantages: |
| 777 | ||
| 778 | 1. It is substantially slower than the standard algorithm. This is | 1. It is substantially slower than the standard algorithm. This is |
| 779 | 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 |
| 780 | because it is less susceptible to optimization. | because it is less susceptible to optimization. |
| 781 | ||
| 782 | 2. Capturing parentheses and back references are not supported. | 2. Capturing parentheses and back references are not supported. |
| # | Line 777 AUTHOR | Line 794 AUTHOR |
| 794 | ||
| 795 | REVISION | REVISION |
| 796 | ||
| 797 | Last updated: 19 April 2008 | Last updated: 29 September 2009 |
| 798 | Copyright (c) 1997-2008 University of Cambridge. | Copyright (c) 1997-2009 University of Cambridge. |
| 799 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 800 | ||
| 801 | ||
| # | Line 889 PCRE API OVERVIEW | Line 906 PCRE API OVERVIEW |
| 906 | pcre_exec() are used for compiling and matching regular expressions in | pcre_exec() are used for compiling and matching regular expressions in |
| 907 | a Perl-compatible manner. A sample program that demonstrates the sim- | a Perl-compatible manner. A sample program that demonstrates the sim- |
| 908 | plest way of using them is provided in the file called pcredemo.c in | plest way of using them is provided in the file called pcredemo.c in |
| 909 | the source distribution. The pcresample documentation describes how to | the PCRE source distribution. A listing of this program is given in the |
| 910 | compile and run it. | pcredemo documentation, and the pcresample documentation describes how |
| 911 | to compile and run it. | |
| 912 | ||
| 913 | A second matching function, pcre_dfa_exec(), which is not Perl-compati- | A second matching function, pcre_dfa_exec(), which is not Perl-compati- |
| 914 | ble, is also provided. This uses a different algorithm for the match- | ble, is also provided. This uses a different algorithm for the match- |
| 915 | ing. The alternative algorithm finds all possible matches (at a given | ing. The alternative algorithm finds all possible matches (at a given |
| 916 | point in the subject), and scans the subject just once. However, this | point in the subject), and scans the subject just once (unless there |
| 917 | algorithm does not return captured substrings. A description of the two | are lookbehind assertions). However, this algorithm does not return |
| 918 | matching algorithms and their advantages and disadvantages is given in | captured substrings. A description of the two matching algorithms and |
| 919 | the pcrematching documentation. | their advantages and disadvantages is given in the pcrematching docu- |
| 920 | mentation. | |
| 921 | ||
| 922 | In addition to the main compiling and matching functions, there are | In addition to the main compiling and matching functions, there are |
| 923 | convenience functions for extracting captured substrings from a subject | convenience functions for extracting captured substrings from a subject |
| # | Line 999 MULTITHREADING | Line 1018 MULTITHREADING |
| 1018 | 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 |
| 1019 | callout function pointed to by pcre_callout, are shared by all threads. | callout function pointed to by pcre_callout, are shared by all threads. |
| 1020 | ||
| 1021 | The compiled form of a regular expression is not altered during match- | The compiled form of a regular expression is not altered during match- |
| 1022 | 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 |
| 1023 | at once. | at once. |
| 1024 | ||
| # | Line 1007 MULTITHREADING | Line 1026 MULTITHREADING |
| 1026 | SAVING PRECOMPILED PATTERNS FOR LATER USE | SAVING PRECOMPILED PATTERNS FOR LATER USE |
| 1027 | ||
| 1028 | 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 |
| 1029 | 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 |
| 1030 | 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 |
| 1031 | pcreprecompile documentation. However, compiling a regular expression | pcreprecompile documentation. However, compiling a regular expression |
| 1032 | 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- |
| 1033 | anteed to work and may cause crashes. | anteed to work and may cause crashes. |
| 1034 | ||
| 1035 | ||
| # | Line 1018 CHECKING BUILD-TIME OPTIONS | Line 1037 CHECKING BUILD-TIME OPTIONS |
| 1037 | ||
| 1038 | int pcre_config(int what, void *where); | int pcre_config(int what, void *where); |
| 1039 | ||
| 1040 | 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- |
| 1041 | cover which optional features have been compiled into the PCRE library. | cover which optional features have been compiled into the PCRE library. |
| 1042 | The pcrebuild documentation has more details about these optional fea- | The pcrebuild documentation has more details about these optional fea- |
| 1043 | tures. | tures. |
| 1044 | ||
| 1045 | The first argument for pcre_config() is an integer, specifying which | The first argument for pcre_config() is an integer, specifying which |
| 1046 | information is required; the second argument is a pointer to a variable | information is required; the second argument is a pointer to a variable |
| 1047 | into which the information is placed. The following information is | into which the information is placed. The following information is |
| 1048 | available: | available: |
| 1049 | ||
| 1050 | PCRE_CONFIG_UTF8 | PCRE_CONFIG_UTF8 |
| 1051 | ||
| 1052 | 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- |
| 1053 | able; otherwise it is set to zero. | able; otherwise it is set to zero. |
| 1054 | ||
| 1055 | PCRE_CONFIG_UNICODE_PROPERTIES | PCRE_CONFIG_UNICODE_PROPERTIES |
| 1056 | ||
| 1057 | 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 |
| 1058 | character properties is available; otherwise it is set to zero. | character properties is available; otherwise it is set to zero. |
| 1059 | ||
| 1060 | PCRE_CONFIG_NEWLINE | PCRE_CONFIG_NEWLINE |
| 1061 | ||
| 1062 | The output is an integer whose value specifies the default character | The output is an integer whose value specifies the default character |
| 1063 | sequence that is recognized as meaning "newline". The four values that | sequence that is recognized as meaning "newline". The four values that |
| 1064 | 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, |
| 1065 | and -1 for ANY. The default should normally be the standard sequence | and -1 for ANY. Though they are derived from ASCII, the same values |
| 1066 | for your operating system. | are returned in EBCDIC environments. The default should normally corre- |
| 1067 | spond to the standard sequence for your operating system. | |
| 1068 | ||
| 1069 | PCRE_CONFIG_BSR | PCRE_CONFIG_BSR |
| 1070 | ||
| # | Line 1071 CHECKING BUILD-TIME OPTIONS | Line 1091 CHECKING BUILD-TIME OPTIONS |
| 1091 | ||
| 1092 | PCRE_CONFIG_MATCH_LIMIT | PCRE_CONFIG_MATCH_LIMIT |
| 1093 | ||
| 1094 | The output is an integer that gives the default limit for the number of | The output is a long integer that gives the default limit for the num- |
| 1095 | internal matching function calls in a pcre_exec() execution. Further | ber of internal matching function calls in a pcre_exec() execution. |
| 1096 | details are given with pcre_exec() below. | Further details are given with pcre_exec() below. |
| 1097 | ||
| 1098 | PCRE_CONFIG_MATCH_LIMIT_RECURSION | PCRE_CONFIG_MATCH_LIMIT_RECURSION |
| 1099 | ||
| 1100 | The output is an integer that gives the default limit for the depth of | The output is a long integer that gives the default limit for the depth |
| 1101 | recursion when calling the internal matching function in a pcre_exec() | of recursion when calling the internal matching function in a |
| 1102 | execution. Further details are given with pcre_exec() below. | pcre_exec() execution. Further details are given with pcre_exec() |
| 1103 | below. | |
| 1104 | ||
| 1105 | PCRE_CONFIG_STACKRECURSE | PCRE_CONFIG_STACKRECURSE |
| 1106 | ||
| 1107 | 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 |
| 1108 | running pcre_exec() is implemented by recursive function calls that use | running pcre_exec() is implemented by recursive function calls that use |
| 1109 | 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 |
| 1110 | 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 |
| 1111 | on the heap instead of recursive function calls. In this case, | on the heap instead of recursive function calls. In this case, |
| 1112 | pcre_stack_malloc and pcre_stack_free are called to manage memory | pcre_stack_malloc and pcre_stack_free are called to manage memory |
| 1113 | blocks on the heap, thus avoiding the use of the stack. | blocks on the heap, thus avoiding the use of the stack. |
| 1114 | ||
| 1115 | ||
| # | Line 1105 COMPILING A PATTERN | Line 1126 COMPILING A PATTERN |
| 1126 | ||
| 1127 | Either of the functions pcre_compile() or pcre_compile2() can be called | Either of the functions pcre_compile() or pcre_compile2() can be called |
| 1128 | to compile a pattern into an internal form. The only difference between | to compile a pattern into an internal form. The only difference between |
| 1129 | the two interfaces is that pcre_compile2() has an additional argument, | the two interfaces is that pcre_compile2() has an additional argument, |
| 1130 | errorcodeptr, via which a numerical error code can be returned. | errorcodeptr, via which a numerical error code can be returned. To |
| 1131 | avoid too much repetition, we refer just to pcre_compile() below, but | |
| 1132 | the information applies equally to pcre_compile2(). | |
| 1133 | ||
| 1134 | 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 |
| 1135 | 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 |
| 1136 | obtained via pcre_malloc is returned. This contains the compiled code | obtained via pcre_malloc is returned. This contains the compiled code |
| 1137 | 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 |
| 1138 | is a typedef for a structure whose contents are not externally defined. | is a typedef for a structure whose contents are not externally defined. |
| 1139 | 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 |
| 1140 | longer required. | longer required. |
| 1141 | ||
| 1142 | 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 |
| 1143 | 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 |
| 1144 | fully relocatable, because it may contain a copy of the tableptr argu- | fully relocatable, because it may contain a copy of the tableptr argu- |
| 1145 | ment, which is an address (see below). | ment, which is an address (see below). |
| 1146 | ||
| 1147 | The options argument contains various bit settings that affect the com- | The options argument contains various bit settings that affect the com- |
| 1148 | pilation. It should be zero if no options are required. The available | pilation. It should be zero if no options are required. The available |
| 1149 | options are described below. Some of them, in particular, those that | options are described below. Some of them (in particular, those that |
| 1150 | are compatible with Perl, can also be set and unset from within the | are compatible with Perl, but some others as well) can also be set and |
| 1151 | pattern (see the detailed description in the pcrepattern documenta- | unset from within the pattern (see the detailed description in the |
| 1152 | tion). For these options, the contents of the options argument speci- | pcrepattern documentation). For those options that can be different in |
| 1153 | fies their initial settings at the start of compilation and execution. | different parts of the pattern, the contents of the options argument |
| 1154 | The PCRE_ANCHORED and PCRE_NEWLINE_xxx options can be set at the time | specifies their settings at the start of compilation and execution. The |
| 1155 | of matching as well as at compile time. | PCRE_ANCHORED, PCRE_BSR_xxx, and PCRE_NEWLINE_xxx options can be set at |
| 1156 | the time of matching as well as at compile time. | |
| 1157 | ||
| 1158 | If errptr is NULL, pcre_compile() returns NULL immediately. Otherwise, | If errptr is NULL, pcre_compile() returns NULL immediately. Otherwise, |
| 1159 | if compilation of a pattern fails, pcre_compile() returns NULL, and | if compilation of a pattern fails, pcre_compile() returns NULL, and |
| 1160 | 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- |
| 1161 | 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 |
| 1162 | try to free it. The offset from the start of the pattern to the charac- | try to free it. The byte offset from the start of the pattern to the |
| 1163 | ter where the error was discovered is placed in the variable pointed to | character that was being processed when the error was discovered is |
| 1164 | by erroffset, which must not be NULL. If it is, an immediate error is | placed in the variable pointed to by erroffset, which must not be NULL. |
| 1165 | given. | If it is, an immediate error is given. Some errors are not detected |
| 1166 | until checks are carried out when the whole pattern has been scanned; | |
| 1167 | in this case the offset is set to the end of the pattern. | |
| 1168 | ||
| 1169 | If pcre_compile2() is used instead of pcre_compile(), and the error- | If pcre_compile2() is used instead of pcre_compile(), and the error- |
| 1170 | 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 |
| # | Line 1335 COMPILING A PATTERN | Line 1361 COMPILING A PATTERN |
| 1361 | and are therefore ignored. | and are therefore ignored. |
| 1362 | ||
| 1363 | 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 |
| 1364 | 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. |
| 1365 | ||
| 1366 | PCRE_NO_AUTO_CAPTURE | PCRE_NO_AUTO_CAPTURE |
| 1367 | ||
| 1368 | 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- |
| 1369 | theses in the pattern. Any opening parenthesis that is not followed by | theses in the pattern. Any opening parenthesis that is not followed by |
| 1370 | ? behaves as if it were followed by ?: but named parentheses can still | ? behaves as if it were followed by ?: but named parentheses can still |
| 1371 | be used for capturing (and they acquire numbers in the usual way). | be used for capturing (and they acquire numbers in the usual way). |
| 1372 | There is no equivalent of this option in Perl. | There is no equivalent of this option in Perl. |
| 1373 | ||
| 1374 | PCRE_UNGREEDY | PCRE_UNGREEDY |
| 1375 | ||
| 1376 | This option inverts the "greediness" of the quantifiers so that they | This option inverts the "greediness" of the quantifiers so that they |
| 1377 | 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 |
| 1378 | 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 |
| 1379 | within the pattern. | within the pattern. |
| 1380 | ||
| 1381 | PCRE_UTF8 | PCRE_UTF8 |
| 1382 | ||
| 1383 | 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 |
| 1384 | strings of UTF-8 characters instead of single-byte character strings. | strings of UTF-8 characters instead of single-byte character strings. |
| 1385 | 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- |
| 1386 | 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 |
| 1387 | 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 |
| 1388 | UTF-8 support in the main pcre page. | UTF-8 support in the main pcre page. |
| 1389 | ||
| 1390 | PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK | PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK |
| 1391 | ||
| 1392 | 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 |
| 1393 | automatically checked. There is a discussion about the validity of | automatically checked. There is a discussion about the validity of |
| 1394 | UTF-8 strings in the main pcre page. If an invalid UTF-8 sequence of | UTF-8 strings in the main pcre page. If an invalid UTF-8 sequence of |
| 1395 | bytes is found, pcre_compile() returns an error. If you already know | bytes is found, pcre_compile() returns an error. If you already know |
| 1396 | that your pattern is valid, and you want to skip this check for perfor- | that your pattern is valid, and you want to skip this check for perfor- |
| 1397 | mance reasons, you can set the PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK option. When it is | mance reasons, you can set the PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK option. When it is |
| 1398 | set, the effect of passing an invalid UTF-8 string as a pattern is | set, the effect of passing an invalid UTF-8 string as a pattern is |
| 1399 | undefined. It may cause your program to crash. Note that this option | undefined. It may cause your program to crash. Note that this option |
| 1400 | can also be passed to pcre_exec() and pcre_dfa_exec(), to suppress the | can also be passed to pcre_exec() and pcre_dfa_exec(), to suppress the |
| 1401 | UTF-8 validity checking of subject strings. | UTF-8 validity checking of subject strings. |
| 1402 | ||
| 1403 | ||
| 1404 | COMPILATION ERROR CODES | COMPILATION ERROR CODES |
| 1405 | ||
| 1406 | The following table lists the error codes than may be returned by | The following table lists the error codes than may be returned by |
| 1407 | pcre_compile2(), along with the error messages that may be returned by | pcre_compile2(), along with the error messages that may be returned by |
| 1408 | both compiling functions. As PCRE has developed, some error codes have | both compiling functions. As PCRE has developed, some error codes have |
| 1409 | fallen out of use. To avoid confusion, they have not been re-used. | fallen out of use. To avoid confusion, they have not been re-used. |
| 1410 | ||
| 1411 | 0 no error | 0 no error |
| # | Line 1435 COMPILATION ERROR CODES | Line 1461 COMPILATION ERROR CODES |
| 1461 | 50 [this code is not in use] | 50 [this code is not in use] |
| 1462 | 51 octal value is greater than \377 (not in UTF-8 mode) | 51 octal value is greater than \377 (not in UTF-8 mode) |
| 1463 | 52 internal error: overran compiling workspace | 52 internal error: overran compiling workspace |
| 1464 | 53 internal error: previously-checked referenced subpattern not | 53 internal error: previously-checked referenced subpattern not |
| 1465 | found | found |
| 1466 | 54 DEFINE group contains more than one branch | 54 DEFINE group contains more than one branch |
| 1467 | 55 repeating a DEFINE group is not allowed | 55 repeating a DEFINE group is not allowed |
| # | Line 1450 COMPILATION ERROR CODES | Line 1476 COMPILATION ERROR CODES |
| 1476 | 63 digit expected after (?+ | 63 digit expected after (?+ |
| 1477 | 64 ] is an invalid data character in JavaScript compatibility mode | 64 ] is an invalid data character in JavaScript compatibility mode |
| 1478 | ||
| 1479 | The numbers 32 and 10000 in errors 48 and 49 are defaults; different | The numbers 32 and 10000 in errors 48 and 49 are defaults; different |
| 1480 | values may be used if the limits were changed when PCRE was built. | values may be used if the limits were changed when PCRE was built. |
| 1481 | ||
| 1482 | ||
| # | Line 1459 STUDYING A PATTERN | Line 1485 STUDYING A PATTERN |
| 1485 | pcre_extra *pcre_study(const pcre *code, int options | pcre_extra *pcre_study(const pcre *code, int options |
| 1486 | const char **errptr); | const char **errptr); |
| 1487 | ||
| 1488 | If a compiled pattern is going to be used several times, it is worth | If a compiled pattern is going to be used several times, it is worth |
| 1489 | spending more time analyzing it in order to speed up the time taken for | spending more time analyzing it in order to speed up the time taken for |
| 1490 | matching. The function pcre_study() takes a pointer to a compiled pat- | matching. The function pcre_study() takes a pointer to a compiled pat- |
| 1491 | tern as its first argument. If studying the pattern produces additional | tern as its first argument. If studying the pattern produces additional |
| 1492 | information that will help speed up matching, pcre_study() returns a | information that will help speed up matching, pcre_study() returns a |
| 1493 | pointer to a pcre_extra block, in which the study_data field points to | pointer to a pcre_extra block, in which the study_data field points to |
| 1494 | the results of the study. | the results of the study. |
| 1495 | ||
| 1496 | The returned value from pcre_study() can be passed directly to | The returned value from pcre_study() can be passed directly to |
| 1497 | pcre_exec(). However, a pcre_extra block also contains other fields | pcre_exec() or pcre_dfa_exec(). However, a pcre_extra block also con- |
| 1498 | that can be set by the caller before the block is passed; these are | tains other fields that can be set by the caller before the block is |
| 1499 | described below in the section on matching a pattern. | passed; these are described below in the section on matching a pattern. |
| 1500 | ||
| 1501 | If studying the pattern does not produce any additional information | If studying the pattern does not produce any useful information, |
| 1502 | pcre_study() returns NULL. In that circumstance, if the calling program | pcre_study() returns NULL. In that circumstance, if the calling program |
| 1503 | wants to pass any of the other fields to pcre_exec(), it must set up | wants to pass any of the other fields to pcre_exec() or |
| 1504 | its own pcre_extra block. | pcre_dfa_exec(), it must set up its own pcre_extra block. |
| 1505 | ||
| 1506 | The second argument of pcre_study() contains option bits. At present, | The second argument of pcre_study() contains option bits. At present, |
| 1507 | no options are defined, and this argument should always be zero. | no options are defined, and this argument should always be zero. |
| 1508 | ||
| 1509 | The third argument for pcre_study() is a pointer for an error message. | The third argument for pcre_study() is a pointer for an error message. |
| 1510 | If studying succeeds (even if no data is returned), the variable it | If studying succeeds (even if no data is returned), the variable it |
| 1511 | points to is set to NULL. Otherwise it is set to point to a textual | points to is set to NULL. Otherwise it is set to point to a textual |
| 1512 | error message. This is a static string that is part of the library. You | error message. This is a static string that is part of the library. You |
| 1513 | must not try to free it. You should test the error pointer for NULL | must not try to free it. You should test the error pointer for NULL |
| 1514 | after calling pcre_study(), to be sure that it has run successfully. | after calling pcre_study(), to be sure that it has run successfully. |
| 1515 | ||
| 1516 | This is a typical call to pcre_study(): | This is a typical call to pcre_study(): |
| # | Line 1495 STUDYING A PATTERN | Line 1521 STUDYING A PATTERN |
| 1521 | 0, /* no options exist */ | 0, /* no options exist */ |
| 1522 | &error); /* set to NULL or points to a message */ | &error); /* set to NULL or points to a message */ |
| 1523 | ||
| 1524 | At present, studying a pattern is useful only for non-anchored patterns | Studying a pattern does two things: first, a lower bound for the length |
| 1525 | that do not have a single fixed starting character. A bitmap of possi- | of subject string that is needed to match the pattern is computed. This |
| 1526 | ble starting bytes is created. | does not mean that there are any strings of that length that match, but |
| 1527 | it does guarantee that no shorter strings match. The value is used by | |
| 1528 | pcre_exec() and pcre_dfa_exec() to avoid wasting time by trying to | |
| 1529 | match strings that are shorter than the lower bound. You can find out | |
| 1530 | the value in a calling program via the pcre_fullinfo() function. | |
| 1531 | ||
| 1532 | Studying a pattern is also useful for non-anchored patterns that do not | |
| 1533 | have a single fixed starting character. A bitmap of possible starting | |
| 1534 | bytes is created. This speeds up finding a position in the subject at | |
| 1535 | which to start matching. | |
| 1536 | ||
| 1537 | ||
| 1538 | LOCALE SUPPORT | LOCALE SUPPORT |
| # | Line 1663 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN | Line 1698 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN |
| 1698 | 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 |
| 1699 | /^a\dz\d/ the returned value is -1. | /^a\dz\d/ the returned value is -1. |
| 1700 | ||
| 1701 | PCRE_INFO_MINLENGTH | |
| 1702 | ||
| 1703 | If the pattern was studied and a minimum length for matching subject | |
| 1704 | strings was computed, its value is returned. Otherwise the returned | |
| 1705 | value is -1. The value is a number of characters, not bytes (this may | |
| 1706 | be relevant in UTF-8 mode). The fourth argument should point to an int | |
| 1707 | variable. A non-negative value is a lower bound to the length of any | |
| 1708 | matching string. There may not be any strings of that length that do | |
| 1709 | actually match, but every string that does match is at least that long. | |
| 1710 | ||
| 1711 | PCRE_INFO_NAMECOUNT | PCRE_INFO_NAMECOUNT |
| 1712 | PCRE_INFO_NAMEENTRYSIZE | PCRE_INFO_NAMEENTRYSIZE |
| 1713 | PCRE_INFO_NAMETABLE | PCRE_INFO_NAMETABLE |
| # | Line 1684 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN | Line 1729 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN |
| 1729 | 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 |
| 1730 | 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- |
| 1731 | 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- |
