update: after trying some stuff I get the same results as posted above.. his expect data just doesn't have a pattern i guess. my comments seem to apply to demerphq's Left-to-Right solution.

I think that the OP is trying to say that he first wants to scan the string for irregularities. Meaning: take the string "MCMXCVI", if you scan it based on the model "MDCLXVI", when he finds the M the first time, he wants to neglect any character other than the D, if that character is found in the string. After that he wants to proceed the scanning starting from the position where he found the D, or at failure, start at the next character.

In our example, the D doesn't exist, so after the finding the M, he'll start at position two in the string and he wants to start looking if there's a C. We find two of them, he wants to take the first one and neglect the second one. At the position of C, he wants to start looking if a L exists... and so on.

When everything is scanned, he just wants to print it out in a nice way.

well, that's what I see by looking at the data he provided...

BUT, i'm too lazy to write the code, it's weekend and I'm going to my horses. The weather is perfect now for a nice ride in the woods ;-)

have fun!

to ask a question is a moment of shame
to remain ignorant is a lifelong shame

In reply to Re: Help with a Regex by insaniac
in thread Help with a Regex by planetscape

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