RegEx how to make one group match multiple times

[Iczer]

For some reason i cant make one group match multiple times:

#include <Array.au3>

$sText = "$$$ 12345 aaa  bbb  ccc  ddd  eee  678 $$$"

$pattern = ".*?(\d\d\d\d\d).+?([^\h]{3}\h\h)+?(\d\d\d)"

$rezult = StringRegExp($sText,$pattern,3)

ConsoleWrite("@error = "&@error&@CRLF)
_ArrayDisplay($rezult)

What I need is to get array like that:

$array = ["12345", "aaa", "bbb", "ccc", "ddd", "eee", "678"]

But all i get is this array:

$array = ["12345",  "eee",  "678"]

Is there away to make it work with one regexp pattern?

[Malkey]

Try

$pattern = "\w+"

[Melba23]

Iczer,

This seems to work:

#include <Array.au3>

$sText = "$$$ 12345 aaa  bbb  ccc  ddd  eee  678 $$$"

$pattern = "(?i)(\d+|[a-z]+)"

$rezult = StringRegExp($sText,$pattern,3)

ConsoleWrite("@error = "&@error&@CRLF)
_ArrayDisplay($rezult)

It captures any size grouping of all numbers or all letters.

M23

[Iczer]

  no, my example is only example, my ultimate goal - is know, how i can get multiple results from one group:

$pattern1 = "\d\d\d\d\d"
$pattern2 = "[^\h]{3}\h\h"
$pattern3 = "\d\d\d"

$pattern = ".*?("&$pattern1&").+?("&$pattern2&")+?("&$pattern3&")"
------------------------------------------------^

[jchd]

The number of elements in the resulting array (leaving PHP mode alone) is equal to the number of capturing groups present in the pattern, not their repetition specification(s).

[mikell]

But it is possible to combine patterns using alternation

#include <Array.au3>

$sText = "$$$  12345 aaa  bbb  ccc  ddd  eee  678 $$$"

$pattern1 = "(?:\d+)"
$pattern2 = "(?:[a-z]+)"
$pattern = "(" & $pattern1 & "|" & $pattern2 & ")"

$rezult = StringRegExp($sText, $pattern, 3)
_ArrayDisplay($rezult)

[Iczer]

The number of elements in the resulting array (leaving PHP mode alone) is equal to the number of capturing groups present in the pattern, not their repetition specification(s).

so simple answer would be something like :

#include <Array.au3>

$sText = "$$$ 12345  aaa  bbb  ccc  ddd  eee  678 $$$"

$internal = "[^\h]{3}\h\h"

$pattern = ".*?(\d\d\d\d\d)\h\h((?:"&$internal&")+)(\d\d\d)"

$rezult1 = StringRegExp($sText,$pattern,3)
$rezult2 = StringRegExp($rezult1[1],$internal,3)

_ArrayInsert($rezult2,0,$rezult1[0])
_ArrayAdd($rezult2,$rezult1[2])

ConsoleWrite("@error = "&@error&@CRLF)
_ArrayDisplay($rezult2)

But what is "PHP mode" ? Is it possible within it?

also i found:

---

Backtracking information is discarded when a match is found, so there's no way to tell after the fact that the group had a previous iteration that matched abc. (The only exception to this is the .NET regex engine, which does preserve backtracking information for capturing groups after the match attempt.)

---

mikell

But it is possible to combine patterns using alternation

 

thanks, but it only works if patterns does not have dependence from each other:

#include <Array.au3>

$sText = "qqq  $$$ 12345  aaa  bbb  ccc  ddd  eee  678 $$$"

$pattern1 = "\d\d\d\d\d"
$internal = "[^\h]{3}\h\h"
$pattern2 = "\d\d\d"

$pattern = "((?:"&$pattern1&")|(?:"&$internal&")|(?:"&$pattern2&"))"

$rezult = StringRegExp($sText,$pattern,3)

ConsoleWrite("@error = "&@error&@CRLF)
_ArrayDisplay($rezult)

[jchd]

You're confusing two things: StringRegExp with flag = 3 internally launches matching of the pattern at successive offsets in subject string after every match. So the resulting array may have as many elements as (number of capturing patterns) * (number of pattern matches at increasing offsets). When you specify a repetition to a capturing group, it is obligatory for the matching engine but what is left in the output array is always the last match.

Local $ar = StringRegExp("abbBc", "(?i)(\w)(\w{3})(\w)", 1)
_ArrayDisplay($ar)
Local $ar = StringRegExp("abbBc", "(?i)(\w)(\w){3}(\w)", 1)
_ArrayDisplay($ar)

It remains that basically (i.e. with flag=1) the number of elements in the output array is equal to th number of capturing patterns.

PHP modes (flag=2 or 4) are somehing else and would only add confusion to this discussion.

[mikell]

Iczer your last example works...

Notice that $pattern2 doesn't match "123" because of the sequence of the subpatterns

Would you please post an example where what you get is not the expected result ?

[Iczer]

jchd

i expect quantifiers to work the same way on symbols and groups :

StringRegExp ( "123test", "(?:\d+)(\w+)", 3); --> $array[1] : "[test]"

StringRegExp ( "123test", "(?:\d+)(\w)+", 3); --> $array[4] : "[t,e,s,t]"

and i cannot see any valid reason for it to be wrong. But it seems i'm wrong.



mikell

i expect this :

array = [12345,aaa,bbb,ccc,ddd,eee,678]

but get this :

array = [qqq,12345,aaa,bbb,ccc,ddd,eee,678]

where "qqq" is not wanted part. I do not think it is possible get rid of it without the first pattern have to set starting mark for matching second pattern. So "|" is not valid in this case

[jchd]

jchd

i expect quantifiers to work the same way on symbols and groups :

StringRegExp ( "123test", "(?:\d+)(\w+)", 3); --> $array[1] : "[test]"

StringRegExp ( "123test", "(?:\d+)(\w)+", 3); --> $array[4] : "[t,e,s,t]"

and i cannot see any valid reason for it to be wrong. But it seems i'm wrong.

In the first pattern "(w+)" is a capturing group (numbered 2 in this pattern) matching a sequence of one or more "word" characters. It will be stored in the resulting array at odd positions starting with 1 (1, 3, 5, as many times as the pattern matches).

In the second pattern "(w)+" is a repeated capturing group (numbered 2 in this pattern) matching exactly one "word" character every time. With the flag = 3 option, the whole pattern is repeated as much as possible.

With flag 3 you can better see the effect whith several occurences:

#include <Array.au3>

$array = StringRegExp ( "123test    456NEXT  789end", "(?:\d+)(\w+)", 3)
_ArrayDisplay($array, "Results (\w+)")
$array = StringRegExp ( "123test    456NEXT  789end", "(?:\d+)(\w)+", 3)
_ArrayDisplay($array, "Results (\w)+")

[kylomas]

Iczer,

Is this what you are looking for?

#include <array.au3>
$sText = "qqq  $$$ 12345  aaa  bbb  ccc  ddd  eee  678 $$$"
local $aTest = stringregexp($sText,' ([^\$ ]+) ',3)
_arraydisplay($aTest)

kylomas

edit: Or are you looking for any repeating pattern to use as boundries for the capture?

Edited November 7, 2013 by kylomas

[kylomas]

Iczer,

This might interest you.

kylomas