| 1732 | sponding name, zero terminated. The names are in alphabetical order. | sponding name, zero terminated. |
| 1733 | When PCRE_DUPNAMES is set, duplicate names are in order of their paren- | |
| 1734 | theses numbers. For example, consider the following pattern (assume | The names are in alphabetical order. Duplicate names may appear if (?| |
| 1735 | PCRE_EXTENDED is set, so white space - including newlines - is | is used to create multiple groups with the same number, as described in |
| 1736 | ignored): | the section on duplicate subpattern numbers in the pcrepattern page. |
| 1737 | Duplicate names for subpatterns with different numbers are permitted | |
| 1738 | only if PCRE_DUPNAMES is set. In all cases of duplicate names, they | |
| 1739 | appear in the table in the order in which they were found in the pat- | |
| 1740 | tern. In the absence of (?| this is the order of increasing number; | |
| 1741 | when (?| is used this is not necessarily the case because later subpat- | |
| 1742 | terns may have lower numbers. | |
| 1743 | ||
| 1744 | As a simple example of the name/number table, consider the following | |
| 1745 | pattern (assume PCRE_EXTENDED is set, so white space - including new- | |
| 1746 | lines - is ignored): | |
| 1747 | ||
| 1748 | (?<date> (?<year>(\d\d)?\d\d) - | (?<date> (?<year>(\d\d)?\d\d) - |
| 1749 | (?<month>\d\d) - (?<day>\d\d) ) | (?<month>\d\d) - (?<day>\d\d) ) |
| # | Line 1709 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN | Line 1764 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN |
| 1764 | ||
| 1765 | PCRE_INFO_OKPARTIAL | PCRE_INFO_OKPARTIAL |
| 1766 | ||
| 1767 | Return 1 if the pattern can be used for partial matching, otherwise 0. | Return 1 if the pattern can be used for partial matching with |
| 1768 | The fourth argument should point to an int variable. The pcrepartial | pcre_exec(), otherwise 0. The fourth argument should point to an int |
| 1769 | documentation lists the restrictions that apply to patterns when par- | variable. From release 8.00, this always returns 1, because the |
| 1770 | tial matching is used. | restrictions that previously applied to partial matching have been |
| 1771 | lifted. The pcrepartial documentation gives details of partial match- | |
| 1772 | ing. | |
| 1773 | ||
| 1774 | PCRE_INFO_OPTIONS | PCRE_INFO_OPTIONS |
| 1775 | ||
| # | Line 1749 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN | Line 1806 INFORMATION ABOUT A PATTERN |
| 1806 | 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 |
| 1807 | 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 |
| 1808 | 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 |
| 1809 | created by pcre_study(). The fourth argument should point to a size_t | created by pcre_study(). If pcre_extra is NULL, or there is no study |
| 1810 | data, zero is returned. The fourth argument should point to a size_t | |
| 1811 | variable. | variable. |
| 1812 | ||
| 1813 | ||
| # | Line 1757 OBSOLETE INFO FUNCTION | Line 1815 OBSOLETE INFO FUNCTION |
| 1815 | ||
| 1816 | int pcre_info(const pcre *code, int *optptr, int *firstcharptr); | int pcre_info(const pcre *code, int *optptr, int *firstcharptr); |
| 1817 | ||
| 1818 | The pcre_info() function is now obsolete because its interface is too | The pcre_info() function is now obsolete because its interface is too |
| 1819 | restrictive to return all the available data about a compiled pattern. | restrictive to return all the available data about a compiled pattern. |
| 1820 | New programs should use pcre_fullinfo() instead. The yield of | New programs should use pcre_fullinfo() instead. The yield of |
| 1821 | 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- |
| 1822 | lowing negative numbers: | lowing negative numbers: |
| 1823 | ||
| 1824 | PCRE_ERROR_NULL the argument code was NULL | PCRE_ERROR_NULL the argument code was NULL |
| 1825 | PCRE_ERROR_BADMAGIC the "magic number" was not found | PCRE_ERROR_BADMAGIC the "magic number" was not found |
| 1826 | ||
| 1827 | 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 |
| 1828 | 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 |
| 1829 | PCRE_INFO_OPTIONS above). | PCRE_INFO_OPTIONS above). |
| 1830 | ||
| 1831 | If the pattern is not anchored and the firstcharptr argument is not | If the pattern is not anchored and the firstcharptr argument is not |
| 1832 | 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 |
| 1833 | any matched string (see PCRE_INFO_FIRSTBYTE above). | any matched string (see PCRE_INFO_FIRSTBYTE above). |
| 1834 | ||
| 1835 | ||
| # | Line 1779 REFERENCE COUNTS | Line 1837 REFERENCE COUNTS |
| 1837 | ||
| 1838 | int pcre_refcount(pcre *code, int adjust); | int pcre_refcount(pcre *code, int adjust); |
| 1839 | ||
| 1840 | The pcre_refcount() function is used to maintain a reference count in | The pcre_refcount() function is used to maintain a reference count in |
| 1841 | 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 |
| 1842 | benefit of applications that operate in an object-oriented manner, | benefit of applications that operate in an object-oriented manner, |
| 1843 | where different parts of the application may be using the same compiled | where different parts of the application may be using the same compiled |
| 1844 | 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. |
| 1845 | ||
| 1846 | When a pattern is compiled, the reference count field is initialized to | When a pattern is compiled, the reference count field is initialized to |
| 1847 | 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 |
| 1848 | 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 |
| 1849 | 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 |
| 1850 | 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 |
| 1851 | is outside these limits, it is forced to the appropriate limit value. | is outside these limits, it is forced to the appropriate limit value. |
| 1852 | ||
| 1853 | Except when it is zero, the reference count is not correctly preserved | Except when it is zero, the reference count is not correctly preserved |
| 1854 | 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 |
| 1855 | whose byte-order is different. (This seems a highly unlikely scenario.) | whose byte-order is different. (This seems a highly unlikely scenario.) |
| 1856 | ||
| 1857 | ||
| # | Line 1805 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 1863 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 1863 | ||
| 1864 | 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 |
| 1865 | compiled pattern, which is passed in the code argument. If the pattern | compiled pattern, which is passed in the code argument. If the pattern |
| 1866 | has been studied, the result of the study should be passed in the extra | was studied, the result of the study should be passed in the extra |
| 1867 | argument. This function is the main matching facility of the library, | argument. This function is the main matching facility of the library, |
| 1868 | 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 |
| 1869 | an alternative matching function, which is described below in the sec- | an alternative matching function, which is described below in the sec- |
| # | Line 1864 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 1922 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 1922 | 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 |
| 1923 | 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 |
| 1924 | match, but which have a very large number of possibilities in their | match, but which have a very large number of possibilities in their |
| 1925 | search trees. The classic example is the use of nested unlimited | search trees. The classic example is a pattern that uses nested unlim- |
| 1926 | repeats. | ited repeats. |
| 1927 | ||
| 1928 | Internally, PCRE uses a function called match() which it calls repeat- | Internally, PCRE uses a function called match() which it calls repeat- |
| 1929 | edly (sometimes recursively). The limit set by match_limit is imposed | edly (sometimes recursively). The limit set by match_limit is imposed |
| # | Line 1887 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 1945 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 1945 | 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- |
| 1946 | 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. |
| 1947 | ||
| 1948 | Limiting the recursion depth limits the amount of stack that can be | Limiting the recursion depth limits the amount of stack that can be |
| 1949 | 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 |
| 1950 | of the stack, the amount of heap memory that can be used. | of the stack, the amount of heap memory that can be used. |
| 1951 | ||
| 1952 | 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 |
| 1953 | built; the default default is the same value as the default for | built; the default default is the same value as the default for |
| 1954 | match_limit. You can override the default by suppling pcre_exec() with | match_limit. You can override the default by suppling pcre_exec() with |
| 1955 | a pcre_extra block in which match_limit_recursion is set, and | a pcre_extra block in which match_limit_recursion is set, and |
| 1956 | 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 |
| 1957 | limit is exceeded, pcre_exec() returns PCRE_ERROR_RECURSIONLIMIT. | limit is exceeded, pcre_exec() returns PCRE_ERROR_RECURSIONLIMIT. |
| 1958 | ||
| 1959 | The pcre_callout field is used in conjunction with the "callout" fea- | The callout_data field is used in conjunction with the "callout" fea- |
| 1960 | ture, which is described in the pcrecallout documentation. | ture, and is described in the pcrecallout documentation. |
| 1961 | ||
| 1962 | The tables field is used to pass a character tables pointer to | The tables field is used to pass a character tables pointer to |
| 1963 | pcre_exec(); this overrides the value that is stored with the compiled | pcre_exec(); this overrides the value that is stored with the compiled |
| 1964 | 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 |
| 1965 | custom tables were supplied to pcre_compile() via its tableptr argu- | custom tables were supplied to pcre_compile() via its tableptr argu- |
| 1966 | 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 |
| 1967 | 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- |
| 1968 | using patterns that have been saved after compiling with an external | using patterns that have been saved after compiling with an external |
| 1969 | set of tables, because the external tables might be at a different | set of tables, because the external tables might be at a different |
| 1970 | address when pcre_exec() is called. See the pcreprecompile documenta- | address when pcre_exec() is called. See the pcreprecompile documenta- |
| 1971 | tion for a discussion of saving compiled patterns for later use. | tion for a discussion of saving compiled patterns for later use. |
| 1972 | ||
| 1973 | Option bits for pcre_exec() | Option bits for pcre_exec() |
| 1974 | ||
| 1975 | 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. |
| 1976 | 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, |
| 1977 | PCRE_NOTBOL, PCRE_NOTEOL, PCRE_NOTEMPTY, PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK and | PCRE_NOTBOL, PCRE_NOTEOL, PCRE_NOTEMPTY, PCRE_NOTEMPTY_ATSTART, |
| 1978 | PCRE_PARTIAL. | PCRE_NO_START_OPTIMIZE, PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK, PCRE_PARTIAL_SOFT, and |
| 1979 | PCRE_PARTIAL_HARD. | |
| 1980 | ||
| 1981 | PCRE_ANCHORED | PCRE_ANCHORED |
| 1982 | ||
| # | Line 1997 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 2056 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 2056 | ||
| 2057 | a?b? | a?b? |
| 2058 | ||
| 2059 | is applied to a string not beginning with "a" or "b", it matches the | is applied to a string not beginning with "a" or "b", it matches an |
| 2060 | empty string at the start of the subject. With PCRE_NOTEMPTY set, this | empty string at the start of the subject. With PCRE_NOTEMPTY set, this |
| 2061 | match is not valid, so PCRE searches further into the string for occur- | match is not valid, so PCRE searches further into the string for occur- |
| 2062 | rences of "a" or "b". | rences of "a" or "b". |
| 2063 | ||
| 2064 | Perl has no direct equivalent of PCRE_NOTEMPTY, but it does make a spe- | PCRE_NOTEMPTY_ATSTART |
| 2065 | cial case of a pattern match of the empty string within its split() | |
| 2066 | function, and when using the /g modifier. It is possible to emulate | This is like PCRE_NOTEMPTY, except that an empty string match that is |
| 2067 | Perl's behaviour after matching a null string by first trying the match | not at the start of the subject is permitted. If the pattern is |
| 2068 | again at the same offset with PCRE_NOTEMPTY and PCRE_ANCHORED, and then | anchored, such a match can occur only if the pattern contains \K. |
| 2069 | if that fails by advancing the starting offset (see below) and trying | |
| 2070 | an ordinary match again. There is some code that demonstrates how to do | Perl has no direct equivalent of PCRE_NOTEMPTY or |
| 2071 | this in the pcredemo.c sample program. | PCRE_NOTEMPTY_ATSTART, but it does make a special case of a pattern |
| 2072 | match of the empty string within its split() function, and when using | |
| 2073 | the /g modifier. It is possible to emulate Perl's behaviour after | |
| 2074 | matching a null string by first trying the match again at the same off- | |
| 2075 | set with PCRE_NOTEMPTY_ATSTART and PCRE_ANCHORED, and then if that | |
| 2076 | fails, by advancing the starting offset (see below) and trying an ordi- | |
| 2077 | nary match again. There is some code that demonstrates how to do this | |
| 2078 | in the pcredemo sample program. | |
| 2079 | ||
| 2080 | PCRE_NO_START_OPTIMIZE | |
| 2081 | ||
| 2082 | There are a number of optimizations that pcre_exec() uses at the start | |
| 2083 | of a match, in order to speed up the process. For example, if it is | |
| 2084 | known that a match must start with a specific character, it searches | |
| 2085 | the subject for that character, and fails immediately if it cannot find | |
| 2086 | it, without actually running the main matching function. When callouts | |
| 2087 | are in use, these optimizations can cause them to be skipped. This | |
| 2088 | option disables the "start-up" optimizations, causing performance to | |
| 2089 | suffer, but ensuring that the callouts do occur. | |
| 2090 | ||
| 2091 | PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK | PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK |
| 2092 | ||
| # | Line 2033 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 2110 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 2110 | value of startoffset that does not point to the start of a UTF-8 char- | value of startoffset that does not point to the start of a UTF-8 char- |
| 2111 | acter, is undefined. Your program may crash. | acter, is undefined. Your program may crash. |
| 2112 | ||
| 2113 | PCRE_PARTIAL | PCRE_PARTIAL_HARD |
| 2114 | PCRE_PARTIAL_SOFT | |
| 2115 | ||
| 2116 | This option turns on the partial matching feature. If the subject | These options turn on the partial matching feature. For backwards com- |
| 2117 | string fails to match the pattern, but at some point during the match- | patibility, PCRE_PARTIAL is a synonym for PCRE_PARTIAL_SOFT. A partial |
| 2118 | ing process the end of the subject was reached (that is, the subject | match occurs if the end of the subject string is reached successfully, |
| 2119 | partially matches the pattern and the failure to match occurred only | but there are not enough subject characters to complete the match. If |
| 2120 | because there were not enough subject characters), pcre_exec() returns | this happens when PCRE_PARTIAL_HARD is set, pcre_exec() immediately |
| 2121 | PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL instead of PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH. When PCRE_PARTIAL is | returns PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL. Otherwise, if PCRE_PARTIAL_SOFT is set, |
| 2122 | used, there are restrictions on what may appear in the pattern. These | matching continues by testing any other alternatives. Only if they all |
| 2123 | are discussed in the pcrepartial documentation. | fail is PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL returned (instead of PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH). |
| 2124 | The portion of the string that was inspected when the partial match was | |
| 2125 | found is set as the first matching string. There is a more detailed | |
| 2126 | discussion in the pcrepartial documentation. | |
| 2127 | ||
| 2128 | The string to be matched by pcre_exec() | The string to be matched by pcre_exec() |
| 2129 | ||
| 2130 | 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 |
| 2131 | length in length, and a starting byte offset in startoffset. In UTF-8 | length (in bytes) in length, and a starting byte offset in startoffset. |
| 2132 | mode, the byte offset must point to the start of a UTF-8 character. | In UTF-8 mode, the byte offset must point to the start of a UTF-8 char- |
| 2133 | Unlike the pattern string, the subject may contain binary zero bytes. | acter. Unlike the pattern string, the subject may contain binary zero |
| 2134 | When the starting offset is zero, the search for a match starts at the | bytes. When the starting offset is zero, the search for a match starts |
| 2135 | beginning of the subject, and this is by far the most common case. | at the beginning of the subject, and this is by far the most common |
| 2136 | case. | |
| 2137 | ||
| 2138 | A non-zero starting offset is useful when searching for another match | A non-zero starting offset is useful when searching for another match |
| 2139 | 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- |
| # | Line 2087 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 2169 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 2169 | string. PCRE supports several other kinds of parenthesized subpattern | string. PCRE supports several other kinds of parenthesized subpattern |
| 2170 | that do not cause substrings to be captured. | that do not cause substrings to be captured. |
| 2171 | ||
| 2172 | Captured substrings are returned to the caller via a vector of integer | Captured substrings are returned to the caller via a vector of integers |
| 2173 | offsets whose address is passed in ovector. The number of elements in | whose address is passed in ovector. The number of elements in the vec- |
| 2174 | the vector is passed in ovecsize, which must be a non-negative number. | tor is passed in ovecsize, which must be a non-negative number. Note: |
| 2175 | Note: this argument is NOT the size of ovector in bytes. | this argument is NOT the size of ovector in bytes. |
| 2176 | ||
| 2177 | 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- |
| 2178 | strings, each substring using a pair of integers. The remaining third | strings, each substring using a pair of integers. The remaining third |
| 2179 | 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- |
| 2180 | turing subpatterns, and is not available for passing back information. | turing subpatterns, and is not available for passing back information. |
| 2181 | The length passed in ovecsize should always be a multiple of three. If | The number passed in ovecsize should always be a multiple of three. If |
| 2182 | it is not, it is rounded down. | it is not, it is rounded down. |
| 2183 | ||
| 2184 | When a match is successful, information about captured substrings is | When a match is successful, information about captured substrings is |
| 2185 | returned in pairs of integers, starting at the beginning of ovector, | returned in pairs of integers, starting at the beginning of ovector, |
| 2186 | 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 |
| 2187 | element of a pair is set to the offset of the first character in a sub- | element of each pair is set to the byte offset of the first character |
| 2188 | string, and the second is set to the offset of the first character | in a substring, and the second is set to the byte offset of the first |
| 2189 | after the end of a substring. The first pair, ovector[0] and ovec- | character after the end of a substring. Note: these values are always |
| 2190 | tor[1], identify the portion of the subject string matched by the | byte offsets, even in UTF-8 mode. They are not character counts. |
| 2191 | entire pattern. The next pair is used for the first capturing subpat- | |
| 2192 | tern, and so on. The value returned by pcre_exec() is one more than the | The first pair of integers, ovector[0] and ovector[1], identify the |
| 2193 | highest numbered pair that has been set. For example, if two substrings | portion of the subject string matched by the entire pattern. The next |
| 2194 | have been captured, the returned value is 3. If there are no capturing | pair is used for the first capturing subpattern, and so on. The value |
| 2195 | subpatterns, the return value from a successful match is 1, indicating | returned by pcre_exec() is one more than the highest numbered pair that |
| 2196 | that just the first pair of offsets has been set. | has been set. For example, if two substrings have been captured, the |
| 2197 | returned value is 3. If there are no capturing subpatterns, the return | |
| 2198 | value from a successful match is 1, indicating that just the first pair | |
| 2199 | of offsets has been set. | |
| 2200 | ||
| 2201 | If a capturing subpattern is matched repeatedly, it is the last portion | If a capturing subpattern is matched repeatedly, it is the last portion |
| 2202 | of the string that it matched that is returned. | of the string that it matched that is returned. |
| 2203 | ||
| 2204 | 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, |
| 2205 | 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 |
| 2206 | function returns a value of zero. In particular, if the substring off- | function returns a value of zero. If the substring offsets are not of |
| 2207 | sets are not of interest, pcre_exec() may be called with ovector passed | interest, pcre_exec() may be called with ovector passed as NULL and |
| 2208 | as NULL and ovecsize as zero. However, if the pattern contains back | ovecsize as zero. However, if the pattern contains back references and |
| 2209 | references and the ovector is not big enough to remember the related | the ovector is not big enough to remember the related substrings, PCRE |
| 2210 | substrings, PCRE has to get additional memory for use during matching. | has to get additional memory for use during matching. Thus it is usu- |
| 2211 | Thus it is usually advisable to supply an ovector. | ally advisable to supply an ovector. |
| 2212 | ||
| 2213 | The pcre_info() function can be used to find out how many capturing | The pcre_fullinfo() function can be used to find out how many capturing |
| 2214 | subpatterns there are in a compiled pattern. The smallest size for | subpatterns there are in a compiled pattern. The smallest size for |
| 2215 | ovector that will allow for n captured substrings, in addition to the | ovector that will allow for n captured substrings, in addition to the |
| 2216 | 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. |
| 2217 | ||
| 2218 | 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 |
| 2219 | 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, |
| 2220 | 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 |
| 2221 | 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 |
| 2222 | 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- |
| 2223 | sponding to unused subpatterns are set to -1. | sponding to unused subpatterns are set to -1. |
| 2224 | ||
| 2225 | Offset values that correspond to unused subpatterns at the end of the | Offset values that correspond to unused subpatterns at the end of the |
| 2226 | 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 |
| 2227 | 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 |
| 2228 | matched. The return from the function is 2, because the highest used | matched. The return from the function is 2, because the highest used |
| 2229 | capturing subpattern number is 1. However, you can refer to the offsets | capturing subpattern number is 1. However, you can refer to the offsets |
| 2230 | for the second and third capturing subpatterns if you wish (assuming | for the second and third capturing subpatterns if you wish (assuming |
| 2231 | the vector is large enough, of course). | the vector is large enough, of course). |
| 2232 | ||
| 2233 | Some convenience functions are provided for extracting the captured | Some convenience functions are provided for extracting the captured |
| 2234 | substrings as separate strings. These are described below. | substrings as separate strings. These are described below. |
| 2235 | ||
| 2236 | Error return values from pcre_exec() | Error return values from pcre_exec() |
| 2237 | ||
| 2238 | If pcre_exec() fails, it returns a negative number. The following are | If pcre_exec() fails, it returns a negative number. The following are |
| 2239 | defined in the header file: | defined in the header file: |
| 2240 | ||
| 2241 | PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH (-1) | PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH (-1) |
| # | Line 2159 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 2244 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 2244 | ||
