How about or-ing the regexp then?

my ($match) = $string =~ /<(ab)>|(ab)/;
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This will capture <ab> into $1 and ab into $2 - This means that $match will not capture ab.

As our friend notes, you mean:

my ($match) = $string =~ /(<ab>|ab)/;
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Update: Ok, I didn't read the spec carefully enough, I think this will do it:

my ($match) = $string =~ /(?!<ab[^>]|[^<]ab>)<?(ab)>?/
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But I'd probably split it into two regexes.

I'm talking twaddle, anyone else want a go?


davis

It's not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to fit in eight hours of TV a day.

This is close, but I don't want to capture the surrounding brackets.