http://qs321.pair.com?node_id=1176783


in reply to Re^2: Regular Expression: search two times for the same number of any signs
in thread Regular Expression: search two times for the same number of any signs

If that's really the case (and you are probably right) then maybe change the order: find the first and last occurrence of 'x', calculate where the middle one should be and look there?

However, the spec is a little woolly and the whole thing is still shouting "XY!" at me.