| 2245 | PCRE_ERROR_NULL (-2) | PCRE_ERROR_NULL (-2) |
| 2246 | ||
| 2247 | 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 |
| 2248 | ovecsize was not zero. | ovecsize was not zero. |
| 2249 | ||
| 2250 | PCRE_ERROR_BADOPTION (-3) | PCRE_ERROR_BADOPTION (-3) |
| # | Line 2168 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 2253 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 2253 | ||
| 2254 | PCRE_ERROR_BADMAGIC (-4) | PCRE_ERROR_BADMAGIC (-4) |
| 2255 | ||
| 2256 | 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, |
| 2257 | 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 |
| 2258 | 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 |
| 2259 | an environment with the other endianness. This is the error that PCRE | an environment with the other endianness. This is the error that PCRE |
| 2260 | gives when the magic number is not present. | gives when the magic number is not present. |
| 2261 | ||
| 2262 | PCRE_ERROR_UNKNOWN_OPCODE (-5) | PCRE_ERROR_UNKNOWN_OPCODE (-5) |
| 2263 | ||
| 2264 | While running the pattern match, an unknown item was encountered in the | While running the pattern match, an unknown item was encountered in the |
| 2265 | 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 |
| 2266 | overwriting of the compiled pattern. | overwriting of the compiled pattern. |
| 2267 | ||
| 2268 | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY (-6) | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY (-6) |
| 2269 | ||
| 2270 | If a pattern contains back references, but the ovector that is passed | If a pattern contains back references, but the ovector that is passed |
| 2271 | to pcre_exec() is not big enough to remember the referenced substrings, | to pcre_exec() is not big enough to remember the referenced substrings, |
| 2272 | 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 |
| 2273 | 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 |
| 2274 | memory is automatically freed at the end of matching. | memory is automatically freed at the end of matching. |
| 2275 | ||
| 2276 | PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) | PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) |
| 2277 | ||
| 2278 | This error is used by the pcre_copy_substring(), pcre_get_substring(), | This error is used by the pcre_copy_substring(), pcre_get_substring(), |
| 2279 | and pcre_get_substring_list() functions (see below). It is never | and pcre_get_substring_list() functions (see below). It is never |
| 2280 | returned by pcre_exec(). | returned by pcre_exec(). |
| 2281 | ||
| 2282 | PCRE_ERROR_MATCHLIMIT (-8) | PCRE_ERROR_MATCHLIMIT (-8) |
| 2283 | ||
| 2284 | The backtracking limit, as specified by the match_limit field in a | The backtracking limit, as specified by the match_limit field in a |
| 2285 | pcre_extra structure (or defaulted) was reached. See the description | pcre_extra structure (or defaulted) was reached. See the description |
| 2286 | above. | above. |
| 2287 | ||
| 2288 | PCRE_ERROR_CALLOUT (-9) | PCRE_ERROR_CALLOUT (-9) |
| 2289 | ||
| 2290 | 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 |
| 2291 | use by callout functions that want to yield a distinctive error code. | use by callout functions that want to yield a distinctive error code. |
| 2292 | See the pcrecallout documentation for details. | See the pcrecallout documentation for details. |
| 2293 | ||
| 2294 | PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8 (-10) | PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8 (-10) |
| 2295 | ||
| 2296 | 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 |
| 2297 | subject. | subject. |
| 2298 | ||
| 2299 | PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8_OFFSET (-11) | PCRE_ERROR_BADUTF8_OFFSET (-11) |
| 2300 | ||
| 2301 | 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 |
| 2302 | 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- |
| 2303 | ter. | ter. |
| 2304 | ||
| 2305 | PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL (-12) | PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL (-12) |
| 2306 | ||
| 2307 | 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 |
| 2308 | pcrepartial documentation for details of partial matching. | pcrepartial documentation for details of partial matching. |
| 2309 | ||
| 2310 | PCRE_ERROR_BADPARTIAL (-13) | PCRE_ERROR_BADPARTIAL (-13) |
| 2311 | ||
| 2312 | The PCRE_PARTIAL option was used with a compiled pattern containing | This code is no longer in use. It was formerly returned when the |
| 2313 | items that are not supported for partial matching. See the pcrepartial | PCRE_PARTIAL option was used with a compiled pattern containing items |
| 2314 | documentation for details of partial matching. | that were not supported for partial matching. From release 8.00 |
| 2315 | onwards, there are no restrictions on partial matching. | |
| 2316 | ||
| 2317 | PCRE_ERROR_INTERNAL (-14) | PCRE_ERROR_INTERNAL (-14) |
| 2318 | ||
| # | Line 2235 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC | Line 2321 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE TRADITIONAL FUNC |
| 2321 | ||
| 2322 | PCRE_ERROR_BADCOUNT (-15) | PCRE_ERROR_BADCOUNT (-15) |
| 2323 | ||
| 2324 | 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. |
| 2325 | ||
| 2326 | PCRE_ERROR_RECURSIONLIMIT (-21) | PCRE_ERROR_RECURSIONLIMIT (-21) |
| 2327 | ||
| 2328 | The internal recursion limit, as specified by the match_limit_recursion | The internal recursion limit, as specified by the match_limit_recursion |
| 2329 | field in a pcre_extra structure (or defaulted) was reached. See the | field in a pcre_extra structure (or defaulted) was reached. See the |
| 2330 | description above. | description above. |
| 2331 | ||
| 2332 | PCRE_ERROR_BADNEWLINE (-23) | PCRE_ERROR_BADNEWLINE (-23) |
| # | Line 2263 EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NUMBER | Line 2349 EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NUMBER |
| 2349 | int pcre_get_substring_list(const char *subject, | int pcre_get_substring_list(const char *subject, |
| 2350 | int *ovector, int stringcount, const char ***listptr); | int *ovector, int stringcount, const char ***listptr); |
| 2351 | ||
| 2352 | Captured substrings can be accessed directly by using the offsets | Captured substrings can be accessed directly by using the offsets |
| 2353 | returned by pcre_exec() in ovector. For convenience, the functions | returned by pcre_exec() in ovector. For convenience, the functions |
| 2354 | pcre_copy_substring(), pcre_get_substring(), and pcre_get_sub- | pcre_copy_substring(), pcre_get_substring(), and pcre_get_sub- |
| 2355 | string_list() are provided for extracting captured substrings as new, | string_list() are provided for extracting captured substrings as new, |
| 2356 | separate, zero-terminated strings. These functions identify substrings | separate, zero-terminated strings. These functions identify substrings |
| 2357 | by number. The next section describes functions for extracting named | by number. The next section describes functions for extracting named |
| 2358 | substrings. | substrings. |
| 2359 | ||
| 2360 | A substring that contains a binary zero is correctly extracted and has | A substring that contains a binary zero is correctly extracted and has |
| 2361 | 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 |
| 2362 | string. However, you can process such a string by referring to the | string. However, you can process such a string by referring to the |
| 2363 | length that is returned by pcre_copy_substring() and pcre_get_sub- | length that is returned by pcre_copy_substring() and pcre_get_sub- |
| 2364 | string(). Unfortunately, the interface to pcre_get_substring_list() is | string(). Unfortunately, the interface to pcre_get_substring_list() is |
| 2365 | not adequate for handling strings containing binary zeros, because the | not adequate for handling strings containing binary zeros, because the |
| 2366 | end of the final string is not independently indicated. | end of the final string is not independently indicated. |
| 2367 | ||
| 2368 | 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- |
| 2369 | tions: subject is the subject string that has just been successfully | tions: subject is the subject string that has just been successfully |
| 2370 | 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 |
| 2371 | passed to pcre_exec(), and stringcount is the number of substrings that | passed to pcre_exec(), and stringcount is the number of substrings that |
| 2372 | were captured by the match, including the substring that matched the | were captured by the match, including the substring that matched the |
| 2373 | entire regular expression. This is the value returned by pcre_exec() if | entire regular expression. This is the value returned by pcre_exec() if |
| 2374 | it is greater than zero. If pcre_exec() returned zero, indicating that | it is greater than zero. If pcre_exec() returned zero, indicating that |
| 2375 | 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 |
| 2376 | be the number of elements in the vector divided by three. | be the number of elements in the vector divided by three. |
| 2377 | ||
| 2378 | The functions pcre_copy_substring() and pcre_get_substring() extract a | The functions pcre_copy_substring() and pcre_get_substring() extract a |
| 2379 | single substring, whose number is given as stringnumber. A value of | single substring, whose number is given as stringnumber. A value of |
| 2380 | zero extracts the substring that matched the entire pattern, whereas | zero extracts the substring that matched the entire pattern, whereas |
| 2381 | higher values extract the captured substrings. For pcre_copy_sub- | higher values extract the captured substrings. For pcre_copy_sub- |
| 2382 | string(), the string is placed in buffer, whose length is given by | string(), the string is placed in buffer, whose length is given by |
| 2383 | buffersize, while for pcre_get_substring() a new block of memory is | buffersize, while for pcre_get_substring() a new block of memory is |
| 2384 | obtained via pcre_malloc, and its address is returned via stringptr. | obtained via pcre_malloc, and its address is returned via stringptr. |
| 2385 | 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 |
| 2386 | the terminating zero, or one of these error codes: | the terminating zero, or one of these error codes: |
| 2387 | ||
| 2388 | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY (-6) | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY (-6) |
| 2389 | ||
| 2390 | 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 |
| 2391 | get memory failed for pcre_get_substring(). | get memory failed for pcre_get_substring(). |
| 2392 | ||
| 2393 | PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) | PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) |
| 2394 | ||
| 2395 | There is no substring whose number is stringnumber. | There is no substring whose number is stringnumber. |
| 2396 | ||
| 2397 | The pcre_get_substring_list() function extracts all available sub- | The pcre_get_substring_list() function extracts all available sub- |
| 2398 | 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 |
| 2399 | 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 |
| 2400 | 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 |
| 2401 | 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 |
| 2402 | 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 |
| 2403 | error code | error code |
| 2404 | ||
| 2405 | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY (-6) | PCRE_ERROR_NOMEMORY (-6) |
| 2406 | ||
| 2407 | if the attempt to get the memory block failed. | if the attempt to get the memory block failed. |
| 2408 | ||
| 2409 | When any of these functions encounter a substring that is unset, which | When any of these functions encounter a substring that is unset, which |
| 2410 | can happen when capturing subpattern number n+1 matches some part of | can happen when capturing subpattern number n+1 matches some part of |
| 2411 | 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 |
| 2412 | empty string. This can be distinguished from a genuine zero-length sub- | empty string. This can be distinguished from a genuine zero-length sub- |
| 2413 | string by inspecting the appropriate offset in ovector, which is nega- | string by inspecting the appropriate offset in ovector, which is nega- |
| 2414 | tive for unset substrings. | tive for unset substrings. |
| 2415 | ||
| 2416 | The two convenience functions pcre_free_substring() and pcre_free_sub- | The two convenience functions pcre_free_substring() and pcre_free_sub- |
| 2417 | 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 |
| 2418 | call of pcre_get_substring() or pcre_get_substring_list(), respec- | call of pcre_get_substring() or pcre_get_substring_list(), respec- |
| 2419 | tively. They do nothing more than call the function pointed to by | tively. They do nothing more than call the function pointed to by |
| 2420 | 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. |
| 2421 | 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- |
| 2422 | cial interface to another programming language that cannot use | cial interface to another programming language that cannot use |
| 2423 | 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- |
| 2424 | vided. | vided. |
| 2425 | ||
| 2426 | ||
| # | Line 2353 EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NAME | Line 2439 EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NAME |
| 2439 | int stringcount, const char *stringname, | int stringcount, const char *stringname, |
| 2440 | const char **stringptr); | const char **stringptr); |
| 2441 | ||
| 2442 | 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- |
| 2443 | ber. For example, for this pattern | ber. For example, for this pattern |
| 2444 | ||
| 2445 | (a+)b(?<xxx>\d+)... | (a+)b(?<xxx>\d+)... |
| # | Line 2362 EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NAME | Line 2448 EXTRACTING CAPTURED SUBSTRINGS BY NAME |
| 2448 | 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 |
| 2449 | name by calling pcre_get_stringnumber(). The first argument is the com- | name by calling pcre_get_stringnumber(). The first argument is the com- |
| 2450 | 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 |
| 2451 | the subpattern number, or PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) if there is no | the subpattern number, or PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) if there is no |
| 2452 | subpattern of that name. | subpattern of that name. |
| 2453 | ||
| 2454 | 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 |
| 2455 | the functions described in the previous section. For convenience, there | the functions described in the previous section. For convenience, there |
| 2456 | are also two functions that do the whole job. | are also two functions that do the whole job. |
| 2457 | ||
| 2458 | Most of the arguments of pcre_copy_named_substring() and | Most of the arguments of pcre_copy_named_substring() and |
| 2459 | pcre_get_named_substring() are the same as those for the similarly | pcre_get_named_substring() are the same as those for the similarly |
| 2460 | named functions that extract by number. As these are described in the | named functions that extract by number. As these are described in the |
| 2461 | previous section, they are not re-described here. There are just two | previous section, they are not re-described here. There are just two |
| 2462 | differences: | differences: |
| 2463 | ||
| 2464 | First, instead of a substring number, a substring name is given. Sec- | First, instead of a substring number, a substring name is given. Sec- |
| 2465 | 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 |
| 2466 | 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 |
| 2467 | name-to-number translation table. | name-to-number translation table. |
| 2468 | ||
| 2469 | These functions call pcre_get_stringnumber(), and if it succeeds, they | These functions call pcre_get_stringnumber(), and if it succeeds, they |
| 2470 | then call pcre_copy_substring() or pcre_get_substring(), as appropri- | then call pcre_copy_substring() or pcre_get_substring(), as appropri- |
| 2471 | 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 |
| 2472 | behaviour may not be what you want (see the next section). | behaviour may not be what you want (see the next section). |
| 2473 | ||
| 2474 | Warning: If the pattern uses the (?| feature to set up multiple subpat- | |
| 2475 | terns with the same number, as described in the section on duplicate | |
| 2476 | subpattern numbers in the pcrepattern page, you cannot use names to | |
| 2477 | distinguish the different subpatterns, because names are not included | |
| 2478 | in the compiled code. The matching process uses only numbers. For this | |
| 2479 | reason, the use of different names for subpatterns of the same number | |
| 2480 | causes an error at compile time. | |
| 2481 | ||
| 2482 | ||
| 2483 | DUPLICATE SUBPATTERN NAMES | DUPLICATE SUBPATTERN NAMES |
| 2484 | ||
| 2485 | int pcre_get_stringtable_entries(const pcre *code, | int pcre_get_stringtable_entries(const pcre *code, |
| 2486 | const char *name, char **first, char **last); | const char *name, char **first, char **last); |
| 2487 | ||
| 2488 | When a pattern is compiled with the PCRE_DUPNAMES option, names for | When a pattern is compiled with the PCRE_DUPNAMES option, names for |
| 2489 | subpatterns are not required to be unique. Normally, patterns with | subpatterns are not required to be unique. (Duplicate names are always |
| 2490 | duplicate names are such that in any one match, only one of the named | allowed for subpatterns with the same number, created by using the (?| |
| 2491 | subpatterns participates. An example is shown in the pcrepattern docu- | feature. Indeed, if such subpatterns are named, they are required to |
| 2492 | mentation. | use the same names.) |
| 2493 | ||
| 2494 | Normally, patterns with duplicate names are such that in any one match, | |
| 2495 | only one of the named subpatterns participates. An example is shown in | |
| 2496 | the pcrepattern documentation. | |
| 2497 | ||
| 2498 | When duplicates are present, pcre_copy_named_substring() and | When duplicates are present, pcre_copy_named_substring() and |
| 2499 | pcre_get_named_substring() return the first substring corresponding to | pcre_get_named_substring() return the first substring corresponding to |
| 2500 | the given name that is set. If none are set, PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING | the given name that is set. If none are set, PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING |
| 2501 | (-7) is returned; no data is returned. The pcre_get_stringnumber() | (-7) is returned; no data is returned. The pcre_get_stringnumber() |
| 2502 | function returns one of the numbers that are associated with the name, | function returns one of the numbers that are associated with the name, |
| 2503 | but it is not defined which it is. | but it is not defined which it is. |
| 2504 | ||
| 2505 | 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 |
| 2506 | name, you must use the pcre_get_stringtable_entries() function. The | name, you must use the pcre_get_stringtable_entries() function. The |
| 2507 | 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 |
| 2508 | third and fourth are pointers to variables which are updated by the | third and fourth are pointers to variables which are updated by the |
| 2509 | 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 |
| 2510 | the name-to-number table for the given name. The function itself | the name-to-number table for the given name. The function itself |
| 2511 | returns the length of each entry, or PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) if | returns the length of each entry, or PCRE_ERROR_NOSUBSTRING (-7) if |
| 2512 | 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- |
| 2513 | tion entitled Information about a pattern. Given all the relevant | tion entitled Information about a pattern. Given all the relevant |
| 2514 | 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 |
| 2515 | the captured data, if any. | the captured data, if any. |
| 2516 | ||
| 2517 | ||
| 2518 | FINDING ALL POSSIBLE MATCHES | FINDING ALL POSSIBLE MATCHES |
| 2519 | ||
| 2520 | The traditional matching function uses a similar algorithm to Perl, | The traditional matching function uses a similar algorithm to Perl, |
| 2521 | 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 |
| 2522 | 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 |
| 2523 | possible match, consider using the alternative matching function (see | possible match, consider using the alternative matching function (see |
| 2524 | below) instead. If you cannot use the alternative function, but still | below) instead. If you cannot use the alternative function, but still |
| 2525 | 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 |
| 2526 | of the callout facility, which is described in the pcrecallout documen- | of the callout facility, which is described in the pcrecallout documen- |
| 2527 | tation. | tation. |
| 2528 | ||
| 2529 | 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- |
| 2530 | tern. When your callout function is called, extract and save the cur- | tern. When your callout function is called, extract and save the cur- |
| 2531 | rent matched substring. Then return 1, which forces pcre_exec() to | rent matched substring. Then return 1, which forces pcre_exec() to |
| 2532 | backtrack and try other alternatives. Ultimately, when it runs out of | backtrack and try other alternatives. Ultimately, when it runs out of |
| 2533 | matches, pcre_exec() will yield PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH. | matches, pcre_exec() will yield PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH. |
| 2534 | ||
| 2535 | ||
| # | Line 2442 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE ALTERNATIVE FUNC | Line 2540 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE ALTERNATIVE FUNC |
| 2540 | int options, int *ovector, int ovecsize, | int options, int *ovector, int ovecsize, |
| 2541 | int *workspace, int wscount); | int *workspace, int wscount); |
| 2542 | ||
| 2543 | The function pcre_dfa_exec() is called to match a subject string | The function pcre_dfa_exec() is called to match a subject string |
| 2544 | against a compiled pattern, using a matching algorithm that scans the | against a compiled pattern, using a matching algorithm that scans the |
| 2545 | subject string just once, and does not backtrack. This has different | subject string just once, and does not backtrack. This has different |
| 2546 | characteristics to the normal algorithm, and is not compatible with | characteristics to the normal algorithm, and is not compatible with |
| 2547 | Perl. Some of the features of PCRE patterns are not supported. Never- | Perl. Some of the features of PCRE patterns are not supported. Never- |
| 2548 | 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 |
| 2549 | a discussion of the two matching algorithms, see the pcrematching docu- | a discussion of the two matching algorithms, and a list of features |
| 2550 | mentation. | that pcre_dfa_exec() does not support, see the pcrematching documenta- |
| 2551 | tion. | |
| 2552 | ||
| 2553 | 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 |
| 2554 | 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- |
| # | Line 2484 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE ALTERNATIVE FUNC | Line 2583 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE ALTERNATIVE FUNC |
| 2583 | ||
| 2584 | 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 |
| 2585 | 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- |
| 2586 | LINE_xxx, PCRE_NOTBOL, PCRE_NOTEOL, PCRE_NOTEMPTY, PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK, | LINE_xxx, PCRE_NOTBOL, PCRE_NOTEOL, PCRE_NOTEMPTY, |
| 2587 | PCRE_PARTIAL, PCRE_DFA_SHORTEST, and PCRE_DFA_RESTART. All but the last | PCRE_NOTEMPTY_ATSTART, PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK, PCRE_PARTIAL_HARD, PCRE_PAR- |
| 2588 | three of these are the same as for pcre_exec(), so their description is | TIAL_SOFT, PCRE_DFA_SHORTEST, and PCRE_DFA_RESTART. All but the last |
| 2589 | not repeated here. | four of these are exactly the same as for pcre_exec(), so their |
| 2590 | description is not repeated here. | |
| 2591 | PCRE_PARTIAL | |
| 2592 | PCRE_PARTIAL_HARD | |
| 2593 | This has the same general effect as it does for pcre_exec(), but the | PCRE_PARTIAL_SOFT |
| 2594 | details are slightly different. When PCRE_PARTIAL is set for | |
| 2595 | pcre_dfa_exec(), the return code PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH is converted into | These have the same general effect as they do for pcre_exec(), but the |
| 2596 | PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL if the end of the subject is reached, there have | details are slightly different. When PCRE_PARTIAL_HARD is set for |
| 2597 | been no complete matches, but there is still at least one matching pos- | pcre_dfa_exec(), it returns PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL if the end of the sub- |
| 2598 | sibility. The portion of the string that provided the partial match is | ject is reached and there is still at least one matching possibility |
| 2599 | set as the first matching string. | that requires additional characters. This happens even if some complete |
