When the engine sees that it should try again because of the /g, it steps one character past where last it tried.

This explains why the final . in BrowserUk’s solution is not strictly necessary

Indeed. The final '.' is not necessary with Perl's regex engine.

But many other regex libraries -- including some that claim to be Perl-compatible -- do not have this pragmatic deviation from the classical regular expression operation; hence it has become a habit with me to do this explicitly.

With the rise and rise of 'Social' network sites: 'Computers are making people easier to use everyday'
Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.

In reply to Re^2: Lookahead assertion by BrowserUk
in thread Lookahead assertion by talexb

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