Re: can I make my regexp match first pattern instead of last?

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Re^2: can I make my regexp match first pattern instead of last? by kleucht (Beadle) on Oct 24, 2008 at 21:24 UTC
I actually tried that. It really got things honked up. Here is the output just by adding that single question mark to the first (.+) expression in the regex: Here's the result: ELEMENT Kurt (Item := "BrightLite", ItemID := 29, CatalogNumber := "BTLT-9274", Vendor := 100, END_ELEMENT *** Found Mick (Item := "PetRock", ItemID := 36, CatalogNumber := "PTRK-3475/A", Vendor := 82, END_ELEMENT * Found Kurt's SMKY-1978 SeaMonkeys. (counter: 0) * ELEMENT Joe (Item := "Pong", ItemID := 24, CatalogNumber := "PONG-1482", Vendor := 5, END_ELEMENT ELEMENT Shane's SMKY-1978 SeaMonkeys. (counter: 1) *** ELEMENT Kurt (Item := "Battleship", ItemID := 99, CatalogNumber := "BTLS-5234", Vendor := 529, END_ELEMENT ELEMENT Mick (Item := "SeaMonkeys", ItemID := 8, CatalogNumber := "SMKY-1978/F", Vendor := 77, END_ELEMENT ELEMENT Frank (Item := "PetRock", ItemID := 42, CatalogNumber := "PTRK-3475/B", Vendor := 82, END_ELEMENT ELEMENT Joe (Item := "SeaMonkeys", ItemID := 8, CatalogNumber := "SMKY-1979/A", Vendor := 77, END_ELEMENT [download]	[reply] [d/l]
Re^3: can I make my regexp match first pattern instead of last? by dreadpiratepeter (Priest) on Oct 24, 2008 at 21:34 UTC
Well, that is becuase your expression doesn't do what you think it does. the `(.+?)` sections you have are matching a lot more than you think they are going to. You start the match in one ELEMENT and eat through multiple records until you find your item name. As another poster suggested, you should first break the input up into records, the apply your regexes to that particular record. -pete "Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere."	[reply] [d/l]
Re^4: can I make my regexp match first pattern instead of last? by kleucht (Beadle) on Oct 25, 2008 at 18:47 UTC
Okay. That's why I'm asking what I'm doing wrong. I was under the incorrect impression that if I put in that question mark, then it would shrink the match down to just the minimum chunk of data that matches the pattern, not find the first ELEMENT text then eat through multiple records to find my item name. Regex works differently than I have read about in books and online, apparently.	[reply]
Re^4: can I make my regexp match first pattern instead of last? by Anonymous Monk on Oct 25, 2008 at 18:45 UTC
Okay. That's why I'm asking what I'm doing wrong. I was under the incorrect impression that if I put in that question mark, then it would shrink the match down to just the minimum chunk of data that matches the pattern, not find the first ELEMENT text then eat through multiple records to find my item name. Regex works differently than I have read about in books and online, apparently.	[reply]
Re^5: can I make my regexp match first pattern instead of last? by Corion (Patriarch) on Oct 26, 2008 at 13:05 UTC
Re^5: can I make my regexp match first pattern instead of last? by dreadpiratepeter (Priest) on Oct 26, 2008 at 12:37 UTC
Re^5: can I make my regexp match first pattern instead of last? by ikegami (Patriarch) on Sep 18, 2009 at 17:58 UTC
Re^5: can I make my regexp match first pattern instead of last? by ikegami (Patriarch) on Sep 18, 2009 at 18:01 UTC


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