| 2600 | matches have also been found. When PCRE_PARTIAL_SOFT is set, the return | |
| 2601 | code PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH is converted into PCRE_ERROR_PARTIAL if the end | |
| 2602 | of the subject is reached, there have been no complete matches, but | |
| 2603 | there is still at least one matching possibility. The portion of the | |
| 2604 | string that was inspected when the longest partial match was found is | |
| 2605 | set as the first matching string in both cases. | |
| 2606 | ||
| 2607 | PCRE_DFA_SHORTEST | PCRE_DFA_SHORTEST |
| 2608 | ||
| 2609 | Setting the PCRE_DFA_SHORTEST option causes the matching algorithm to | Setting the PCRE_DFA_SHORTEST option causes the matching algorithm to |
| 2610 | 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- |
| 2611 | tive algorithm works, this is necessarily the shortest possible match | tive algorithm works, this is necessarily the shortest possible match |
| 2612 | at the first possible matching point in the subject string. | at the first possible matching point in the subject string. |
| 2613 | ||
| 2614 | PCRE_DFA_RESTART | PCRE_DFA_RESTART |
| 2615 | ||
| 2616 | When pcre_dfa_exec() is called with the PCRE_PARTIAL option, and | When pcre_dfa_exec() returns a partial match, it is possible to call it |
| 2617 | returns a partial match, it is possible to call it again, with addi- | again, with additional subject characters, and have it continue with |
| 2618 | tional subject characters, and have it continue with the same match. | the same match. The PCRE_DFA_RESTART option requests this action; when |
| 2619 | The PCRE_DFA_RESTART option requests this action; when it is set, the | it is set, the workspace and wscount options must reference the same |
| 2620 | workspace and wscount options must reference the same vector as before | vector as before because data about the match so far is left in them |
| 2621 | because data about the match so far is left in them after a partial | after a partial match. There is more discussion of this facility in the |
| 2622 | match. There is more discussion of this facility in the pcrepartial | pcrepartial documentation. |
| documentation. | ||
| 2623 | ||
| 2624 | Successful returns from pcre_dfa_exec() | Successful returns from pcre_dfa_exec() |
| 2625 | ||
| # | Line 2592 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE ALTERNATIVE FUNC | Line 2696 MATCHING A PATTERN: THE ALTERNATIVE FUNC |
| 2696 | SEE ALSO | SEE ALSO |
| 2697 | ||
| 2698 | pcrebuild(3), pcrecallout(3), pcrecpp(3)(3), pcrematching(3), pcrepar- | pcrebuild(3), pcrecallout(3), pcrecpp(3)(3), pcrematching(3), pcrepar- |
| 2699 | tial(3), pcreposix(3), pcreprecompile(3), pcresample(3), pcrestack(3). | tial(3), pcreposix(3), pcreprecompile(3), pcresample(3), pcrestack(3). |
| 2700 | ||
| 2701 | ||
| 2702 | AUTHOR | AUTHOR |
| # | Line 2604 AUTHOR | Line 2708 AUTHOR |
| 2708 | ||
| 2709 | REVISION | REVISION |
| 2710 | ||
| 2711 | Last updated: 12 April 2008 | Last updated: 03 October 2009 |
| 2712 | Copyright (c) 1997-2008 University of Cambridge. | Copyright (c) 1997-2009 University of Cambridge. |
| 2713 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 2714 | ||
| 2715 | ||
| # | Line 2634 PCRE CALLOUTS | Line 2738 PCRE CALLOUTS |
| 2738 | ||
| 2739 | (?C1)abc(?C2)def | (?C1)abc(?C2)def |
| 2740 | ||
| 2741 | If the PCRE_AUTO_CALLOUT option bit is set when pcre_compile() is | If the PCRE_AUTO_CALLOUT option bit is set when pcre_compile() or |
| 2742 | called, PCRE automatically inserts callouts, all with number 255, | pcre_compile2() is called, PCRE automatically inserts callouts, all |
| 2743 | before each item in the pattern. For example, if PCRE_AUTO_CALLOUT is | with number 255, before each item in the pattern. For example, if |
| 2744 | used with the pattern | PCRE_AUTO_CALLOUT is used with the pattern |
| 2745 | ||
| 2746 | A(\d{2}|--) | A(\d{2}|--) |
| 2747 | ||
| # | Line 2656 PCRE CALLOUTS | Line 2760 PCRE CALLOUTS |
| 2760 | MISSING CALLOUTS | MISSING CALLOUTS |
| 2761 | ||
| 2762 | You should be aware that, because of optimizations in the way PCRE | You should be aware that, because of optimizations in the way PCRE |
| 2763 | matches patterns, callouts sometimes do not happen. For example, if the | matches patterns by default, callouts sometimes do not happen. For |
| 2764 | pattern is | example, if the pattern is |
| 2765 | ||
| 2766 | ab(?C4)cd | ab(?C4)cd |
| 2767 | ||
| # | Line 2666 MISSING CALLOUTS | Line 2770 MISSING CALLOUTS |
| 2770 | ever start, and the callout is never reached. However, with "abyd", | ever start, and the callout is never reached. However, with "abyd", |
| 2771 | though the result is still no match, the callout is obeyed. | though the result is still no match, the callout is obeyed. |
| 2772 | ||
| 2773 | If the pattern is studied, PCRE knows the minimum length of a matching | |
| 2774 | string, and will immediately give a "no match" return without actually | |
| 2775 | running a match if the subject is not long enough, or, for unanchored | |
| 2776 | patterns, if it has been scanned far enough. | |
| 2777 | ||
| 2778 | You can disable these optimizations by passing the PCRE_NO_START_OPTI- | |
| 2779 | MIZE option to pcre_exec() or pcre_dfa_exec(). This slows down the | |
| 2780 | matching process, but does ensure that callouts such as the example | |
| 2781 | above are obeyed. | |
| 2782 | ||
| 2783 | ||
| 2784 | THE CALLOUT INTERFACE | THE CALLOUT INTERFACE |
| 2785 | ||
| # | Line 2693 THE CALLOUT INTERFACE | Line 2807 THE CALLOUT INTERFACE |
| 2807 | version number will change again in future if additional fields are | version number will change again in future if additional fields are |
| 2808 | added, but the intention is never to remove any of the existing fields. | added, but the intention is never to remove any of the existing fields. |
| 2809 | ||
| 2810 | The callout_number field contains the number of the callout, as com- | The callout_number field contains the number of the callout, as com- |
| 2811 | piled into the pattern (that is, the number after ?C for manual call- | piled into the pattern (that is, the number after ?C for manual call- |
| 2812 | outs, and 255 for automatically generated callouts). | outs, and 255 for automatically generated callouts). |
| 2813 | ||
| 2814 | The offset_vector field is a pointer to the vector of offsets that was | The offset_vector field is a pointer to the vector of offsets that was |
| 2815 | passed by the caller to pcre_exec() or pcre_dfa_exec(). When | passed by the caller to pcre_exec() or pcre_dfa_exec(). When |
| 2816 | pcre_exec() is used, the contents can be inspected in order to extract | pcre_exec() is used, the contents can be inspected in order to extract |
| 2817 | substrings that have been matched so far, in the same way as for | substrings that have been matched so far, in the same way as for |
| 2818 | extracting substrings after a match has completed. For pcre_dfa_exec() | extracting substrings after a match has completed. For pcre_dfa_exec() |
| 2819 | this field is not useful. | this field is not useful. |
| 2820 | ||
| 2821 | The subject and subject_length fields contain copies of the values that | The subject and subject_length fields contain copies of the values that |
| 2822 | were passed to pcre_exec(). | were passed to pcre_exec(). |
| 2823 | ||
| 2824 | The start_match field normally contains the offset within the subject | The start_match field normally contains the offset within the subject |
| 2825 | at which the current match attempt started. However, if the escape | at which the current match attempt started. However, if the escape |
| 2826 | sequence \K has been encountered, this value is changed to reflect the | sequence \K has been encountered, this value is changed to reflect the |
| 2827 | modified starting point. If the pattern is not anchored, the callout | modified starting point. If the pattern is not anchored, the callout |
| 2828 | function may be called several times from the same point in the pattern | function may be called several times from the same point in the pattern |
| 2829 | for different starting points in the subject. | for different starting points in the subject. |
| 2830 | ||
| 2831 | The current_position field contains the offset within the subject of | The current_position field contains the offset within the subject of |
| 2832 | the current match pointer. | the current match pointer. |
| 2833 | ||
| 2834 | When the pcre_exec() function is used, the capture_top field contains | When the pcre_exec() function is used, the capture_top field contains |
| 2835 | one more than the number of the highest numbered captured substring so | one more than the number of the highest numbered captured substring so |
| 2836 | far. If no substrings have been captured, the value of capture_top is | far. If no substrings have been captured, the value of capture_top is |
| 2837 | one. This is always the case when pcre_dfa_exec() is used, because it | one. This is always the case when pcre_dfa_exec() is used, because it |
| 2838 | does not support captured substrings. | does not support captured substrings. |
| 2839 | ||
| 2840 | The capture_last field contains the number of the most recently cap- | The capture_last field contains the number of the most recently cap- |
| 2841 | tured substring. If no substrings have been captured, its value is -1. | tured substring. If no substrings have been captured, its value is -1. |
| 2842 | This is always the case when pcre_dfa_exec() is used. | This is always the case when pcre_dfa_exec() is used. |
| 2843 | ||
| 2844 | The callout_data field contains a value that is passed to pcre_exec() | The callout_data field contains a value that is passed to pcre_exec() |
| 2845 | or pcre_dfa_exec() specifically so that it can be passed back in call- | or pcre_dfa_exec() specifically so that it can be passed back in call- |
| 2846 | outs. It is passed in the pcre_callout field of the pcre_extra data | outs. It is passed in the pcre_callout field of the pcre_extra data |
| 2847 | structure. If no such data was passed, the value of callout_data in a | structure. If no such data was passed, the value of callout_data in a |
| 2848 | pcre_callout block is NULL. There is a description of the pcre_extra | pcre_callout block is NULL. There is a description of the pcre_extra |
| 2849 | structure in the pcreapi documentation. | structure in the pcreapi documentation. |
| 2850 | ||
| 2851 | The pattern_position field is present from version 1 of the pcre_call- | The pattern_position field is present from version 1 of the pcre_call- |
| 2852 | out structure. It contains the offset to the next item to be matched in | out structure. It contains the offset to the next item to be matched in |
| 2853 | the pattern string. | the pattern string. |
| 2854 | ||
| 2855 | The next_item_length field is present from version 1 of the pcre_call- | The next_item_length field is present from version 1 of the pcre_call- |
| 2856 | out structure. It contains the length of the next item to be matched in | out structure. It contains the length of the next item to be matched in |
| 2857 | the pattern string. When the callout immediately precedes an alterna- | the pattern string. When the callout immediately precedes an alterna- |
| 2858 | tion bar, a closing parenthesis, or the end of the pattern, the length | tion bar, a closing parenthesis, or the end of the pattern, the length |
| 2859 | is zero. When the callout precedes an opening parenthesis, the length | is zero. When the callout precedes an opening parenthesis, the length |
| 2860 | is that of the entire subpattern. | is that of the entire subpattern. |
| 2861 | ||
| 2862 | The pattern_position and next_item_length fields are intended to help | The pattern_position and next_item_length fields are intended to help |
| 2863 | in distinguishing between different automatic callouts, which all have | in distinguishing between different automatic callouts, which all have |
| 2864 | the same callout number. However, they are set for all callouts. | the same callout number. However, they are set for all callouts. |
| 2865 | ||
| 2866 | ||
| 2867 | RETURN VALUES | RETURN VALUES |
| 2868 | ||
| 2869 | The external callout function returns an integer to PCRE. If the value | The external callout function returns an integer to PCRE. If the value |
| 2870 | is zero, matching proceeds as normal. If the value is greater than | is zero, matching proceeds as normal. If the value is greater than |
| 2871 | zero, matching fails at the current point, but the testing of other | zero, matching fails at the current point, but the testing of other |
| 2872 | matching possibilities goes ahead, just as if a lookahead assertion had | matching possibilities goes ahead, just as if a lookahead assertion had |
| 2873 | failed. If the value is less than zero, the match is abandoned, and | failed. If the value is less than zero, the match is abandoned, and |
| 2874 | pcre_exec() (or pcre_dfa_exec()) returns the negative value. | pcre_exec() or pcre_dfa_exec() returns the negative value. |
| 2875 | ||
| 2876 | Negative values should normally be chosen from the set of | Negative values should normally be chosen from the set of |
| 2877 | PCRE_ERROR_xxx values. In particular, PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH forces a stan- | PCRE_ERROR_xxx values. In particular, PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH forces a stan- |
| 2878 | dard "no match" failure. The error number PCRE_ERROR_CALLOUT is | dard "no match" failure. The error number PCRE_ERROR_CALLOUT is |
| 2879 | reserved for use by callout functions; it will never be used by PCRE | reserved for use by callout functions; it will never be used by PCRE |
| 2880 | itself. | itself. |
| 2881 | ||
| 2882 | ||
| # | Line 2775 AUTHOR | Line 2889 AUTHOR |
| 2889 | ||
| 2890 | REVISION | REVISION |
| 2891 | ||
| 2892 | Last updated: 29 May 2007 | Last updated: 29 September 2009 |
| 2893 | Copyright (c) 1997-2007 University of Cambridge. | Copyright (c) 1997-2009 University of Cambridge. |
| 2894 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 2895 | ||
| 2896 | ||
| # | Line 2790 NAME | Line 2904 NAME |
| 2904 | DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PCRE AND PERL | DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PCRE AND PERL |
| 2905 | ||
| 2906 | This document describes the differences in the ways that PCRE and Perl | This document describes the differences in the ways that PCRE and Perl |
| 2907 | handle regular expressions. The differences described here are mainly | handle regular expressions. The differences described here are with |
| 2908 | with respect to Perl 5.8, though PCRE versions 7.0 and later contain | respect to Perl 5.10. |
| some features that are expected to be in the forthcoming Perl 5.10. | ||
| 2909 | ||
| 2910 | 1. PCRE has only a subset of Perl's UTF-8 and Unicode support. Details | 1. PCRE has only a subset of Perl's UTF-8 and Unicode support. Details |
| 2911 | of what it does have are given in the section on UTF-8 support in the | of what it does have are given in the section on UTF-8 support in the |
| 2912 | main pcre page. | main pcre page. |
| 2913 | ||
| 2914 | 2. PCRE does not allow repeat quantifiers on lookahead assertions. Perl | 2. PCRE does not allow repeat quantifiers on lookahead assertions. Perl |
| 2915 | permits them, but they do not mean what you might think. For example, | permits them, but they do not mean what you might think. For example, |
| 2916 | (?!a){3} does not assert that the next three characters are not "a". It | (?!a){3} does not assert that the next three characters are not "a". It |
| 2917 | just asserts that the next character is not "a" three times. | just asserts that the next character is not "a" three times. |
| 2918 | ||
| 2919 | 3. Capturing subpatterns that occur inside negative lookahead asser- | 3. Capturing subpatterns that occur inside negative lookahead asser- |
| 2920 | tions are counted, but their entries in the offsets vector are never | tions are counted, but their entries in the offsets vector are never |
| 2921 | set. Perl sets its numerical variables from any such patterns that are | set. Perl sets its numerical variables from any such patterns that are |
| 2922 | matched before the assertion fails to match something (thereby succeed- | matched before the assertion fails to match something (thereby succeed- |
| 2923 | ing), but only if the negative lookahead assertion contains just one | ing), but only if the negative lookahead assertion contains just one |
| 2924 | branch. | branch. |
| 2925 | ||
| 2926 | 4. Though binary zero characters are supported in the subject string, | 4. Though binary zero characters are supported in the subject string, |
| 2927 | they are not allowed in a pattern string because it is passed as a nor- | they are not allowed in a pattern string because it is passed as a nor- |
| 2928 | mal C string, terminated by zero. The escape sequence \0 can be used in | mal C string, terminated by zero. The escape sequence \0 can be used in |
| 2929 | the pattern to represent a binary zero. | the pattern to represent a binary zero. |
| 2930 | ||
| 2931 | 5. The following Perl escape sequences are not supported: \l, \u, \L, | 5. The following Perl escape sequences are not supported: \l, \u, \L, |
| 2932 | \U, and \N. In fact these are implemented by Perl's general string-han- | \U, and \N. In fact these are implemented by Perl's general string-han- |
| 2933 | dling and are not part of its pattern matching engine. If any of these | dling and are not part of its pattern matching engine. If any of these |
| 2934 | are encountered by PCRE, an error is generated. | are encountered by PCRE, an error is generated. |
| 2935 | ||
| 2936 | 6. The Perl escape sequences \p, \P, and \X are supported only if PCRE | 6. The Perl escape sequences \p, \P, and \X are supported only if PCRE |
| 2937 | is built with Unicode character property support. The properties that | is built with Unicode character property support. The properties that |
| 2938 | can be tested with \p and \P are limited to the general category prop- | can be tested with \p and \P are limited to the general category prop- |
| 2939 | erties such as Lu and Nd, script names such as Greek or Han, and the | erties such as Lu and Nd, script names such as Greek or Han, and the |
| 2940 | derived properties Any and L&. | derived properties Any and L&. PCRE does support the Cs (surrogate) |
| 2941 | property, which Perl does not; the Perl documentation says "Because | |
| 2942 | Perl hides the need for the user to understand the internal representa- | |
| 2943 | tion of Unicode characters, there is no need to implement the somewhat | |
| 2944 | messy concept of surrogates." | |
| 2945 | ||
| 2946 | 7. PCRE does support the \Q...\E escape for quoting substrings. Charac- | 7. PCRE does support the \Q...\E escape for quoting substrings. Charac- |
| 2947 | ters in between are treated as literals. This is slightly different | ters in between are treated as literals. This is slightly different |
| 2948 | from Perl in that $ and @ are also handled as literals inside the | from Perl in that $ and @ are also handled as literals inside the |
| 2949 | quotes. In Perl, they cause variable interpolation (but of course PCRE | quotes. In Perl, they cause variable interpolation (but of course PCRE |
| 2950 | does not have variables). Note the following examples: | does not have variables). Note the following examples: |
| 2951 | ||
| 2952 | Pattern PCRE matches Perl matches | Pattern PCRE matches Perl matches |
| # | Line 2839 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PCRE AND PERL | Line 2956 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PCRE AND PERL |
| 2956 | \Qabc\$xyz\E abc\$xyz abc\$xyz | \Qabc\$xyz\E abc\$xyz abc\$xyz |
| 2957 | \Qabc\E\$\Qxyz\E abc$xyz abc$xyz | \Qabc\E\$\Qxyz\E abc$xyz abc$xyz |
| 2958 | ||
| 2959 | The \Q...\E sequence is recognized both inside and outside character | The \Q...\E sequence is recognized both inside and outside character |
| 2960 | classes. | classes. |
| 2961 | ||
| 2962 | 8. Fairly obviously, PCRE does not support the (?{code}) and (??{code}) | 8. Fairly obviously, PCRE does not support the (?{code}) and (??{code}) |
| 2963 | constructions. However, there is support for recursive patterns. This | constructions. However, there is support for recursive patterns. This |
| 2964 | is not available in Perl 5.8, but will be in Perl 5.10. Also, the PCRE | is not available in Perl 5.8, but it is in Perl 5.10. Also, the PCRE |
| 2965 | "callout" feature allows an external function to be called during pat- | "callout" feature allows an external function to be called during pat- |
| 2966 | tern matching. See the pcrecallout documentation for details. | tern matching. See the pcrecallout documentation for details. |
| 2967 | ||
| 2968 | 9. Subpatterns that are called recursively or as "subroutines" are | 9. Subpatterns that are called recursively or as "subroutines" are |
| 2969 | always treated as atomic groups in PCRE. This is like Python, but | always treated as atomic groups in PCRE. This is like Python, but |
| 2970 | unlike Perl. | unlike Perl. There is a discussion of an example that explains this in |
| 2971 | more detail in the section on recursion differences from Perl in the | |
| 2972 | 10. There are some differences that are concerned with the settings of | pcrepattern page. |
| 2973 | captured strings when part of a pattern is repeated. For example, | |
| 2974 | matching "aba" against the pattern /^(a(b)?)+$/ in Perl leaves $2 | 10. There are some differences that are concerned with the settings of |
| 2975 | captured strings when part of a pattern is repeated. For example, | |
| 2976 | matching "aba" against the pattern /^(a(b)?)+$/ in Perl leaves $2 | |
| 2977 | unset, but in PCRE it is set to "b". | unset, but in PCRE it is set to "b". |
| 2978 | ||
| 2979 | 11. PCRE does support Perl 5.10's backtracking verbs (*ACCEPT), | 11. PCRE does support Perl 5.10's backtracking verbs (*ACCEPT), |
| 2980 | (*FAIL), (*F), (*COMMIT), (*PRUNE), (*SKIP), and (*THEN), but only in | (*FAIL), (*F), (*COMMIT), (*PRUNE), (*SKIP), and (*THEN), but only in |
| 2981 | the forms without an argument. PCRE does not support (*MARK). If | the forms without an argument. PCRE does not support (*MARK). |
| (*ACCEPT) is within capturing parentheses, PCRE does not set that cap- | ||
| ture group; this is different to Perl. | ||
| 12. PCRE provides some extensions to the Perl regular expression facil- | ||
| ities. Perl 5.10 will include new features that are not in earlier | ||
| versions, some of which (such as named parentheses) have been in PCRE | ||
| for some time. This list is with respect to Perl 5.10: | ||
| (a) Although lookbehind assertions must match fixed length strings, | ||
| each alternative branch of a lookbehind assertion can match a different | ||
| length of string. Perl requires them all to have the same length. | ||
| 2982 | ||
| 2983 | (b) If PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY is set and PCRE_MULTILINE is not set, the $ | 12. PCRE's handling of duplicate subpattern numbers and duplicate sub- |
| 2984 | pattern names is not as general as Perl's. This is a consequence of the | |
| 2985 | fact the PCRE works internally just with numbers, using an external ta- | |
| 2986 | ble to translate between numbers and names. In particular, a pattern | |
| 2987 | such as (?|(?<a>A)|(?<b)B), where the two capturing parentheses have | |
| 2988 | the same number but different names, is not supported, and causes an | |
| 2989 | error at compile time. If it were allowed, it would not be possible to | |
| 2990 | distinguish which parentheses matched, because both names map to cap- | |
| 2991 | turing subpattern number 1. To avoid this confusing situation, an error | |
| 2992 | is given at compile time. | |
| 2993 | ||
| 2994 | 13. PCRE provides some extensions to the Perl regular expression facil- | |
| 2995 | ities. Perl 5.10 includes new features that are not in earlier ver- | |
| 2996 | sions of Perl, some of which (such as named parentheses) have been in | |
| 2997 | PCRE for some time. This list is with respect to Perl 5.10: | |
| 2998 | ||
| 2999 | (a) Although lookbehind assertions in PCRE must match fixed length | |
| 3000 | strings, each alternative branch of a lookbehind assertion can match a | |
| 3001 | different length of string. Perl requires them all to have the same | |
| 3002 | length. | |
| 3003 | ||
| 3004 | (b) If PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY is set and PCRE_MULTILINE is not set, the $ | |
| 3005 | meta-character matches only at the very end of the string. | meta-character matches only at the very end of the string. |
| 3006 | ||
| 3007 | (c) If PCRE_EXTRA is set, a backslash followed by a letter with no spe- | (c) If PCRE_EXTRA is set, a backslash followed by a letter with no spe- |
| 3008 | cial meaning is faulted. Otherwise, like Perl, the backslash is quietly | cial meaning is faulted. Otherwise, like Perl, the backslash is quietly |
| 3009 | ignored. (Perl can be made to issue a warning.) | ignored. (Perl can be made to issue a warning.) |
| 3010 | ||
| 3011 | (d) If PCRE_UNGREEDY is set, the greediness of the repetition quanti- | (d) If PCRE_UNGREEDY is set, the greediness of the repetition quanti- |
