Re(3): Regex Capturing: Is this a bug or a feature?

It has bitten me too, and I bet some other people too. I know about it know, and it is ok, but what really lacks is documentation about it.

I seem to recall that it triggers some awkvardness in solutions too, at times, as just because a regexp matches, it may not actually fill all of the $n variables, and old values may still be there, and that makes checking harder. I would have to get back on that with a real example though, in case it is my memory that fools me. :)

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Comment on Re(3): Regex Capturing: Is this a bug or a feature?

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Re: Re(3): Regex Capturing: Is this a bug or a feature? by shotgunefx (Parson) on Sep 30, 2002 at 09:37 UTC
I believe you're correct. I tried to verify my recollection and came up with something even stranger. `#!/usr/bin/perl # 5.6.1 use strict; use warnings; my @values = qw ( one var.1 test); getsymbolval(@values); ################################################# sub getsymbolval{ my @syms = @_; foreach my $symbol (@syms){ $symbol=~m/(\w+)(\.)?(\d+)/; print "symbol: $symbol\t\$1: $1\t\$2:$2\n"; my ($ts,$te) = ($1,$2); } wantarray ? @syms : $syms[0]; } __END__` [download] Output follows (minus uninitilized warnings): What's up with just 'v' being in the regex? symbol: one $1: $2: symbol: var.1 $1: var $2:. symbol: test $1: v $2: Very odd. -Lee "To be civilized is to deny one's nature."	[reply] [d/l]

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Re: Re(3): Regex Capturing: Is this a bug or a feature?
by shotgunefx (Parson) on Sep 30, 2002 at 09:37 UTC


#!/usr/bin/perl
# 5.6.1
use strict;
use warnings;
my @values = qw ( one  var.1 test);
getsymbolval(@values);

#################################################
sub getsymbolval{
    my @syms = @_;
    foreach my $symbol (@syms){
        $symbol=~m/(\w+)(\.)?(\d+)/;
        print "symbol: $symbol\t\$1: $1\t\$2:$2\n";
        my ($ts,$te) = ($1,$2);
    }
    wantarray ? @syms : $syms[0];
}

__END__
[download]

symbol: test $1: v

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