How about this?

#! perl use strict; use warnings; use YAPE::Regex::Explain; my $re = qr/(.)+/; print YAPE::Regex::Explain->new($re)->explain;

Output:

The regular expression: (?-imsx:(.)+) matches as follows: NODE EXPLANATION ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (?-imsx: group, but do not capture (case-sensitive) (with ^ and $ matching normally) (with . not matching \n) (matching whitespace and # normally): ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ( group and capture to \1 (1 or more times (matching the most amount possible)): ---------------------------------------------------------------------- . any character except \n ---------------------------------------------------------------------- )+ end of \1 (NOTE: because you are using a quantifier on this capture, only the LAST repetition of the captured pattern will be stored in \1) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ) end of grouping ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Not strictly documentation, but certainly confirmation that “Captures with quantifiers only return the last match.”

Update: Here is the official documentation:

/(\d)(\d)/ # Match two digits, capturing them into $1 and $2 /(\d+)/ # Match one or more digits, capturing them all into $1 /(\d)+/ # Match a digit one or more times, capturing the last into + $1

Note the difference between the second and third patterns. The second form is usually what you want. The third form does not create multiple variables for multiple digits. Parentheses are numbered when the pattern is compiled, not when it is matched.

The Camel Book, 4th edition, pages 221–222.

Athanasius <°(((><contra mundum


In reply to Re^2: pattern matching by Athanasius
in thread pattern matching by perltux

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