| 3012 | fiers is inverted, that is, by default they are not greedy, but if fol- | fiers is inverted, that is, by default they are not greedy, but if fol- |
| 3013 | lowed by a question mark they are. | lowed by a question mark they are. |
| 3014 | ||
| 3015 | (e) PCRE_ANCHORED can be used at matching time to force a pattern to be | (e) PCRE_ANCHORED can be used at matching time to force a pattern to be |
| 3016 | tried only at the first matching position in the subject string. | tried only at the first matching position in the subject string. |
| 3017 | ||
| 3018 | (f) The PCRE_NOTBOL, PCRE_NOTEOL, PCRE_NOTEMPTY, and PCRE_NO_AUTO_CAP- | (f) The PCRE_NOTBOL, PCRE_NOTEOL, PCRE_NOTEMPTY, PCRE_NOTEMPTY_ATSTART, |
| 3019 | TURE options for pcre_exec() have no Perl equivalents. | and PCRE_NO_AUTO_CAPTURE options for pcre_exec() have no Perl equiva- |
| 3020 | lents. | |
| 3021 | ||
| 3022 | (g) The \R escape sequence can be restricted to match only CR, LF, or | (g) The \R escape sequence can be restricted to match only CR, LF, or |
| 3023 | CRLF by the PCRE_BSR_ANYCRLF option. | CRLF by the PCRE_BSR_ANYCRLF option. |
| # | Line 2916 AUTHOR | Line 3046 AUTHOR |
| 3046 | ||
| 3047 | REVISION | REVISION |
| 3048 | ||
| 3049 | Last updated: 11 September 2007 | Last updated: 04 October 2009 |
| 3050 | Copyright (c) 1997-2007 University of Cambridge. | Copyright (c) 1997-2009 University of Cambridge. |
| 3051 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 3052 | ||
| 3053 | ||
| # | Line 2947 PCRE REGULAR EXPRESSION DETAILS | Line 3077 PCRE REGULAR EXPRESSION DETAILS |
| 3077 | ||
| 3078 | The original operation of PCRE was on strings of one-byte characters. | The original operation of PCRE was on strings of one-byte characters. |
| 3079 | 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 |
| 3080 | this, you must build PCRE to include UTF-8 support, and then call | this, PCRE must be built to include UTF-8 support, and you must call |
| 3081 | pcre_compile() with the PCRE_UTF8 option. How this affects pattern | pcre_compile() or pcre_compile2() with the PCRE_UTF8 option. There is |
| 3082 | matching is mentioned in several places below. There is also a summary | also a special sequence that can be given at the start of a pattern: |
| 3083 | of UTF-8 features in the section on UTF-8 support in the main pcre | |
| 3084 | page. | (*UTF8) |
| 3085 | ||
| 3086 | Starting a pattern with this sequence is equivalent to setting the | |
| 3087 | PCRE_UTF8 option. This feature is not Perl-compatible. How setting | |
| 3088 | UTF-8 mode affects pattern matching is mentioned in several places | |
| 3089 | below. There is also a summary of UTF-8 features in the section on | |
| 3090 | UTF-8 support in the main pcre page. | |
| 3091 | ||
| 3092 | The remainder of this document discusses the patterns that are sup- | The remainder of this document discusses the patterns that are sup- |
| 3093 | ported by PCRE when its main matching function, pcre_exec(), is used. | ported by PCRE when its main matching function, pcre_exec(), is used. |
| # | Line 2981 NEWLINE CONVENTIONS | Line 3117 NEWLINE CONVENTIONS |
| 3117 | (*ANYCRLF) any of the three above | (*ANYCRLF) any of the three above |
| 3118 | (*ANY) all Unicode newline sequences | (*ANY) all Unicode newline sequences |
| 3119 | ||
| 3120 | These override the default and the options given to pcre_compile(). For | These override the default and the options given to pcre_compile() or |
| 3121 | example, on a Unix system where LF is the default newline sequence, the | pcre_compile2(). For example, on a Unix system where LF is the default |
| 3122 | pattern | newline sequence, the pattern |
| 3123 | ||
| 3124 | (*CR)a.b | (*CR)a.b |
| 3125 | ||
| # | Line 3055 CHARACTERS AND METACHARACTERS | Line 3191 CHARACTERS AND METACHARACTERS |
| 3191 | syntax) | syntax) |
| 3192 | ] terminates the character class | ] terminates the character class |
| 3193 | ||
| 3194 | The following sections describe the use of each of the metacharacters. | The following sections describe the use of each of the metacharacters. |
| 3195 | ||
| 3196 | ||
| 3197 | BACKSLASH | BACKSLASH |
| 3198 | ||
| 3199 | The backslash character has several uses. Firstly, if it is followed by | The backslash character has several uses. Firstly, if it is followed by |
| 3200 | a non-alphanumeric character, it takes away any special meaning that | a non-alphanumeric character, it takes away any special meaning that |
| 3201 | character may have. This use of backslash as an escape character | character may have. This use of backslash as an escape character |
| 3202 | applies both inside and outside character classes. | applies both inside and outside character classes. |
| 3203 | ||
| 3204 | For example, if you want to match a * character, you write \* in the | For example, if you want to match a * character, you write \* in the |
| 3205 | pattern. This escaping action applies whether or not the following | pattern. This escaping action applies whether or not the following |
| 3206 | character would otherwise be interpreted as a metacharacter, so it is | character would otherwise be interpreted as a metacharacter, so it is |
| 3207 | always safe to precede a non-alphanumeric with backslash to specify | always safe to precede a non-alphanumeric with backslash to specify |
| 3208 | that it stands for itself. In particular, if you want to match a back- | that it stands for itself. In particular, if you want to match a back- |
| 3209 | slash, you write \\. | slash, you write \\. |
| 3210 | ||
| 3211 | If a pattern is compiled with the PCRE_EXTENDED option, whitespace in | If a pattern is compiled with the PCRE_EXTENDED option, whitespace in |
| 3212 | the pattern (other than in a character class) and characters between a | the pattern (other than in a character class) and characters between a |
| 3213 | # outside a character class and the next newline are ignored. An escap- | # outside a character class and the next newline are ignored. An escap- |
| 3214 | ing backslash can be used to include a whitespace or # character as | ing backslash can be used to include a whitespace or # character as |
| 3215 | part of the pattern. | part of the pattern. |
| 3216 | ||
| 3217 | If you want to remove the special meaning from a sequence of charac- | If you want to remove the special meaning from a sequence of charac- |
| 3218 | ters, you can do so by putting them between \Q and \E. This is differ- | ters, you can do so by putting them between \Q and \E. This is differ- |
| 3219 | ent from Perl in that $ and @ are handled as literals in \Q...\E | ent from Perl in that $ and @ are handled as literals in \Q...\E |
| 3220 | sequences in PCRE, whereas in Perl, $ and @ cause variable interpola- | sequences in PCRE, whereas in Perl, $ and @ cause variable interpola- |
| 3221 | tion. Note the following examples: | tion. Note the following examples: |
| 3222 | ||
| 3223 | Pattern PCRE matches Perl matches | Pattern PCRE matches Perl matches |
| # | Line 3091 BACKSLASH | Line 3227 BACKSLASH |
| 3227 | \Qabc\$xyz\E abc\$xyz abc\$xyz | \Qabc\$xyz\E abc\$xyz abc\$xyz |
| 3228 | \Qabc\E\$\Qxyz\E abc$xyz abc$xyz | \Qabc\E\$\Qxyz\E abc$xyz abc$xyz |
| 3229 | ||
| 3230 | The \Q...\E sequence is recognized both inside and outside character | The \Q...\E sequence is recognized both inside and outside character |
| 3231 | classes. | classes. |
| 3232 | ||
| 3233 | Non-printing characters | Non-printing characters |
| 3234 | ||
| 3235 | A second use of backslash provides a way of encoding non-printing char- | A second use of backslash provides a way of encoding non-printing char- |
| 3236 | acters in patterns in a visible manner. There is no restriction on the | acters in patterns in a visible manner. There is no restriction on the |
| 3237 | appearance of non-printing characters, apart from the binary zero that | appearance of non-printing characters, apart from the binary zero that |
| 3238 | terminates a pattern, but when a pattern is being prepared by text | terminates a pattern, but when a pattern is being prepared by text |
| 3239 | editing, it is usually easier to use one of the following escape | editing, it is often easier to use one of the following escape |
| 3240 | sequences than the binary character it represents: | sequences than the binary character it represents: |
| 3241 | ||
| 3242 | \a alarm, that is, the BEL character (hex 07) | \a alarm, that is, the BEL character (hex 07) |
| # | Line 3114 BACKSLASH | Line 3250 BACKSLASH |
| 3250 | \xhh character with hex code hh | \xhh character with hex code hh |
| 3251 | \x{hhh..} character with hex code hhh.. | \x{hhh..} character with hex code hhh.. |
| 3252 | ||
| 3253 | The precise effect of \cx is as follows: if x is a lower case letter, | The precise effect of \cx is as follows: if x is a lower case letter, |
| 3254 | it is converted to upper case. Then bit 6 of the character (hex 40) is | it is converted to upper case. Then bit 6 of the character (hex 40) is |
| 3255 | inverted. Thus \cz becomes hex 1A, but \c{ becomes hex 3B, while \c; | inverted. Thus \cz becomes hex 1A, but \c{ becomes hex 3B, while \c; |
| 3256 | becomes hex 7B. | becomes hex 7B. |
| 3257 | ||
| 3258 | 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 |
| 3259 | in upper or lower case). Any number of hexadecimal digits may appear | in upper or lower case). Any number of hexadecimal digits may appear |
| 3260 | 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 |
| 3261 | 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, |
| 3262 | the maximum value in hexadecimal is 7FFFFFFF. Note that this is bigger | the maximum value in hexadecimal is 7FFFFFFF. Note that this is bigger |
| 3263 | than the largest Unicode code point, which is 10FFFF. | than the largest Unicode code point, which is 10FFFF. |
| 3264 | ||
| 3265 | If characters other than hexadecimal digits appear between \x{ and }, | If characters other than hexadecimal digits appear between \x{ and }, |
| 3266 | or if there is no terminating }, this form of escape is not recognized. | or if there is no terminating }, this form of escape is not recognized. |
| 3267 | Instead, the initial \x will be interpreted as a basic hexadecimal | Instead, the initial \x will be interpreted as a basic hexadecimal |
| 3268 | escape, with no following digits, giving a character whose value is | escape, with no following digits, giving a character whose value is |
| 3269 | zero. | zero. |
| 3270 | ||
| 3271 | 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 |
| 3272 | 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- |
| 3273 | dled. For example, \xdc is exactly the same as \x{dc}. | dled. For example, \xdc is exactly the same as \x{dc}. |
| 3274 | ||
| 3275 | 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 |
| 3276 | than two digits, just those that are present are used. Thus the | than two digits, just those that are present are used. Thus the |
| 3277 | 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 |
| 3278 | (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 |
| 3279 | if the pattern character that follows is itself an octal digit. | if the pattern character that follows is itself an octal digit. |
| 3280 | ||
| 3281 | 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- |
| 3282 | cated. Outside a character class, PCRE reads it and any following dig- | cated. Outside a character class, PCRE reads it and any following dig- |
| 3283 | 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 |
| 3284 | have been at least that many previous capturing left parentheses in the | have been at least that many previous capturing left parentheses in the |
| 3285 | expression, the entire sequence is taken as a back reference. A | expression, the entire sequence is taken as a back reference. A |
| 3286 | description of how this works is given later, following the discussion | description of how this works is given later, following the discussion |
| 3287 | of parenthesized subpatterns. | of parenthesized subpatterns. |
| 3288 | ||
| 3289 | 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 |
| 3290 | and there have not been that many capturing subpatterns, PCRE re-reads | and there have not been that many capturing subpatterns, PCRE re-reads |
| 3291 | 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- |
| 3292 | erate a data character. Any subsequent digits stand for themselves. In | erate a data character. Any subsequent digits stand for themselves. In |
| 3293 | 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 |
| 3294 | 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 |
| 3295 | example: | example: |
| 3296 | ||
| 3297 | \040 is another way of writing a space | \040 is another way of writing a space |
| # | Line 3173 BACKSLASH | Line 3309 BACKSLASH |
| 3309 | \81 is either a back reference, or a binary zero | \81 is either a back reference, or a binary zero |
| 3310 | followed by the two characters "8" and "1" | followed by the two characters "8" and "1" |
| 3311 | ||
| 3312 | 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 |
| 3313 | leading zero, because no more than three octal digits are ever read. | leading zero, because no more than three octal digits are ever read. |
| 3314 | ||
| 3315 | 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 |
| 3316 | inside and outside character classes. In addition, inside a character | inside and outside character classes. In addition, inside a character |
| 3317 | class, the sequence \b is interpreted as the backspace character (hex | class, the sequence \b is interpreted as the backspace character (hex |
| 3318 | 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" |
| 3319 | and "X", respectively. Outside a character class, these sequences have | and "X", respectively. Outside a character class, these sequences have |
| 3320 | different meanings (see below). | different meanings (see below). |
| 3321 | ||
| 3322 | Absolute and relative back references | Absolute and relative back references |
| 3323 | ||
| 3324 | The sequence \g followed by an unsigned or a negative number, option- | The sequence \g followed by an unsigned or a negative number, option- |
| 3325 | ally enclosed in braces, is an absolute or relative back reference. A | ally enclosed in braces, is an absolute or relative back reference. A |
| 3326 | named back reference can be coded as \g{name}. Back references are dis- | named back reference can be coded as \g{name}. Back references are dis- |
| 3327 | cussed later, following the discussion of parenthesized subpatterns. | cussed later, following the discussion of parenthesized subpatterns. |
| 3328 | ||
| 3329 | Absolute and relative subroutine calls | Absolute and relative subroutine calls |
| 3330 | ||
| 3331 | For compatibility with Oniguruma, the non-Perl syntax \g followed by a | For compatibility with Oniguruma, the non-Perl syntax \g followed by a |
| 3332 | name or a number enclosed either in angle brackets or single quotes, is | name or a number enclosed either in angle brackets or single quotes, is |
| 3333 | an alternative syntax for referencing a subpattern as a "subroutine". | an alternative syntax for referencing a subpattern as a "subroutine". |
| 3334 | Details are discussed later. Note that \g{...} (Perl syntax) and | Details are discussed later. Note that \g{...} (Perl syntax) and |
| 3335 | \g<...> (Oniguruma syntax) are not synonymous. The former is a back | \g<...> (Oniguruma syntax) are not synonymous. The former is a back |
| 3336 | reference; the latter is a subroutine call. | reference; the latter is a subroutine call. |
| 3337 | ||
| 3338 | Generic character types | Generic character types |
| # | Line 3216 BACKSLASH | Line 3352 BACKSLASH |
| 3352 | \W any "non-word" character | \W any "non-word" character |
| 3353 | ||
| 3354 | Each pair of escape sequences partitions the complete set of characters | Each pair of escape sequences partitions the complete set of characters |
| 3355 | into two disjoint sets. Any given character matches one, and only one, | into two disjoint sets. Any given character matches one, and only one, |
| 3356 | of each pair. | of each pair. |
| 3357 | ||
| 3358 | These character type sequences can appear both inside and outside char- | These character type sequences can appear both inside and outside char- |
| 3359 | acter classes. They each match one character of the appropriate type. | acter classes. They each match one character of the appropriate type. |
| 3360 | 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 |
| 3361 | of them fail, since there is no character to match. | of them fail, since there is no character to match. |
| 3362 | ||
| 3363 | For compatibility with Perl, \s does not match the VT character (code | For compatibility with Perl, \s does not match the VT character (code |
| 3364 | 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 |
| 3365 | 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 |
| 3366 | "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- |
| 3367 | ter. In PCRE, it never does. | ter. In PCRE, it never does. |
| 3368 | ||
| 3369 | 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, |
| 3370 | \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- |
| 3371 | code character property support is available. These sequences retain | code character property support is available. These sequences retain |
| 3372 | their original meanings from before UTF-8 support was available, mainly | their original meanings from before UTF-8 support was available, mainly |
| 3373 | for efficiency reasons. | for efficiency reasons. Note that this also affects \b, because it is |
| 3374 | defined in terms of \w and \W. | |
| 3375 | ||
| 3376 | 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 |
| 3377 | the other sequences, these do match certain high-valued codepoints in | the other sequences, these do match certain high-valued codepoints in |
| # | Line 3311 BACKSLASH | Line 3448 BACKSLASH |
| 3448 | (*BSR_ANYCRLF) CR, LF, or CRLF only | (*BSR_ANYCRLF) CR, LF, or CRLF only |
| 3449 | (*BSR_UNICODE) any Unicode newline sequence | (*BSR_UNICODE) any Unicode newline sequence |
| 3450 | ||
| 3451 | These override the default and the options given to pcre_compile(), but | These override the default and the options given to pcre_compile() or |
| 3452 | they can be overridden by options given to pcre_exec(). Note that these | pcre_compile2(), but they can be overridden by options given to |
| 3453 | special settings, which are not Perl-compatible, are recognized only at | pcre_exec() or pcre_dfa_exec(). Note that these special settings, which |
| 3454 | the very start of a pattern, and that they must be in upper case. If | are not Perl-compatible, are recognized only at the very start of a |
| 3455 | more than one of them is present, the last one is used. They can be | pattern, and that they must be in upper case. If more than one of them |
| 3456 | combined with a change of newline convention, for example, a pattern | is present, the last one is used. They can be combined with a change of |
| 3457 | can start with: | newline convention, for example, a pattern can start with: |
| 3458 | ||
| 3459 | (*ANY)(*BSR_ANYCRLF) | (*ANY)(*BSR_ANYCRLF) |
| 3460 | ||
| # | Line 3428 BACKSLASH | Line 3565 BACKSLASH |
| 3565 | U+D800 to U+DFFF. Such characters are not valid in UTF-8 strings (see | U+D800 to U+DFFF. Such characters are not valid in UTF-8 strings (see |
| 3566 | RFC 3629) and so cannot be tested by PCRE, unless UTF-8 validity check- | RFC 3629) and so cannot be tested by PCRE, unless UTF-8 validity check- |
| 3567 | ing has been turned off (see the discussion of PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK in | ing has been turned off (see the discussion of PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK in |
| 3568 | the pcreapi page). | the pcreapi page). Perl does not support the Cs property. |
| 3569 | ||
| 3570 | The long synonyms for these properties that Perl supports (such as | The long synonyms for property names that Perl supports (such as |
| 3571 | \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 |
| 3572 | any of these properties with "Is". | any of these properties with "Is". |
| 3573 | ||
| # | Line 3500 BACKSLASH | Line 3637 BACKSLASH |
| 3637 | A word boundary is a position in the subject string where the current | A word boundary is a position in the subject string where the current |
| 3638 | character and the previous character do not both match \w or \W (i.e. | character and the previous character do not both match \w or \W (i.e. |
| 3639 | one matches \w and the other matches \W), or the start or end of the | one matches \w and the other matches \W), or the start or end of the |
| 3640 | string if the first or last character matches \w, respectively. | string if the first or last character matches \w, respectively. Neither |
| 3641 | PCRE nor Perl has a separte "start of word" or "end of word" metase- | |
| 3642 | quence. However, whatever follows \b normally determines which it is. | |
| 3643 | For example, the fragment \ba matches "a" at the start of a word. | |
| 3644 | ||
| 3645 | The \A, \Z, and \z assertions differ from the traditional circumflex | The \A, \Z, and \z assertions differ from the traditional circumflex |
| 3646 | and dollar (described in the next section) in that they only ever match | and dollar (described in the next section) in that they only ever match |
| 3647 | at the very start and end of the subject string, whatever options are | at the very start and end of the subject string, whatever options are |
| 3648 | set. Thus, they are independent of multiline mode. These three asser- | set. Thus, they are independent of multiline mode. These three asser- |
| 3649 | tions are not affected by the PCRE_NOTBOL or PCRE_NOTEOL options, which | tions are not affected by the PCRE_NOTBOL or PCRE_NOTEOL options, which |
| 3650 | affect only the behaviour of the circumflex and dollar metacharacters. | affect only the behaviour of the circumflex and dollar metacharacters. |
| 3651 | However, if the startoffset argument of pcre_exec() is non-zero, indi- | However, if the startoffset argument of pcre_exec() is non-zero, indi- |
| 3652 | cating that matching is to start at a point other than the beginning of | cating that matching is to start at a point other than the beginning of |
| 3653 | the subject, \A can never match. The difference between \Z and \z is | the subject, \A can never match. The difference between \Z and \z is |
| 3654 | that \Z matches before a newline at the end of the string as well as at | that \Z matches before a newline at the end of the string as well as at |
| 3655 | the very end, whereas \z matches only at the end. | the very end, whereas \z matches only at the end. |
| 3656 | ||
| 3657 | The \G assertion is true only when the current matching position is at | The \G assertion is true only when the current matching position is at |
| 3658 | the start point of the match, as specified by the startoffset argument | the start point of the match, as specified by the startoffset argument |
| 3659 | of pcre_exec(). It differs from \A when the value of startoffset is | of pcre_exec(). It differs from \A when the value of startoffset is |
| 3660 | non-zero. By calling pcre_exec() multiple times with appropriate argu- | non-zero. By calling pcre_exec() multiple times with appropriate argu- |
| 3661 | ments, you can mimic Perl's /g option, and it is in this kind of imple- | ments, you can mimic Perl's /g option, and it is in this kind of imple- |
| 3662 | mentation where \G can be useful. | mentation where \G can be useful. |
| 3663 | ||
| 3664 | Note, however, that PCRE's interpretation of \G, as the start of the | Note, however, that PCRE's interpretation of \G, as the start of the |
| 3665 | current match, is subtly different from Perl's, which defines it as the | current match, is subtly different from Perl's, which defines it as the |
| 3666 | end of the previous match. In Perl, these can be different when the | end of the previous match. In Perl, these can be different when the |
| 3667 | previously matched string was empty. Because PCRE does just one match | previously matched string was empty. Because PCRE does just one match |
| 3668 | at a time, it cannot reproduce this behaviour. | at a time, it cannot reproduce this behaviour. |
| 3669 | ||
| 3670 | If all the alternatives of a pattern begin with \G, the expression is | If all the alternatives of a pattern begin with \G, the expression is |
| 3671 | anchored to the starting match position, and the "anchored" flag is set | anchored to the starting match position, and the "anchored" flag is set |
| 3672 | in the compiled regular expression. | in the compiled regular expression. |
| 3673 | ||
| # | Line 3535 BACKSLASH | Line 3675 BACKSLASH |
| 3675 | CIRCUMFLEX AND DOLLAR | CIRCUMFLEX AND DOLLAR |
| 3676 | ||
| 3677 | Outside a character class, in the default matching mode, the circumflex | Outside a character class, in the default matching mode, the circumflex |
| 3678 | character is an assertion that is true only if the current matching | character is an assertion that is true only if the current matching |
| 3679 | point is at the start of the subject string. If the startoffset argu- | point is at the start of the subject string. If the startoffset argu- |
| 3680 | ment of pcre_exec() is non-zero, circumflex can never match if the | ment of pcre_exec() is non-zero, circumflex can never match if the |
| 3681 | PCRE_MULTILINE option is unset. Inside a character class, circumflex | PCRE_MULTILINE option is unset. Inside a character class, circumflex |
