Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!agate!bionet!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!bbn!mit-eddie!ll-xn!adelie!mirror!frog!john
From: john@frog.UUCP (John Woods)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Regular expression question.
Keywords: regexp public-domain BSD SysV alternation :-):-)
Message-ID: <1052@frog.UUCP>
Date: 2 Mar 89 01:43:00 GMT
References: <364@sunny.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Misanthropes-R-Us
Lines: 28

In article <364@sunny.UUCP>, poage@sunny.UUCP (Tom Poage) writes:
> Is there a reason why I don't find regular expressions
> with both alternation and explicit number of occurrence
> declaration?  Here's what I mean ...
> In some public-domain regexp routines I can use
> 	(string1|string2)
> In other routines I can use
> 	(something){3,4}
> However, I have never seen routines with the ability to use 
> these two constructs together, such as
> 	(x|y|(z){4,5})
> 
If no one else admits to one, I once modified Henry Spencer's regexp package
(which has the first feature) to include the second feature (like System V).
I should probably clean it up and test it more before handing it out (Henry's
code was of excellent quality, and I wouldn't want to embarass myself :-),
but it is available (though perhaps I should send it to him and let him
worry about it (as if he isn't busy enough already, what with being months
behind summarizing Aviation Leak :-)).



-- 
John Woods, Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA, (508) 626-1101
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