StringRegExp - Pattern fails so is there a specific language I should be using?

[mikell]

Without knowing the final expected result any idea can be a misfit...

BTW the most reliable (and easy) way is not necessarily the shortest

Edit
A link to the whole html code would be nice too

Edited June 13, 2015 by mikell

[souldjer777]

I fixed it... it wasn't easy... lot's of reading LOL.

With a little troubleshooting I was finding that whenever I put (\n|\n\N*\n){1,2} in my regex is would produce blank returns from my autoit loop.

So, <tr><td>\N*(\n|\n\N*\n){1,2}<td>\N+\n<td>\N*June\s2014\N*(\n|\n\N*\n){1,2}</tr> would actually produce 1 result, then 2 blank results.

(That's 1 big pattern result, then 2 empty / blank / LF results: 1 for group 1 and 1 for group 2 - as I was searching for the entire string, then searching for 1 group of LF "\n", then another group of LF "\n".)

Basically I was looking for single and double line feeds and I was accidentally getting outside of my pattern. I didn't understand the engine at the time. The way I was entering the regex was wrong. It was actually finding "groups" - so not only would I have my entire match, but I would get "line feed" 's returned... which were my AutoIT blank array results. In a regex tutorial I found my answer. "?:"

Help file online: "Parentheses Create Numbered Capturing Groups"
Example: color=(?:red|green|blue) is another regex with a non-capturing group. This regex has no quantifiers.
http://www.regular-expressions.info/brackets.html

<tr><td>.*(?:\n|\n.*\n)<td>.*\n.*June\s2014.*(?:\n|\n.*\n)</tr>

Before I go too far... I'm going to verify everything... yep, it's good - just verified.

Local $aArray = StringRegExp ($OpenSSL01, '<tr><td>.*(?:\n|\n.*\n)<td>.*\n.*June\s2014.*(?:\n|\n.*\n)</tr>', 4)

Local $aMatch = 0
For $i = 0 To UBound($aArray) - 1
    $aMatch = $aArray[$i]
    For $j = 0 To UBound($aMatch) - 1
        MsgBox($MB_SYSTEMMODAL, "RegExp Test with Option 4 - " & $i & ',' & $j, $aMatch[$j])
    Next
Next

Local $aArray = StringRegExp ($OpenSSL01, '<tr><td>.*(?:\n|\n.*\n)<td>.*\n.*May\s2014.*(?:\n|\n.*\n)</tr>', 4)

Local $aMatch = 0
For $i = 0 To UBound($aArray) - 1
    $aMatch = $aArray[$i]
    For $j = 0 To UBound($aMatch) - 1
        MsgBox($MB_SYSTEMMODAL, "RegExp Test with Option 4 - " & $i & ',' & $j, $aMatch[$j])
    Next
Next

 

Edited June 15, 2015 by souldjer777

[jchd]

Information on capturing, non-capturing and other styles of groups in PCRE can also be found in AutoIt help file under StringRegExp.

[mikell]

... and sometimes in the answers in your own topic
https://www.autoitscript.com/forum/topic/173222-stringregexp-pattern-fails-so-is-there-a-specific-language-i-should-be-using/#comment-1253296

Edited June 15, 2015 by mikell

[jchd]

TADA...

We have all the answers, we just need questions.

[mikell]

 

[souldjer777]

Thank you both Mikell and Jchd.

Yeah, that was a cluster... sorry Mikell... believe me, I've gone back and forth and just never truly understood the issue. I simply didn't understand regex... I didn't even understand your answer. I was just frustrated - forest / trees.  ...and I have a LONG way to go. Thank you both again.

So... uh, how do I mark this as "SOLVED" ?

Edited June 15, 2015 by souldjer777

[SadBunny]

The best comment ever about matching/parsing HTML with regex is still this 

There's no marking solved any more on this version of the forum software, but you can go back and edit the opening post to change the title.

[mikell]

souldjer777,
My bad, I didn't give enough explanation ...
In such cases please feel free to demand comments 

SadBunny,
Nice link