| 3682 | has an entirely different meaning (see below). | has an entirely different meaning (see below). |
| 3683 | ||
| 3684 | Circumflex need not be the first character of the pattern if a number | Circumflex need not be the first character of the pattern if a number |
| 3685 | of alternatives are involved, but it should be the first thing in each | of alternatives are involved, but it should be the first thing in each |
| 3686 | alternative in which it appears if the pattern is ever to match that | alternative in which it appears if the pattern is ever to match that |
| 3687 | branch. If all possible alternatives start with a circumflex, that is, | branch. If all possible alternatives start with a circumflex, that is, |
| 3688 | if the pattern is constrained to match only at the start of the sub- | if the pattern is constrained to match only at the start of the sub- |
| 3689 | ject, it is said to be an "anchored" pattern. (There are also other | ject, it is said to be an "anchored" pattern. (There are also other |
| 3690 | constructs that can cause a pattern to be anchored.) | constructs that can cause a pattern to be anchored.) |
| 3691 | ||
| 3692 | A dollar character is an assertion that is true only if the current | A dollar character is an assertion that is true only if the current |
| 3693 | matching point is at the end of the subject string, or immediately | matching point is at the end of the subject string, or immediately |
| 3694 | before a newline at the end of the string (by default). Dollar need not | before a newline at the end of the string (by default). Dollar need not |
| 3695 | be the last character of the pattern if a number of alternatives are | be the last character of the pattern if a number of alternatives are |
| 3696 | involved, but it should be the last item in any branch in which it | involved, but it should be the last item in any branch in which it |
| 3697 | appears. Dollar has no special meaning in a character class. | appears. Dollar has no special meaning in a character class. |
| 3698 | ||
| 3699 | The meaning of dollar can be changed so that it matches only at the | The meaning of dollar can be changed so that it matches only at the |
| 3700 | very end of the string, by setting the PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY option at | very end of the string, by setting the PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY option at |
| 3701 | compile time. This does not affect the \Z assertion. | compile time. This does not affect the \Z assertion. |
| 3702 | ||
| 3703 | The meanings of the circumflex and dollar characters are changed if the | The meanings of the circumflex and dollar characters are changed if the |
| 3704 | PCRE_MULTILINE option is set. When this is the case, a circumflex | PCRE_MULTILINE option is set. When this is the case, a circumflex |
| 3705 | matches immediately after internal newlines as well as at the start of | matches immediately after internal newlines as well as at the start of |
| 3706 | the subject string. It does not match after a newline that ends the | the subject string. It does not match after a newline that ends the |
| 3707 | string. A dollar matches before any newlines in the string, as well as | string. A dollar matches before any newlines in the string, as well as |
| 3708 | at the very end, when PCRE_MULTILINE is set. When newline is specified | at the very end, when PCRE_MULTILINE is set. When newline is specified |
| 3709 | as the two-character sequence CRLF, isolated CR and LF characters do | as the two-character sequence CRLF, isolated CR and LF characters do |
| 3710 | not indicate newlines. | not indicate newlines. |
| 3711 | ||
| 3712 | For example, the pattern /^abc$/ matches the subject string "def\nabc" | For example, the pattern /^abc$/ matches the subject string "def\nabc" |
| 3713 | (where \n represents a newline) in multiline mode, but not otherwise. | (where \n represents a newline) in multiline mode, but not otherwise. |
| 3714 | Consequently, patterns that are anchored in single line mode because | Consequently, patterns that are anchored in single line mode because |
| 3715 | all branches start with ^ are not anchored in multiline mode, and a | all branches start with ^ are not anchored in multiline mode, and a |
| 3716 | match for circumflex is possible when the startoffset argument of | match for circumflex is possible when the startoffset argument of |
| 3717 | pcre_exec() is non-zero. The PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY option is ignored if | pcre_exec() is non-zero. The PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY option is ignored if |
| 3718 | PCRE_MULTILINE is set. | PCRE_MULTILINE is set. |
| 3719 | ||
| 3720 | Note that the sequences \A, \Z, and \z can be used to match the start | Note that the sequences \A, \Z, and \z can be used to match the start |
| 3721 | and end of the subject in both modes, and if all branches of a pattern | and end of the subject in both modes, and if all branches of a pattern |
| 3722 | start with \A it is always anchored, whether or not PCRE_MULTILINE is | start with \A it is always anchored, whether or not PCRE_MULTILINE is |
| 3723 | set. | set. |
| 3724 | ||
| 3725 | ||
| 3726 | FULL STOP (PERIOD, DOT) | FULL STOP (PERIOD, DOT) |
| 3727 | ||
| 3728 | Outside a character class, a dot in the pattern matches any one charac- | Outside a character class, a dot in the pattern matches any one charac- |
| 3729 | ter in the subject string except (by default) a character that signi- | ter in the subject string except (by default) a character that signi- |
| 3730 | fies the end of a line. In UTF-8 mode, the matched character may be | fies the end of a line. In UTF-8 mode, the matched character may be |
| 3731 | more than one byte long. | more than one byte long. |
| 3732 | ||
| 3733 | When a line ending is defined as a single character, dot never matches | When a line ending is defined as a single character, dot never matches |
| 3734 | that character; when the two-character sequence CRLF is used, dot does | that character; when the two-character sequence CRLF is used, dot does |
| 3735 | not match CR if it is immediately followed by LF, but otherwise it | not match CR if it is immediately followed by LF, but otherwise it |
| 3736 | matches all characters (including isolated CRs and LFs). When any Uni- | matches all characters (including isolated CRs and LFs). When any Uni- |
| 3737 | code line endings are being recognized, dot does not match CR or LF or | code line endings are being recognized, dot does not match CR or LF or |
| 3738 | any of the other line ending characters. | any of the other line ending characters. |
| 3739 | ||
| 3740 | The behaviour of dot with regard to newlines can be changed. If the | The behaviour of dot with regard to newlines can be changed. If the |
| 3741 | PCRE_DOTALL option is set, a dot matches any one character, without | PCRE_DOTALL option is set, a dot matches any one character, without |
| 3742 | exception. If the two-character sequence CRLF is present in the subject | exception. If the two-character sequence CRLF is present in the subject |
| 3743 | string, it takes two dots to match it. | string, it takes two dots to match it. |
| 3744 | ||
| 3745 | The handling of dot is entirely independent of the handling of circum- | The handling of dot is entirely independent of the handling of circum- |
| 3746 | flex and dollar, the only relationship being that they both involve | flex and dollar, the only relationship being that they both involve |
| 3747 | newlines. Dot has no special meaning in a character class. | newlines. Dot has no special meaning in a character class. |
| 3748 | ||
| 3749 | ||
| 3750 | MATCHING A SINGLE BYTE | MATCHING A SINGLE BYTE |
| 3751 | ||
| 3752 | Outside a character class, the escape sequence \C matches any one byte, | Outside a character class, the escape sequence \C matches any one byte, |
| 3753 | both in and out of UTF-8 mode. Unlike a dot, it always matches any | both in and out of UTF-8 mode. Unlike a dot, it always matches any |
| 3754 | line-ending characters. The feature is provided in Perl in order to | line-ending characters. The feature is provided in Perl in order to |
| 3755 | match individual bytes in UTF-8 mode. Because it breaks up UTF-8 char- | match individual bytes in UTF-8 mode. Because it breaks up UTF-8 char- |
| 3756 | acters into individual bytes, what remains in the string may be a mal- | acters into individual bytes, what remains in the string may be a mal- |
| 3757 | formed UTF-8 string. For this reason, the \C escape sequence is best | formed UTF-8 string. For this reason, the \C escape sequence is best |
| 3758 | avoided. | avoided. |
| 3759 | ||
| 3760 | PCRE does not allow \C to appear in lookbehind assertions (described | PCRE does not allow \C to appear in lookbehind assertions (described |
| 3761 | below), because in UTF-8 mode this would make it impossible to calcu- | below), because in UTF-8 mode this would make it impossible to calcu- |
| 3762 | late the length of the lookbehind. | late the length of the lookbehind. |
| 3763 | ||
| 3764 | ||
| # | Line 3626 SQUARE BRACKETS AND CHARACTER CLASSES | Line 3766 SQUARE BRACKETS AND CHARACTER CLASSES |
| 3766 | ||
| 3767 | An opening square bracket introduces a character class, terminated by a | An opening square bracket introduces a character class, terminated by a |
| 3768 | closing square bracket. A closing square bracket on its own is not spe- | closing square bracket. A closing square bracket on its own is not spe- |
| 3769 | cial. If a closing square bracket is required as a member of the class, | cial by default. However, if the PCRE_JAVASCRIPT_COMPAT option is set, |
| 3770 | it should be the first data character in the class (after an initial | a lone closing square bracket causes a compile-time error. If a closing |
| 3771 | circumflex, if present) or escaped with a backslash. | square bracket is required as a member of the class, it should be the |
| 3772 | first data character in the class (after an initial circumflex, if | |
| 3773 | present) or escaped with a backslash. | |
| 3774 | ||
| 3775 | A character class matches a single character in the subject. In UTF-8 | A character class matches a single character in the subject. In UTF-8 |
| 3776 | mode, the character may occupy more than one byte. A matched character | mode, the character may be more than one byte long. A matched character |
| 3777 | must be in the set of characters defined by the class, unless the first | must be in the set of characters defined by the class, unless the first |
| 3778 | character in the class definition is a circumflex, in which case the | character in the class definition is a circumflex, in which case the |
| 3779 | subject character must not be in the set defined by the class. If a | subject character must not be in the set defined by the class. If a |
| 3780 | circumflex is actually required as a member of the class, ensure it is | circumflex is actually required as a member of the class, ensure it is |
| 3781 | not the first character, or escape it with a backslash. | not the first character, or escape it with a backslash. |
| 3782 | ||
| 3783 | For example, the character class [aeiou] matches any lower case vowel, | For example, the character class [aeiou] matches any lower case vowel, |
| 3784 | while [^aeiou] matches any character that is not a lower case vowel. | while [^aeiou] matches any character that is not a lower case vowel. |
| 3785 | Note that a circumflex is just a convenient notation for specifying the | Note that a circumflex is just a convenient notation for specifying the |
| 3786 | characters that are in the class by enumerating those that are not. A | characters that are in the class by enumerating those that are not. A |
| 3787 | class that starts with a circumflex is not an assertion: it still con- | class that starts with a circumflex is not an assertion; it still con- |
| 3788 | sumes a character from the subject string, and therefore it fails if | sumes a character from the subject string, and therefore it fails if |
| 3789 | the current pointer is at the end of the string. | the current pointer is at the end of the string. |
| 3790 | ||
| 3791 | In UTF-8 mode, characters with values greater than 255 can be included | In UTF-8 mode, characters with values greater than 255 can be included |
| 3792 | in a class as a literal string of bytes, or by using the \x{ escaping | in a class as a literal string of bytes, or by using the \x{ escaping |
| 3793 | mechanism. | mechanism. |
| 3794 | ||
| 3795 | When caseless matching is set, any letters in a class represent both | When caseless matching is set, any letters in a class represent both |
| 3796 | their upper case and lower case versions, so for example, a caseless | their upper case and lower case versions, so for example, a caseless |
| 3797 | [aeiou] matches "A" as well as "a", and a caseless [^aeiou] does not | [aeiou] matches "A" as well as "a", and a caseless [^aeiou] does not |
| 3798 | match "A", whereas a caseful version would. In UTF-8 mode, PCRE always | match "A", whereas a caseful version would. In UTF-8 mode, PCRE always |
| 3799 | understands the concept of case for characters whose values are less | understands the concept of case for characters whose values are less |
| 3800 | than 128, so caseless matching is always possible. For characters with | than 128, so caseless matching is always possible. For characters with |
| 3801 | higher values, the concept of case is supported if PCRE is compiled | higher values, the concept of case is supported if PCRE is compiled |
| 3802 | with Unicode property support, but not otherwise. If you want to use | with Unicode property support, but not otherwise. If you want to use |
| 3803 | caseless matching for characters 128 and above, you must ensure that | caseless matching in UTF8-mode for characters 128 and above, you must |
| 3804 | PCRE is compiled with Unicode property support as well as with UTF-8 | ensure that PCRE is compiled with Unicode property support as well as |
| 3805 | support. | with UTF-8 support. |
| 3806 | ||
| 3807 | Characters that might indicate line breaks are never treated in any | Characters that might indicate line breaks are never treated in any |
| 3808 | special way when matching character classes, whatever line-ending | special way when matching character classes, whatever line-ending |
| 3809 | sequence is in use, and whatever setting of the PCRE_DOTALL and | sequence is in use, and whatever setting of the PCRE_DOTALL and |
| 3810 | PCRE_MULTILINE options is used. A class such as [^a] always matches one | PCRE_MULTILINE options is used. A class such as [^a] always matches one |
| 3811 | of these characters. | of these characters. |
| 3812 | ||
| 3813 | The minus (hyphen) character can be used to specify a range of charac- | The minus (hyphen) character can be used to specify a range of charac- |
| 3814 | ters in a character class. For example, [d-m] matches any letter | ters in a character class. For example, [d-m] matches any letter |
| 3815 | between d and m, inclusive. If a minus character is required in a | between d and m, inclusive. If a minus character is required in a |
| 3816 | class, it must be escaped with a backslash or appear in a position | class, it must be escaped with a backslash or appear in a position |
| 3817 | where it cannot be interpreted as indicating a range, typically as the | where it cannot be interpreted as indicating a range, typically as the |
| 3818 | first or last character in the class. | first or last character in the class. |
| 3819 | ||
| 3820 | It is not possible to have the literal character "]" as the end charac- | It is not possible to have the literal character "]" as the end charac- |
| 3821 | ter of a range. A pattern such as [W-]46] is interpreted as a class of | ter of a range. A pattern such as [W-]46] is interpreted as a class of |
| 3822 | two characters ("W" and "-") followed by a literal string "46]", so it | two characters ("W" and "-") followed by a literal string "46]", so it |
| 3823 | would match "W46]" or "-46]". However, if the "]" is escaped with a | would match "W46]" or "-46]". However, if the "]" is escaped with a |
| 3824 | backslash it is interpreted as the end of range, so [W-\]46] is inter- | backslash it is interpreted as the end of range, so [W-\]46] is inter- |
| 3825 | preted as a class containing a range followed by two other characters. | preted as a class containing a range followed by two other characters. |
| 3826 | The octal or hexadecimal representation of "]" can also be used to end | The octal or hexadecimal representation of "]" can also be used to end |
| 3827 | a range. | a range. |
| 3828 | ||
| 3829 | Ranges operate in the collating sequence of character values. They can | Ranges operate in the collating sequence of character values. They can |
| 3830 | also be used for characters specified numerically, for example | also be used for characters specified numerically, for example |
| 3831 | [\000-\037]. In UTF-8 mode, ranges can include characters whose values | [\000-\037]. In UTF-8 mode, ranges can include characters whose values |
| 3832 | are greater than 255, for example [\x{100}-\x{2ff}]. | are greater than 255, for example [\x{100}-\x{2ff}]. |
| 3833 | ||
| 3834 | If a range that includes letters is used when caseless matching is set, | If a range that includes letters is used when caseless matching is set, |
| 3835 | it matches the letters in either case. For example, [W-c] is equivalent | it matches the letters in either case. For example, [W-c] is equivalent |
| 3836 | to [][\\^_`wxyzabc], matched caselessly, and in non-UTF-8 mode, if | to [][\\^_`wxyzabc], matched caselessly, and in non-UTF-8 mode, if |
| 3837 | character tables for a French locale are in use, [\xc8-\xcb] matches | character tables for a French locale are in use, [\xc8-\xcb] matches |
| 3838 | accented E characters in both cases. In UTF-8 mode, PCRE supports the | accented E characters in both cases. In UTF-8 mode, PCRE supports the |
| 3839 | concept of case for characters with values greater than 128 only when | concept of case for characters with values greater than 128 only when |
| 3840 | it is compiled with Unicode property support. | it is compiled with Unicode property support. |
| 3841 | ||
| 3842 | The character types \d, \D, \p, \P, \s, \S, \w, and \W may also appear | The character types \d, \D, \p, \P, \s, \S, \w, and \W may also appear |
| 3843 | in a character class, and add the characters that they match to the | in a character class, and add the characters that they match to the |
| 3844 | class. For example, [\dABCDEF] matches any hexadecimal digit. A circum- | class. For example, [\dABCDEF] matches any hexadecimal digit. A circum- |
| 3845 | flex can conveniently be used with the upper case character types to | flex can conveniently be used with the upper case character types to |
| 3846 | specify a more restricted set of characters than the matching lower | specify a more restricted set of characters than the matching lower |
| 3847 | case type. For example, the class [^\W_] matches any letter or digit, | case type. For example, the class [^\W_] matches any letter or digit, |
| 3848 | but not underscore. | but not underscore. |
| 3849 | ||
| 3850 | The only metacharacters that are recognized in character classes are | The only metacharacters that are recognized in character classes are |
| 3851 | backslash, hyphen (only where it can be interpreted as specifying a | backslash, hyphen (only where it can be interpreted as specifying a |
| 3852 | range), circumflex (only at the start), opening square bracket (only | range), circumflex (only at the start), opening square bracket (only |
| 3853 | when it can be interpreted as introducing a POSIX class name - see the | when it can be interpreted as introducing a POSIX class name - see the |
| 3854 | next section), and the terminating closing square bracket. However, | next section), and the terminating closing square bracket. However, |
| 3855 | escaping other non-alphanumeric characters does no harm. | escaping other non-alphanumeric characters does no harm. |
| 3856 | ||
| 3857 | ||
| 3858 | POSIX CHARACTER CLASSES | POSIX CHARACTER CLASSES |
| 3859 | ||
| 3860 | Perl supports the POSIX notation for character classes. This uses names | Perl supports the POSIX notation for character classes. This uses names |
| 3861 | enclosed by [: and :] within the enclosing square brackets. PCRE also | enclosed by [: and :] within the enclosing square brackets. PCRE also |
| 3862 | supports this notation. For example, | supports this notation. For example, |
| 3863 | ||
| 3864 | [01[:alpha:]%] | [01[:alpha:]%] |
| # | Line 3739 POSIX CHARACTER CLASSES | Line 3881 POSIX CHARACTER CLASSES |
| 3881 | word "word" characters (same as \w) | word "word" characters (same as \w) |
| 3882 | xdigit hexadecimal digits | xdigit hexadecimal digits |
| 3883 | ||
| 3884 | The "space" characters are HT (9), LF (10), VT (11), FF (12), CR (13), | The "space" characters are HT (9), LF (10), VT (11), FF (12), CR (13), |
| 3885 | and space (32). Notice that this list includes the VT character (code | and space (32). Notice that this list includes the VT character (code |
| 3886 | 11). This makes "space" different to \s, which does not include VT (for | 11). This makes "space" different to \s, which does not include VT (for |
| 3887 | Perl compatibility). | Perl compatibility). |
| 3888 | ||
| 3889 | The name "word" is a Perl extension, and "blank" is a GNU extension | The name "word" is a Perl extension, and "blank" is a GNU extension |
| 3890 | from Perl 5.8. Another Perl extension is negation, which is indicated | from Perl 5.8. Another Perl extension is negation, which is indicated |
| 3891 | by a ^ character after the colon. For example, | by a ^ character after the colon. For example, |
| 3892 | ||
| 3893 | [12[:^digit:]] | [12[:^digit:]] |
| 3894 | ||
| 3895 | matches "1", "2", or any non-digit. PCRE (and Perl) also recognize the | matches "1", "2", or any non-digit. PCRE (and Perl) also recognize the |
| 3896 | POSIX syntax [.ch.] and [=ch=] where "ch" is a "collating element", but | POSIX syntax [.ch.] and [=ch=] where "ch" is a "collating element", but |
| 3897 | these are not supported, and an error is given if they are encountered. | these are not supported, and an error is given if they are encountered. |
| 3898 | ||
| # | Line 3770 VERTICAL BAR | Line 3912 VERTICAL BAR |
| 3912 | string). The matching process tries each alternative in turn, from left | string). The matching process tries each alternative in turn, from left |
| 3913 | to right, and the first one that succeeds is used. If the alternatives | to right, and the first one that succeeds is used. If the alternatives |
| 3914 | are within a subpattern (defined below), "succeeds" means matching the | are within a subpattern (defined below), "succeeds" means matching the |
| 3915 | rest of the main pattern as well as the alternative in the subpattern. | rest of the main pattern as well as the alternative in the subpattern. |
| 3916 | ||
| 3917 | ||
| 3918 | INTERNAL OPTION SETTING | INTERNAL OPTION SETTING |
| 3919 | ||
| 3920 | The settings of the PCRE_CASELESS, PCRE_MULTILINE, PCRE_DOTALL, and | The settings of the PCRE_CASELESS, PCRE_MULTILINE, PCRE_DOTALL, and |
| 3921 | PCRE_EXTENDED options (which are Perl-compatible) can be changed from | PCRE_EXTENDED options (which are Perl-compatible) can be changed from |
| 3922 | within the pattern by a sequence of Perl option letters enclosed | within the pattern by a sequence of Perl option letters enclosed |
| 3923 | between "(?" and ")". The option letters are | between "(?" and ")". The option letters are |
| 3924 | ||
| 3925 | i for PCRE_CASELESS | i for PCRE_CASELESS |
| # | Line 3787 INTERNAL OPTION SETTING | Line 3929 INTERNAL OPTION SETTING |
| 3929 | ||
| 3930 | For example, (?im) sets caseless, multiline matching. It is also possi- | For example, (?im) sets caseless, multiline matching. It is also possi- |
| 3931 | ble to unset these options by preceding the letter with a hyphen, and a | ble to unset these options by preceding the letter with a hyphen, and a |
| 3932 | combined setting and unsetting such as (?im-sx), which sets PCRE_CASE- | combined setting and unsetting such as (?im-sx), which sets PCRE_CASE- |
| 3933 | LESS and PCRE_MULTILINE while unsetting PCRE_DOTALL and PCRE_EXTENDED, | LESS and PCRE_MULTILINE while unsetting PCRE_DOTALL and PCRE_EXTENDED, |
| 3934 | is also permitted. If a letter appears both before and after the | is also permitted. If a letter appears both before and after the |
| 3935 | hyphen, the option is unset. | hyphen, the option is unset. |
| 3936 | ||
| 3937 | The PCRE-specific options PCRE_DUPNAMES, PCRE_UNGREEDY, and PCRE_EXTRA | The PCRE-specific options PCRE_DUPNAMES, PCRE_UNGREEDY, and PCRE_EXTRA |
| 3938 | can be changed in the same way as the Perl-compatible options by using | can be changed in the same way as the Perl-compatible options by using |
| 3939 | the characters J, U and X respectively. | the characters J, U and X respectively. |
| 3940 | ||
| 3941 | When an option change occurs at top level (that is, not inside subpat- | When one of these option changes occurs at top level (that is, not |
| 3942 | tern parentheses), the change applies to the remainder of the pattern | inside subpattern parentheses), the change applies to the remainder of |
