Looks like a straightforward translation to me. '0' goes to '\d', '9' goes to '\d?', and so on. I'd do a one-to-one translation first and then run it through some an optimizer ('\d\d\d\d' becomes '\d{4}', for instance). Put the resulting string in a qr// and pass it back, ready to be matched.

Better yet, run the result through YAPE::Regex::Explain to show them how to do it properly. Like many things in VB, input masks are too simple for their own good, and you pay the price for this simplicity with overall more complex code.

----
: () { :|:& };:

Note: All code is untested, unless otherwise stated


In reply to Re: Inputmask based variable validation by hardburn
in thread Inputmask based variable validation by simon.proctor

Title:
Use:  <p> text here (a paragraph) </p>
and:  <code> code here </code>
to format your post, it's "PerlMonks-approved HTML":



  • Posts are HTML formatted. Put <p> </p> tags around your paragraphs. Put <code> </code> tags around your code and data!
  • Titles consisting of a single word are discouraged, and in most cases are disallowed outright.
  • Read Where should I post X? if you're not absolutely sure you're posting in the right place.
  • Please read these before you post! —
  • Posts may use any of the Perl Monks Approved HTML tags:
    a, abbr, b, big, blockquote, br, caption, center, col, colgroup, dd, del, details, div, dl, dt, em, font, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, hr, i, ins, li, ol, p, pre, readmore, small, span, spoiler, strike, strong, sub, summary, sup, table, tbody, td, tfoot, th, thead, tr, tt, u, ul, wbr
  • You may need to use entities for some characters, as follows. (Exception: Within code tags, you can put the characters literally.)
            For:     Use:
    & &amp;
    < &lt;
    > &gt;
    [ &#91;
    ] &#93;
  • Link using PerlMonks shortcuts! What shortcuts can I use for linking?
  • See Writeup Formatting Tips and other pages linked from there for more info.