| 3943 | that follows. If the change is placed right at the start of a pattern, | the pattern that follows. If the change is placed right at the start of |
| 3944 | PCRE extracts it into the global options (and it will therefore show up | a pattern, PCRE extracts it into the global options (and it will there- |
| 3945 | in data extracted by the pcre_fullinfo() function). | fore show up in data extracted by the pcre_fullinfo() function). |
| 3946 | ||
| 3947 | An option change within a subpattern (see below for a description of | An option change within a subpattern (see below for a description of |
| 3948 | subpatterns) affects only that part of the current pattern that follows | subpatterns) affects only that part of the current pattern that follows |
| 3949 | it, so | it, so |
| 3950 | ||
| 3951 | (a(?i)b)c | (a(?i)b)c |
| 3952 | ||
| 3953 | matches abc and aBc and no other strings (assuming PCRE_CASELESS is not | matches abc and aBc and no other strings (assuming PCRE_CASELESS is not |
| 3954 | used). By this means, options can be made to have different settings | used). By this means, options can be made to have different settings |
| 3955 | in different parts of the pattern. Any changes made in one alternative | in different parts of the pattern. Any changes made in one alternative |
| 3956 | do carry on into subsequent branches within the same subpattern. For | do carry on into subsequent branches within the same subpattern. For |
| 3957 | example, | example, |
| 3958 | ||
| 3959 | (a(?i)b|c) | (a(?i)b|c) |
| 3960 | ||
| 3961 | matches "ab", "aB", "c", and "C", even though when matching "C" the | matches "ab", "aB", "c", and "C", even though when matching "C" the |
| 3962 | first branch is abandoned before the option setting. This is because | first branch is abandoned before the option setting. This is because |
| 3963 | the effects of option settings happen at compile time. There would be | the effects of option settings happen at compile time. There would be |
| 3964 | some very weird behaviour otherwise. | some very weird behaviour otherwise. |
| 3965 | ||
| 3966 | Note: There are other PCRE-specific options that can be set by the | Note: There are other PCRE-specific options that can be set by the |
| 3967 | application when the compile or match functions are called. In some | application when the compile or match functions are called. In some |
| 3968 | cases the pattern can contain special leading sequences to override | cases the pattern can contain special leading sequences such as (*CRLF) |
| 3969 | what the application has set or what has been defaulted. Details are | to override what the application has set or what has been defaulted. |
| 3970 | given in the section entitled "Newline sequences" above. | Details are given in the section entitled "Newline sequences" above. |
| 3971 | There is also the (*UTF8) leading sequence that can be used to set | |
| 3972 | UTF-8 mode; this is equivalent to setting the PCRE_UTF8 option. | |
| 3973 | ||
| 3974 | ||
| 3975 | SUBPATTERNS | SUBPATTERNS |
| # | Line 3837 SUBPATTERNS | Line 3981 SUBPATTERNS |
| 3981 | ||
| 3982 | cat(aract|erpillar|) | cat(aract|erpillar|) |
| 3983 | ||
| 3984 | matches one of the words "cat", "cataract", or "caterpillar". Without | matches one of the words "cat", "cataract", or "caterpillar". Without |
| 3985 | the parentheses, it would match "cataract", "erpillar" or an empty | the parentheses, it would match "cataract", "erpillar" or an empty |
| 3986 | string. | string. |
| 3987 | ||
| 3988 | 2. It sets up the subpattern as a capturing subpattern. This means | 2. It sets up the subpattern as a capturing subpattern. This means |
| 3989 | that, when the whole pattern matches, that portion of the subject | that, when the whole pattern matches, that portion of the subject |
| 3990 | string that matched the subpattern is passed back to the caller via the | string that matched the subpattern is passed back to the caller via the |
| 3991 | ovector argument of pcre_exec(). Opening parentheses are counted from | ovector argument of pcre_exec(). Opening parentheses are counted from |
| 3992 | left to right (starting from 1) to obtain numbers for the capturing | left to right (starting from 1) to obtain numbers for the capturing |
| 3993 | subpatterns. | subpatterns. |
| 3994 | ||
| 3995 | For example, if the string "the red king" is matched against the pat- | For example, if the string "the red king" is matched against the pat- |
| 3996 | tern | tern |
| 3997 | ||
| 3998 | the ((red|white) (king|queen)) | the ((red|white) (king|queen)) |
| # | Line 3856 SUBPATTERNS | Line 4000 SUBPATTERNS |
| 4000 | the captured substrings are "red king", "red", and "king", and are num- | the captured substrings are "red king", "red", and "king", and are num- |
| 4001 | bered 1, 2, and 3, respectively. | bered 1, 2, and 3, respectively. |
| 4002 | ||
| 4003 | The fact that plain parentheses fulfil two functions is not always | The fact that plain parentheses fulfil two functions is not always |
| 4004 | helpful. There are often times when a grouping subpattern is required | helpful. There are often times when a grouping subpattern is required |
| 4005 | without a capturing requirement. If an opening parenthesis is followed | without a capturing requirement. If an opening parenthesis is followed |
| 4006 | by a question mark and a colon, the subpattern does not do any captur- | by a question mark and a colon, the subpattern does not do any captur- |
| 4007 | ing, and is not counted when computing the number of any subsequent | ing, and is not counted when computing the number of any subsequent |
| 4008 | capturing subpatterns. For example, if the string "the white queen" is | capturing subpatterns. For example, if the string "the white queen" is |
| 4009 | matched against the pattern | matched against the pattern |
| 4010 | ||
| 4011 | the ((?:red|white) (king|queen)) | the ((?:red|white) (king|queen)) |
| # | Line 3869 SUBPATTERNS | Line 4013 SUBPATTERNS |
| 4013 | the captured substrings are "white queen" and "queen", and are numbered | the captured substrings are "white queen" and "queen", and are numbered |
| 4014 | 1 and 2. The maximum number of capturing subpatterns is 65535. | 1 and 2. The maximum number of capturing subpatterns is 65535. |
| 4015 | ||
| 4016 | As a convenient shorthand, if any option settings are required at the | As a convenient shorthand, if any option settings are required at the |
| 4017 | start of a non-capturing subpattern, the option letters may appear | start of a non-capturing subpattern, the option letters may appear |
| 4018 | between the "?" and the ":". Thus the two patterns | between the "?" and the ":". Thus the two patterns |
| 4019 | ||
| 4020 | (?i:saturday|sunday) | (?i:saturday|sunday) |
| 4021 | (?:(?i)saturday|sunday) | (?:(?i)saturday|sunday) |
| 4022 | ||
| 4023 | match exactly the same set of strings. Because alternative branches are | match exactly the same set of strings. Because alternative branches are |
| 4024 | tried from left to right, and options are not reset until the end of | tried from left to right, and options are not reset until the end of |
| 4025 | the subpattern is reached, an option setting in one branch does affect | the subpattern is reached, an option setting in one branch does affect |
| 4026 | subsequent branches, so the above patterns match "SUNDAY" as well as | subsequent branches, so the above patterns match "SUNDAY" as well as |
| 4027 | "Saturday". | "Saturday". |
| 4028 | ||
| 4029 | ||
| 4030 | DUPLICATE SUBPATTERN NUMBERS | DUPLICATE SUBPATTERN NUMBERS |
| 4031 | ||
| 4032 | Perl 5.10 introduced a feature whereby each alternative in a subpattern | Perl 5.10 introduced a feature whereby each alternative in a subpattern |
| 4033 | uses the same numbers for its capturing parentheses. Such a subpattern | uses the same numbers for its capturing parentheses. Such a subpattern |
| 4034 | starts with (?| and is itself a non-capturing subpattern. For example, | starts with (?| and is itself a non-capturing subpattern. For example, |
| 4035 | consider this pattern: | consider this pattern: |
| 4036 | ||
| 4037 | (?|(Sat)ur|(Sun))day | (?|(Sat)ur|(Sun))day |
| 4038 | ||
| 4039 | Because the two alternatives are inside a (?| group, both sets of cap- | Because the two alternatives are inside a (?| group, both sets of cap- |
| 4040 | turing parentheses are numbered one. Thus, when the pattern matches, | turing parentheses are numbered one. Thus, when the pattern matches, |
| 4041 | you can look at captured substring number one, whichever alternative | you can look at captured substring number one, whichever alternative |
| 4042 | matched. This construct is useful when you want to capture part, but | matched. This construct is useful when you want to capture part, but |
| 4043 | not all, of one of a number of alternatives. Inside a (?| group, paren- | not all, of one of a number of alternatives. Inside a (?| group, paren- |
| 4044 | theses are numbered as usual, but the number is reset at the start of | theses are numbered as usual, but the number is reset at the start of |
| 4045 | each branch. The numbers of any capturing buffers that follow the sub- | each branch. The numbers of any capturing buffers that follow the sub- |
| 4046 | pattern start after the highest number used in any branch. The follow- | pattern start after the highest number used in any branch. The follow- |
| 4047 | ing example is taken from the Perl documentation. The numbers under- | ing example is taken from the Perl documentation. The numbers under- |
| 4048 | neath show in which buffer the captured content will be stored. | neath show in which buffer the captured content will be stored. |
| 4049 | ||
| 4050 | # before ---------------branch-reset----------- after | # before ---------------branch-reset----------- after |
| 4051 | / ( a ) (?| x ( y ) z | (p (q) r) | (t) u (v) ) ( z ) /x | / ( a ) (?| x ( y ) z | (p (q) r) | (t) u (v) ) ( z ) /x |
| 4052 | # 1 2 2 3 2 3 4 | # 1 2 2 3 2 3 4 |
| 4053 | ||
| 4054 | A backreference or a recursive call to a numbered subpattern always | A backreference to a numbered subpattern uses the most recent value |
| 4055 | refers to the first one in the pattern with the given number. | that is set for that number by any subpattern. The following pattern |
| 4056 | matches "abcabc" or "defdef": | |
| 4057 | ||
| 4058 | /(?|(abc)|(def))\1/ | |
| 4059 | ||
| 4060 | In contrast, a recursive or "subroutine" call to a numbered subpattern | |
| 4061 | always refers to the first one in the pattern with the given number. | |
| 4062 | The following pattern matches "abcabc" or "defabc": | |
| 4063 | ||
| 4064 | /(?|(abc)|(def))(?1)/ | |
| 4065 | ||
| 4066 | If a condition test for a subpattern's having matched refers to a non- | |
| 4067 | unique number, the test is true if any of the subpatterns of that num- | |
| 4068 | ber have matched. | |
| 4069 | ||
| 4070 | An alternative approach to using this "branch reset" feature is to use | An alternative approach to using this "branch reset" feature is to use |
| 4071 | duplicate named subpatterns, as described in the next section. | duplicate named subpatterns, as described in the next section. |
| # | Line 3923 NAMED SUBPATTERNS | Line 4080 NAMED SUBPATTERNS |
| 4080 | patterns. This feature was not added to Perl until release 5.10. Python | patterns. This feature was not added to Perl until release 5.10. Python |
| 4081 | had the feature earlier, and PCRE introduced it at release 4.0, using | had the feature earlier, and PCRE introduced it at release 4.0, using |
| 4082 | the Python syntax. PCRE now supports both the Perl and the Python syn- | the Python syntax. PCRE now supports both the Perl and the Python syn- |
| 4083 | tax. | tax. Perl allows identically numbered subpatterns to have different |
| 4084 | names, but PCRE does not. | |
| 4085 | ||
| 4086 | In PCRE, a subpattern can be named in one of three ways: (?<name>...) | In PCRE, a subpattern can be named in one of three ways: (?<name>...) |
| 4087 | or (?'name'...) as in Perl, or (?P<name>...) as in Python. References | or (?'name'...) as in Perl, or (?P<name>...) as in Python. References |
| 4088 | to capturing parentheses from other parts of the pattern, such as back- | to capturing parentheses from other parts of the pattern, such as back- |
| 4089 | references, recursion, and conditions, can be made by name as well as | references, recursion, and conditions, can be made by name as well as |
| 4090 | by number. | by number. |
| 4091 | ||
| 4092 | Names consist of up to 32 alphanumeric characters and underscores. | Names consist of up to 32 alphanumeric characters and underscores. |
| 4093 | Named capturing parentheses are still allocated numbers as well as | Named capturing parentheses are still allocated numbers as well as |
| 4094 | names, exactly as if the names were not present. The PCRE API provides | names, exactly as if the names were not present. The PCRE API provides |
| 4095 | function calls for extracting the name-to-number translation table from | function calls for extracting the name-to-number translation table from |
| 4096 | a compiled pattern. There is also a convenience function for extracting | a compiled pattern. There is also a convenience function for extracting |
| 4097 | a captured substring by name. | a captured substring by name. |
| 4098 | ||
| 4099 | By default, a name must be unique within a pattern, but it is possible | By default, a name must be unique within a pattern, but it is possible |
| 4100 | to relax this constraint by setting the PCRE_DUPNAMES option at compile | to relax this constraint by setting the PCRE_DUPNAMES option at compile |
| 4101 | time. This can be useful for patterns where only one instance of the | time. (Duplicate names are also always permitted for subpatterns with |
| 4102 | named parentheses can match. Suppose you want to match the name of a | the same number, set up as described in the previous section.) Dupli- |
| 4103 | weekday, either as a 3-letter abbreviation or as the full name, and in | cate names can be useful for patterns where only one instance of the |
| 4104 | named parentheses can match. Suppose you want to match the name of a | |
| 4105 | weekday, either as a 3-letter abbreviation or as the full name, and in | |
| 4106 | both cases you want to extract the abbreviation. This pattern (ignoring | both cases you want to extract the abbreviation. This pattern (ignoring |
| 4107 | the line breaks) does the job: | the line breaks) does the job: |
| 4108 | ||
| # | Line 3952 NAMED SUBPATTERNS | Line 4112 NAMED SUBPATTERNS |
| 4112 | (?<DN>Thu)(?:rsday)?| | (?<DN>Thu)(?:rsday)?| |
| 4113 | (?<DN>Sat)(?:urday)? | (?<DN>Sat)(?:urday)? |
| 4114 | ||
| 4115 | There are five capturing substrings, but only one is ever set after a | There are five capturing substrings, but only one is ever set after a |
| 4116 | match. (An alternative way of solving this problem is to use a "branch | match. (An alternative way of solving this problem is to use a "branch |
| 4117 | reset" subpattern, as described in the previous section.) | reset" subpattern, as described in the previous section.) |
| 4118 | ||
| 4119 | The convenience function for extracting the data by name returns the | The convenience function for extracting the data by name returns the |
| 4120 | substring for the first (and in this example, the only) subpattern of | substring for the first (and in this example, the only) subpattern of |
| 4121 | that name that matched. This saves searching to find which numbered | that name that matched. This saves searching to find which numbered |
| 4122 | subpattern it was. If you make a reference to a non-unique named sub- | subpattern it was. |
| 4123 | pattern from elsewhere in the pattern, the one that corresponds to the | |
| 4124 | lowest number is used. For further details of the interfaces for han- | If you make a backreference to a non-unique named subpattern from else- |
| 4125 | dling named subpatterns, see the pcreapi documentation. | where in the pattern, the one that corresponds to the first occurrence |
| 4126 | of the name is used. In the absence of duplicate numbers (see the pre- | |
| 4127 | vious section) this is the one with the lowest number. If you use a | |
| 4128 | named reference in a condition test (see the section about conditions | |
| 4129 | below), either to check whether a subpattern has matched, or to check | |
| 4130 | for recursion, all subpatterns with the same name are tested. If the | |
| 4131 | condition is true for any one of them, the overall condition is true. | |
| 4132 | This is the same behaviour as testing by number. For further details of | |
| 4133 | the interfaces for handling named subpatterns, see the pcreapi documen- | |
| 4134 | tation. | |
| 4135 | ||
| 4136 | Warning: You cannot use different names to distinguish between two sub- | |
| 4137 | patterns with the same number because PCRE uses only the numbers when | |
| 4138 | matching. For this reason, an error is given at compile time if differ- | |
| 4139 | ent names are given to subpatterns with the same number. However, you | |
| 4140 | can give the same name to subpatterns with the same number, even when | |
| 4141 | PCRE_DUPNAMES is not set. | |
| 4142 | ||
| 4143 | ||
| 4144 | REPETITION | REPETITION |
| 4145 | ||
| 4146 | Repetition is specified by quantifiers, which can follow any of the | Repetition is specified by quantifiers, which can follow any of the |
| 4147 | following items: | following items: |
| 4148 | ||
| 4149 | a literal data character | a literal data character |
| # | Line 3979 REPETITION | Line 4155 REPETITION |
| 4155 | a character class | a character class |
| 4156 | a back reference (see next section) | a back reference (see next section) |
| 4157 | a parenthesized subpattern (unless it is an assertion) | a parenthesized subpattern (unless it is an assertion) |
| 4158 | a recursive or "subroutine" call to a subpattern | |
| 4159 | ||
| 4160 | The general repetition quantifier specifies a minimum and maximum num- | The general repetition quantifier specifies a minimum and maximum num- |
| 4161 | ber of permitted matches, by giving the two numbers in curly brackets | ber of permitted matches, by giving the two numbers in curly brackets |
| 4162 | (braces), separated by a comma. The numbers must be less than 65536, | (braces), separated by a comma. The numbers must be less than 65536, |
| 4163 | and the first must be less than or equal to the second. For example: | and the first must be less than or equal to the second. For example: |
| 4164 | ||
| 4165 | z{2,4} | z{2,4} |
| 4166 | ||
| 4167 | matches "zz", "zzz", or "zzzz". A closing brace on its own is not a | matches "zz", "zzz", or "zzzz". A closing brace on its own is not a |
| 4168 | special character. If the second number is omitted, but the comma is | special character. If the second number is omitted, but the comma is |
| 4169 | present, there is no upper limit; if the second number and the comma | present, there is no upper limit; if the second number and the comma |
| 4170 | are both omitted, the quantifier specifies an exact number of required | are both omitted, the quantifier specifies an exact number of required |
| 4171 | matches. Thus | matches. Thus |
| 4172 | ||
| 4173 | [aeiou]{3,} | [aeiou]{3,} |
| # | Line 3999 REPETITION | Line 4176 REPETITION |
| 4176 | ||
| 4177 | \d{8} | \d{8} |
| 4178 | ||
| 4179 | matches exactly 8 digits. An opening curly bracket that appears in a | matches exactly 8 digits. An opening curly bracket that appears in a |
| 4180 | position where a quantifier is not allowed, or one that does not match | position where a quantifier is not allowed, or one that does not match |
| 4181 | the syntax of a quantifier, is taken as a literal character. For exam- | the syntax of a quantifier, is taken as a literal character. For exam- |
| 4182 | ple, {,6} is not a quantifier, but a literal string of four characters. | ple, {,6} is not a quantifier, but a literal string of four characters. |
| 4183 | ||
| 4184 | In UTF-8 mode, quantifiers apply to UTF-8 characters rather than to | In UTF-8 mode, quantifiers apply to UTF-8 characters rather than to |
| # | Line 4145 ATOMIC GROUPING AND POSSESSIVE QUANTIFIE | Line 4322 ATOMIC GROUPING AND POSSESSIVE QUANTIFIE |
| 4322 | ||
| 4323 | (?>\d+)foo | (?>\d+)foo |
| 4324 | ||
| 4325 | This kind of parenthesis "locks up" the part of the pattern it con- | This kind of parenthesis "locks up" the part of the pattern it con- |
| 4326 | tains once it has matched, and a failure further into the pattern is | tains once it has matched, and a failure further into the pattern is |
| 4327 | prevented from backtracking into it. Backtracking past it to previous | prevented from backtracking into it. Backtracking past it to previous |
| 4328 | items, however, works as normal. | items, however, works as normal. |
| 4329 | ||
| 4330 | An alternative description is that a subpattern of this type matches | An alternative description is that a subpattern of this type matches |
| 4331 | the string of characters that an identical standalone pattern would | the string of characters that an identical standalone pattern would |
| 4332 | match, if anchored at the current point in the subject string. | match, if anchored at the current point in the subject string. |
| 4333 | ||
| 4334 | Atomic grouping subpatterns are not capturing subpatterns. Simple cases | Atomic grouping subpatterns are not capturing subpatterns. Simple cases |
| 4335 | such as the above example can be thought of as a maximizing repeat that | such as the above example can be thought of as a maximizing repeat that |
| 4336 | must swallow everything it can. So, while both \d+ and \d+? are pre- | must swallow everything it can. So, while both \d+ and \d+? are pre- |
| 4337 | pared to adjust the number of digits they match in order to make the | pared to adjust the number of digits they match in order to make the |
| 4338 | rest of the pattern match, (?>\d+) can only match an entire sequence of | rest of the pattern match, (?>\d+) can only match an entire sequence of |
| 4339 | digits. | digits. |
| 4340 | ||
| 4341 | Atomic groups in general can of course contain arbitrarily complicated | Atomic groups in general can of course contain arbitrarily complicated |
| 4342 | subpatterns, and can be nested. However, when the subpattern for an | subpatterns, and can be nested. However, when the subpattern for an |
| 4343 | atomic group is just a single repeated item, as in the example above, a | atomic group is just a single repeated item, as in the example above, a |
| 4344 | simpler notation, called a "possessive quantifier" can be used. This | simpler notation, called a "possessive quantifier" can be used. This |
| 4345 | consists of an additional + character following a quantifier. Using | consists of an additional + character following a quantifier. Using |
| 4346 | this notation, the previous example can be rewritten as | this notation, the previous example can be rewritten as |
| 4347 | ||
| 4348 | \d++foo | \d++foo |
| # | Line 4175 ATOMIC GROUPING AND POSSESSIVE QUANTIFIE | Line 4352 ATOMIC GROUPING AND POSSESSIVE QUANTIFIE |
| 4352 | ||
| 4353 | (abc|xyz){2,3}+ | (abc|xyz){2,3}+ |
| 4354 | ||
| 4355 | Possessive quantifiers are always greedy; the setting of the | Possessive quantifiers are always greedy; the setting of the |
| 4356 | PCRE_UNGREEDY option is ignored. They are a convenient notation for the | PCRE_UNGREEDY option is ignored. They are a convenient notation for the |
| 4357 | simpler forms of atomic group. However, there is no difference in the | simpler forms of atomic group. However, there is no difference in the |
| 4358 | meaning of a possessive quantifier and the equivalent atomic group, | meaning of a possessive quantifier and the equivalent atomic group, |
| 4359 | though there may be a performance difference; possessive quantifiers | though there may be a performance difference; possessive quantifiers |
| 4360 | should be slightly faster. | should be slightly faster. |
| 4361 | ||
| 4362 | 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- |
| 4363 | tax. Jeffrey Friedl originated the idea (and the name) in the first | tax. Jeffrey Friedl originated the idea (and the name) in the first |
| 4364 | 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 |
| 4365 | 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 |
| 4366 | found its way into Perl at release 5.10. | found its way into Perl at release 5.10. |
| 4367 | ||
| 4368 | PCRE has an optimization that automatically "possessifies" certain sim- | PCRE has an optimization that automatically "possessifies" certain sim- |
| 4369 | ple pattern constructs. For example, the sequence A+B is treated as | ple pattern constructs. For example, the sequence A+B is treated as |
| 4370 | 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 |
| 4371 | when B must follow. | when B must follow. |
| 4372 | ||
| 4373 | When a pattern contains an unlimited repeat inside a subpattern that | When a pattern contains an unlimited repeat inside a subpattern that |
| 4374 | 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 |
| 4375 | 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 |
| 4376 | very long time indeed. The pattern | very long time indeed. The pattern |
| 4377 | ||
| 4378 | (\D+|<\d+>)*[!?] | (\D+|<\d+>)*[!?] |
| 4379 | ||
| 4380 | matches an unlimited number of substrings that either consist of non- | matches an unlimited number of substrings that either consist of non- |
| 4381 | digits, or digits enclosed in <>, followed by either ! or ?. When it | digits, or digits enclosed in <>, followed by either ! or ?. When it |
| 4382 | matches, it runs quickly. However, if it is applied to | matches, it runs quickly. However, if it is applied to |
| 4383 | ||
| 4384 | aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa | aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa |
| 4385 | ||
| 4386 | it takes a long time before reporting failure. This is because the | it takes a long time before reporting failure. This is because the |
| 4387 | string can be divided between the internal \D+ repeat and the external | string can be divided between the internal \D+ repeat and the external |
| 4388 | * 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 |
| 4389 | example uses [!?] rather than a single character at the end, because | example uses [!?] rather than a single character at the end, because |
| 4390 | both PCRE and Perl have an optimization that allows for fast failure | both PCRE and Perl have an optimization that allows for fast failure |
| 4391 | when a single character is used. They remember the last single charac- | when a single character is used. They remember the last single charac- |
| 4392 | 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 |
| 4393 | 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 |
| 4394 | group, like this: | group, like this: |
| 4395 | ||
| 4396 | ((?>\D+)|<\d+>)*[!?] | ((?>\D+)|<\d+>)*[!?] |
| 4397 | ||
| 4398 | sequences of non-digits cannot be broken, and failure happens quickly. | sequences of non-digits cannot be broken, and failure happens quickly. |
| 4399 | ||
| 4400 | ||
| 4401 | BACK REFERENCES | BACK REFERENCES |
| # | Line 4302 BACK REFERENCES | Line 4479 BACK REFERENCES |
| 4479 | ||
| 4480 | 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 |
| 4481 | subpattern has not actually been used in a particular match, any back | subpattern has not actually been used in a particular match, any back |
| 4482 | references to it always fail. For example, the pattern | references to it always fail by default. For example, the pattern |
| 4483 | ||
| 4484 | (a|(bc))\2 | (a|(bc))\2 |
| 4485 | ||
| 4486 | always fails if it starts to match "a" rather than "bc". Because there | always fails if it starts to match "a" rather than "bc". However, if |
| 4487 | may be many capturing parentheses in a pattern, all digits following | the PCRE_JAVASCRIPT_COMPAT option is set at compile time, a back refer- |
| 4488 | the backslash are taken as part of a potential back reference number. | ence to an unset value matches an empty string. |
| 4489 | If the pattern continues with a digit character, some delimiter must be | |
| 4490 | used to terminate the back reference. If the PCRE_EXTENDED option is | Because there may be many capturing parentheses in a pattern, all dig- |
| 4491 | set, this can be whitespace. Otherwise an empty comment (see "Com- | its following a backslash are taken as part of a potential back refer- |
| 4492 | ments" below) can be used. | ence number. If the pattern continues with a digit character, some |
| 4493 | delimiter must be used to terminate the back reference. If the | |
| 4494 | A back reference that occurs inside the parentheses to which it refers | PCRE_EXTENDED option is set, this can be whitespace. Otherwise, the \g{ |
| 4495 | fails when the subpattern is first used, so, for example, (a\1) never | syntax or an empty comment (see "Comments" below) can be used. |
| 4496 | matches. However, such references can be useful inside repeated sub- | |
| 4497 | A back reference that occurs inside the parentheses to which it refers | |
| 4498 | fails when the subpattern is first used, so, for example, (a\1) never | |
| 4499 | matches. However, such references can be useful inside repeated sub- | |
| 4500 | patterns. For example, the pattern | patterns. For example, the pattern |
| 4501 | ||
| 4502 | (a|b\1)+ | (a|b\1)+ |
| 4503 | ||
| 4504 | 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- |
| 4505 | ation of the subpattern, the back reference matches the character | ation of the subpattern, the back reference matches the character |
| 4506 | string corresponding to the previous iteration. In order for this to | string corresponding to the previous iteration. In order for this to |
| 4507 | 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 |
| 4508 | 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 |
| 4509 | the example above, or by a quantifier with a minimum of zero. | the example above, or by a quantifier with a minimum of zero. |
| 4510 | ||
| 4511 | ||
| 4512 | ASSERTIONS | ASSERTIONS |
| 4513 | ||
| 4514 | An assertion is a test on the characters following or preceding the | An assertion is a test on the characters following or preceding the |
| 4515 | current matching point that does not actually consume any characters. | current matching point that does not actually consume any characters. |
| 4516 | 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 |
| 4517 | described above. | described above. |
| 4518 | ||
| 4519 | More complicated assertions are coded as subpatterns. There are two | More complicated assertions are coded as subpatterns. There are two |
| 4520 | kinds: those that look ahead of the current position in the subject | kinds: those that look ahead of the current position in the subject |
| 4521 | string, and those that look behind it. An assertion subpattern is | string, and those that look behind it. An assertion subpattern is |
| 4522 | 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 |
| 4523 | matching position to be changed. | matching position to be changed. |
| 4524 | ||
| 4525 | Assertion subpatterns are not capturing subpatterns, and may not be | Assertion subpatterns are not capturing subpatterns, and may not be |
| 4526 | repeated, because it makes no sense to assert the same thing several | repeated, because it makes no sense to assert the same thing several |
| 4527 | times. If any kind of assertion contains capturing subpatterns within | times. If any kind of assertion contains capturing subpatterns within |
| 4528 | it, these are counted for the purposes of numbering the capturing sub- | it, these are counted for the purposes of numbering the capturing sub- |
| 4529 | patterns in the whole pattern. However, substring capturing is carried | patterns in the whole pattern. However, substring capturing is carried |
| 4530 | out only for positive assertions, because it does not make sense for | out only for positive assertions, because it does not make sense for |
| 4531 | negative assertions. | negative assertions. |
| 4532 | ||
| 4533 | Lookahead assertions | Lookahead assertions |
| # | Line 4357 ASSERTIONS | Line 4537 ASSERTIONS |
| 4537 | ||
| 4538 | \w+(?=;) | \w+(?=;) |
| 4539 | ||
| 4540 | 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- |
| 4541 | colon in the match, and | colon in the match, and |
| 4542 | ||
| 4543 | foo(?!bar) | foo(?!bar) |
| 4544 | ||
| 4545 | matches any occurrence of "foo" that is not followed by "bar". Note | matches any occurrence of "foo" that is not followed by "bar". Note |
| 4546 | that the apparently similar pattern | that the apparently similar pattern |
| 4547 | ||
| 4548 | (?!foo)bar | (?!foo)bar |
| 4549 | ||
| 4550 | does not find an occurrence of "bar" that is preceded by something | does not find an occurrence of "bar" that is preceded by something |
| 4551 | other than "foo"; it finds any occurrence of "bar" whatsoever, because | other than "foo"; it finds any occurrence of "bar" whatsoever, because |
| 4552 | the assertion (?!foo) is always true when the next three characters are | the assertion (?!foo) is always true when the next three characters are |
| 4553 | "bar". A lookbehind assertion is needed to achieve the other effect. | "bar". A lookbehind assertion is needed to achieve the other effect. |
| 4554 | ||
| 4555 | 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 |
| 4556 | most convenient way to do it is with (?!) because an empty string | most convenient way to do it is with (?!) because an empty string |
| 4557 | 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 |
| 4558 | string must always fail. | string must always fail. The Perl 5.10 backtracking control verb |
| 4559 | (*FAIL) or (*F) is essentially a synonym for (?!). | |
| 4560 | ||
| 4561 | Lookbehind assertions | Lookbehind assertions |
| 4562 | ||
| # | Line 4398 ASSERTIONS | Line 4579 ASSERTIONS |
| 4579 | ||
| 4580 | causes an error at compile time. Branches that match different length | causes an error at compile time. Branches that match different length |
| 4581 | strings are permitted only at the top level of a lookbehind assertion. | strings are permitted only at the top level of a lookbehind assertion. |
| 4582 | This is an extension compared with Perl (at least for 5.8), which | This is an extension compared with Perl (5.8 and 5.10), which requires |
| 4583 | requires all branches to match the same length of string. An assertion | all branches to match the same length of string. An assertion such as |
| such as | ||
| 4584 | ||
| 4585 | (?<=ab(c|de)) | (?<=ab(c|de)) |
| 4586 | ||
| 4587 | is not permitted, because its single top-level branch can match two | is not permitted, because its single top-level branch can match two |
| 4588 | different lengths, but it is acceptable if rewritten to use two top- | different lengths, but it is acceptable to PCRE if rewritten to use two |
| 4589 | level branches: | top-level branches: |
| 4590 | ||
| 4591 | (?<=abc|abde) | (?<=abc|abde) |
| 4592 | ||
| 4593 | 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 |
| 4594 | instead of a lookbehind assertion; this is not restricted to a fixed- | instead of a lookbehind assertion to get round the fixed-length |
| 4595 | length. | restriction. |
| 4596 | ||
| 4597 | The implementation of lookbehind assertions is, for each alternative, | The implementation of lookbehind assertions is, for each alternative, |
| 4598 | to temporarily move the current position back by the fixed length and | to temporarily move the current position back by the fixed length and |
| 4599 | then try to match. If there are insufficient characters before the cur- | then try to match. If there are insufficient characters before the cur- |
| 4600 | rent position, the assertion fails. | rent position, the assertion fails. |
| 4601 | ||
| 4602 | 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 |
| 4603 | mode) to appear in lookbehind assertions, because it makes it impossi- | mode) to appear in lookbehind assertions, because it makes it impossi- |
| 4604 | 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, |
| 4605 | which can match different numbers of bytes, are also not permitted. | which can match different numbers of bytes, are also not permitted. |
| 4606 | ||
| 4607 | Possessive quantifiers can be used in conjunction with lookbehind | "Subroutine" calls (see below) such as (?2) or (?&X) are permitted in |
| 4608 | assertions to specify efficient matching at the end of the subject | lookbehinds, as long as the subpattern matches a fixed-length string. |
| 4609 | string. Consider a simple pattern such as | Recursion, however, is not supported. |
| 4610 | ||
| 4611 | Possessive quantifiers can be used in conjunction with lookbehind | |
| 4612 | assertions to specify efficient matching of fixed-length strings at the | |
| 4613 | end of subject strings. Consider a simple pattern such as | |
| 4614 | ||
| 4615 | abcd$ | abcd$ |
| 4616 | ||
| 4617 | when applied to a long string that does not match. Because matching | when applied to a long string that does not match. Because matching |
| 4618 | 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 |
| 4619 | 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 |
| 4620 | pattern is specified as | pattern is specified as |
| 4621 | ||
| 4622 | ^.*abcd$ | ^.*abcd$ |
| 4623 | ||
| 4624 | the initial .* matches the entire string at first, but when this fails | the initial .* matches the entire string at first, but when this fails |
| 4625 | (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 |
| 4626 | 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 |
| 4627 | 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, |
| 4628 | 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 |
| 4629 | ||
| 4630 | ^.*+(?<=abcd) | ^.*+(?<=abcd) |
| 4631 | ||
| 4632 | 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 |
| 4633 | entire string. The subsequent lookbehind assertion does a single test | entire string. The subsequent lookbehind assertion does a single test |
| 4634 | on the last four characters. If it fails, the match fails immediately. | on the last four characters. If it fails, the match fails immediately. |
| 4635 | For long strings, this approach makes a significant difference to the | For long strings, this approach makes a significant difference to the |
| 4636 | processing time. | processing time. |
| 4637 | ||
| 4638 | Using multiple assertions | Using multiple assertions |
| # | Line 4457 ASSERTIONS | Line 4641 ASSERTIONS |
| 4641 | ||
| 4642 | (?<=\d{3})(?<!999)foo | (?<=\d{3})(?<!999)foo |
| 4643 | ||
| 4644 | matches "foo" preceded by three digits that are not "999". Notice that | matches "foo" preceded by three digits that are not "999". Notice that |
| 4645 | each of the assertions is applied independently at the same point in | each of the assertions is applied independently at the same point in |
| 4646 | the subject string. First there is a check that the previous three | the subject string. First there is a check that the previous three |
| 4647 | 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 |
| 4648 | three characters are not "999". This pattern does not match "foo" pre- | three characters are not "999". This pattern does not match "foo" pre- |
| 4649 | 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 |
| 4650 | 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- |
| 4651 | foo". A pattern to do that is | foo". A pattern to do that is |
| 4652 | ||
| 4653 | (?<=\d{3}...)(?<!999)foo | (?<=\d{3}...)(?<!999)foo |
| 4654 | ||
| 4655 | This time the first assertion looks at the preceding six characters, | This time the first assertion looks at the preceding six characters, |
| 4656 | checking that the first three are digits, and then the second assertion | checking that the first three are digits, and then the second assertion |
| 4657 | checks that the preceding three characters are not "999". | checks that the preceding three characters are not "999". |
| 4658 | ||
| # | Line 4476 ASSERTIONS | Line 4660 ASSERTIONS |
| 4660 | ||
| 4661 | (?<=(?<!foo)bar)baz | (?<=(?<!foo)bar)baz |
| 4662 | ||
| 4663 | 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 |
| 4664 | is not preceded by "foo", while | is not preceded by "foo", while |
| 4665 | ||
| 4666 | (?<=\d{3}(?!999)...)foo | (?<=\d{3}(?!999)...)foo |
| 4667 | ||
| 4668 | is another pattern that matches "foo" preceded by three digits and any | is another pattern that matches "foo" preceded by three digits and any |
| 4669 | three characters that are not "999". | three characters that are not "999". |
| 4670 | ||
| 4671 | ||
| 4672 | CONDITIONAL SUBPATTERNS | CONDITIONAL SUBPATTERNS |
| 4673 | ||
| 4674 | 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- |
| 4675 | ditionally or to choose between two alternative subpatterns, depending | ditionally or to choose between two alternative subpatterns, depending |
| 4676 | on the result of an assertion, or whether a previous capturing subpat- | on the result of an assertion, or whether a specific capturing subpat- |
| 4677 | tern matched or not. The two possible forms of conditional subpattern | tern has already been matched. The two possible forms of conditional |
| 4678 | are | subpattern are: |
| 4679 | ||
| 4680 | (?(condition)yes-pattern) | (?(condition)yes-pattern) |
| 4681 | (?(condition)yes-pattern|no-pattern) | (?(condition)yes-pattern|no-pattern) |
| 4682 | ||
| 4683 | If the condition is satisfied, the yes-pattern is used; otherwise the | If the condition is satisfied, the yes-pattern is used; otherwise the |
| 4684 | 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- |
| 4685 | tives in the subpattern, a compile-time error occurs. | tives in the subpattern, a compile-time error occurs. |
| 4686 | ||
| 4687 | There are four kinds of condition: references to subpatterns, refer- | There are four kinds of condition: references to subpatterns, refer- |
| 4688 | ences to recursion, a pseudo-condition called DEFINE, and assertions. | ences to recursion, a pseudo-condition called DEFINE, and assertions. |
| 4689 | ||
| 4690 | Checking for a used subpattern by number | Checking for a used subpattern by number |
| 4691 | ||
| 4692 | If the text between the parentheses consists of a sequence of digits, | If the text between the parentheses consists of a sequence of digits, |
| 4693 | the condition is true if the capturing subpattern of that number has | the condition is true if a capturing subpattern of that number has pre- |
| 4694 | previously matched. An alternative notation is to precede the digits | viously matched. If there is more than one capturing subpattern with |
| 4695 | with a plus or minus sign. In this case, the subpattern number is rela- | the same number (see the earlier section about duplicate subpattern |
| 4696 | tive rather than absolute. The most recently opened parentheses can be | numbers), the condition is true if any of them have been set. An alter- |
| 4697 | referenced by (?(-1), the next most recent by (?(-2), and so on. In | native notation is to precede the digits with a plus or minus sign. In |
| 4698 | looping constructs it can also make sense to refer to subsequent groups | this case, the subpattern number is relative rather than absolute. The |
| 4699 | with constructs such as (?(+2). | most recently opened parentheses can be referenced by (?(-1), the next |
| 4700 | most recent by (?(-2), and so on. In looping constructs it can also | |
| 4701 | make sense to refer to subsequent groups with constructs such as | |
| 4702 | (?(+2). | |
| 4703 | ||
| 4704 | Consider the following pattern, which contains non-significant white | Consider the following pattern, which contains non-significant white |
| 4705 | 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 |
| # | Line 4555 CONDITIONAL SUBPATTERNS | Line 4742 CONDITIONAL SUBPATTERNS |
| 4742 | ||
| 4743 | (?<OPEN> \( )? [^()]+ (?(<OPEN>) \) ) | (?<OPEN> \( )? [^()]+ (?(<OPEN>) \) ) |
| 4744 | ||
| 4745 | If the name used in a condition of this kind is a duplicate, the test | |
| 4746 | is applied to all subpatterns of the same name, and is true if any one | |
| 4747 | of them has matched. | |
| 4748 | ||
| 4749 | Checking for pattern recursion | Checking for pattern recursion |
| 4750 | ||
| # | Line 4565 CONDITIONAL SUBPATTERNS | Line 4755 CONDITIONAL SUBPATTERNS |
| 4755 | ||
| 4756 | (?(R3)...) or (?(R&name)...) | (?(R3)...) or (?(R&name)...) |
| 4757 | ||
| 4758 | the condition is true if the most recent recursion is into the subpat- | the condition is true if the most recent recursion is into a subpattern |
| 4759 | tern whose number or name is given. This condition does not check the | whose number or name is given. This condition does not check the entire |
| 4760 | entire recursion stack. | recursion stack. If the name used in a condition of this kind is a |
| 4761 | duplicate, the test is applied to all subpatterns of the same name, and | |
| 4762 | is true if any one of them is the most recent recursion. | |
| 4763 | ||
| 4764 | At "top level", all these recursion test conditions are false. Recur- | At "top level", all these recursion test conditions are false. The |
| 4765 | sive patterns are described below. | syntax for recursive patterns is described below. |
| 4766 | ||
| 4767 | Defining subpatterns for use by reference only | Defining subpatterns for use by reference only |
| 4768 | ||
| # | Line 4590 CONDITIONAL SUBPATTERNS | Line 4782 CONDITIONAL SUBPATTERNS |
| 4782 | group named "byte" is defined. This matches an individual component of | group named "byte" is defined. This matches an individual component of |
| 4783 | an IPv4 address (a number less than 256). When matching takes place, | an IPv4 address (a number less than 256). When matching takes place, |
| 4784 | 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 |
| 4785 | condition. | condition. The rest of the pattern uses references to the named group |
| 4786 | to match the four dot-separated components of an IPv4 address, insist- | |
| 4787 | The rest of the pattern uses references to the named group to match the | ing on a word boundary at each end. |
| four dot-separated components of an IPv4 address, insisting on a word | ||
| boundary at each end. | ||
| 4788 | ||
| 4789 | Assertion conditions | Assertion conditions |
| 4790 | ||
| # | Line 4649 RECURSIVE PATTERNS | Line 4839 RECURSIVE PATTERNS |
| 4839 | Obviously, PCRE cannot support the interpolation of Perl code. Instead, | Obviously, PCRE cannot support the interpolation of Perl code. Instead, |
| 4840 | it supports special syntax for recursion of the entire pattern, and | it supports special syntax for recursion of the entire pattern, and |
| 4841 | also for individual subpattern recursion. After its introduction in | also for individual subpattern recursion. After its introduction in |
| 4842 | PCRE and Python, this kind of recursion was introduced into Perl at | PCRE and Python, this kind of recursion was subsequently introduced |
| 4843 | release 5.10. | into Perl at release 5.10. |
| 4844 | ||
| 4845 | A special item that consists of (? followed by a number greater than | A special item that consists of (? followed by a number greater than |
| 4846 | 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 |
| # | Line 4659 RECURSIVE PATTERNS | Line 4849 RECURSIVE PATTERNS |
| 4849 | 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 |
| 4850 | regular expression. | regular expression. |
| 4851 | ||
| 4852 | In PCRE (like Python, but unlike Perl), a recursive subpattern call is | This PCRE pattern solves the nested parentheses problem (assume the |
| always treated as an atomic group. That is, once it has matched some of | ||
| the subject string, it is never re-entered, even if it contains untried | ||
| alternatives and there is a subsequent matching failure. | ||
| This PCRE pattern solves the nested parentheses problem (assume the | ||
| 4853 | PCRE_EXTENDED option is set so that white space is ignored): | PCRE_EXTENDED option is set so that white space is ignored): |
| 4854 | ||
| 4855 | \( ( (?>[^()]+) | (?R) )* \) | \( ( [^()]++ | (?R) )* \) |
| 4856 | ||
| 4857 | First it matches an opening parenthesis. Then it matches any number of | First it matches an opening parenthesis. Then it matches any number of |
| 4858 | substrings which can either be a sequence of non-parentheses, or a | substrings which can either be a sequence of non-parentheses, or a |
| 4859 | recursive match of the pattern itself (that is, a correctly parenthe- | recursive match of the pattern itself (that is, a correctly parenthe- |
| 4860 | sized substring). Finally there is a closing parenthesis. | sized substring). Finally there is a closing parenthesis. Note the use |
| 4861 | of a possessive quantifier to avoid backtracking into sequences of non- | |
| 4862 | parentheses. | |
| 4863 | ||
| 4864 | 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 |
| 4865 | the entire pattern, so instead you could use this: | the entire pattern, so instead you could use this: |
| 4866 | ||
| 4867 | ( \( ( (?>[^()]+) | (?1) )* \) ) | ( \( ( [^()]++ | (?1) )* \) ) |
| 4868 | ||
| 4869 | We have put the pattern into parentheses, and caused the recursion to | We have put the pattern into parentheses, and caused the recursion to |
| 4870 | refer to them instead of the whole pattern. | refer to them instead of the whole pattern. |
| 4871 | ||
| 4872 | In a larger pattern, keeping track of parenthesis numbers can be | In a larger pattern, keeping track of parenthesis numbers can be |
| 4873 | 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 |
| 4874 | 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 |
| 4875 | (?-2) to refer to the second most recently opened parentheses preceding | (?-2) to refer to the second most recently opened parentheses preceding |
| 4876 | the recursion. In other words, a negative number counts capturing | the recursion. In other words, a negative number counts capturing |
| 4877 | parentheses leftwards from the point at which it is encountered. | parentheses leftwards from the point at which it is encountered. |
| 4878 | ||
| 4879 | It is also possible to refer to subsequently opened parentheses, by | It is also possible to refer to subsequently opened parentheses, by |
| 4880 | writing references such as (?+2). However, these cannot be recursive | writing references such as (?+2). However, these cannot be recursive |
| 4881 | because the reference is not inside the parentheses that are refer- | because the reference is not inside the parentheses that are refer- |
| 4882 | enced. They are always "subroutine" calls, as described in the next | enced. They are always "subroutine" calls, as described in the next |
| 4883 | section. | section. |
| 4884 | ||
| 4885 | An alternative approach is to use named parentheses instead. The Perl |