I have a fairly complex regexp, consisting of 9 match groups one of which has to match. I'm using copies of the exact same regexp in 4 different spots. All of them should match the same text. However, in one spot I want to access the match parameters as in $1 to $9, while in the other spots only one parameter ($3) and $`, $&, and $' are used.

How do I abstract a regexp so I only need to define and update it in one spot, but still be able to access the capture match groups anyway?

I tried storing the regexp pattern in a string variable then use that variable in the search, but I don't know how to correctly set the variable to a multi-line string (using a here document?) and use that for the pattern. Below is a dump of the working code, then the failing code and the error messages:

Working: 
            while (not $second and $linking =~
              /(\bINT\s?[0-9A-Fa-f]{2}[Hh]?
                (?:\/(?:E?[ABCD][XHL]|E?[SD]I|E?[SB]P|[DESC]S)=[0-9A-F
+a-f]{2,}[Hh]?)+
                (?:\"[^"]+\")?
               )
              |(\bINT\s?[0-9A-Fa-f]{2}[Hh]?
                (?:\"[^"]+\")?
               )
              |(\b(?:E?A[XHL])=[0-9A-Fa-f]{2,}[Hh]?
                (?:\/(?:E?[ABCD][XHL]|E?[SD]I|E?[SB]P|[DESC]S)=[0-9A-F
+a-f]{2,}[Hh]?)*
                (?:\"[^"]+\")?
               )
              |(\#[0-9A-Z][0-9]{4}\b)
              |(\bMEM\s?[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?:[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]
+?
                (?:\"[^"]+\")?
               )
              |(\bMEM\s?[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,8}[Hh]?
                (?:\"[^"]+\")?
               )
              |(\@[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?:[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?
                (?:\"[^"]+\")?
               )
              |(\bPORT\s?[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?-[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh
+]?
                (?:\"[^"]+\")?
               )
              |(\bPORT\s?[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?
                (?:\"[^"]+\")?
               )
              /x) {
              my $intplus = $1;
              my $intonly = $2;
              my $regonly = $3;
              if (defined $regonly and not defined $int) {
                if (defined $link) {
                  print_or_errorline("Entered reg only link without im
+plicit INT");
                  return;
                }
                $maskhighlight .= " " x (length($`) + length($&));
                $linking = $';
                next;
              }
              my $table = $4;
              my $mem_16_16 = $5;
              my $mem_32 = $6;
              my $call = $7;
              my $portrange = $8;
              my $portsingle = $9;
              $maskhighlight .= " " x length $`;

[download]
Failing: 
            my $linkpattern = <<PATTERNEND;
              (\bINT\s?[0-9A-Fa-f]{2}[Hh]?
                (?:\/(?:E?[ABCD][XHL]|E?[SD]I|E?[SB]P|[DESC]S)=[0-9A-F
+a-f]{2,}[Hh]?)+
                (?:\"[^\"]+\")?
               )
              |(\bINT\s?[0-9A-Fa-f]{2}[Hh]?
                (?:\"[^\"]+\")?
               )
              |(\b(?:E?A[XHL])=[0-9A-Fa-f]{2,}[Hh]?
                (?:\/(?:E?[ABCD][XHL]|E?[SD]I|E?[SB]P|[DESC]S)=[0-9A-F
+a-f]{2,}[Hh]?)*
                (?:\"[^\"]+\")?
               )
              |(\#[0-9A-Z][0-9]{4}\b)
              |(\bMEM\s?[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?:[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]
+?
                (?:\"[^\"]+\")?
               )
              |(\bMEM\s?[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,8}[Hh]?
                (?:\"[^\"]+\")?
               )
              |(\@[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?:[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?
                (?:\"[^\"]+\")?
               )
              |(\bPORT\s?[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?-[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh
+]?
                (?:\"[^\"]+\")?
               )
              |(\bPORT\s?[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?
                (?:\"[^\"]+\")?
               )
PATTERNEND
            while (not $second and $linking =~
              /$linkpattern/x) {
              my $intplus = $1;
              my $intonly = $2;
              my $regonly = $3;
              if (defined $regonly and not defined $int) {
                if (defined $link) {
                  print_or_errorline("Entered reg only link without im
+plicit INT");
                  return;
                }
                $maskhighlight .= " " x (length($`) + length($&));
                $linking = $';
                next;
              }
              my $table = $4;
              my $mem_16_16 = $5;
              my $mem_32 = $6;
              my $call = $7;
              my $portrange = $8;
              my $portsingle = $9;
              $maskhighlight .= " " x length $`;

[download]
My program uses curses for a TUI, so I redirected stderr to a file to capture perl error messages: 
Unrecognized escape \s passed through at /home/[user]/proj/tractest/in
+tlist.pl line 419.
Unrecognized escape \s passed through at /home/[user]/proj/tractest/in
+tlist.pl line 419.
Unrecognized escape \s passed through at /home/[user]/proj/tractest/in
+tlist.pl line 419.
Unrecognized escape \s passed through at /home/[user]/proj/tractest/in
+tlist.pl line 419.
Unrecognized escape \s passed through at /home/[user]/proj/tractest/in
+tlist.pl line 419.
Unrecognized escape \s passed through at /home/[user]/proj/tractest/in
+tlist.pl line 419.
Unmatched ( in regex; marked by <-- HERE in m/              INTs?[0-9A
+-Fa-f]{2}[Hh]?
                (?:/(?:E?[ABCD][XHL]|E?[SD]I|E?[SB]P|[DESC]S)=[0-9A-Fa
+-f]{2,}[Hh]?)+
                (?:"[^"]+")?
               )
              |INTs?[0-9A-Fa-f]{2}[Hh]?
                (?:"[^"]+")?
               )
              |(?:E?A[XHL])=[0-9A-Fa-f]{2,}[Hh]?
                (?:/(?:E?[ABCD][XHL]|E?[SD]I|E?[SB]P|[DESC]S)=[0-9A-Fa
+-f]{2,}[Hh]?)*
                (?:"[^"]+")?
               )
              |(#[0-9A-Z][0-9]{4)
               <-- HERE |MEMs?[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?:[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,
+4}[Hh]?
                (?:"[^"]+")?
               )
              |MEMs?[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,8}[Hh]?
                (?:"[^"]+")?
               )
              |(@[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?:[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?
                (?:"[^"]+")?
               )
              |PORTs?[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?-[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?
                (?:"[^"]+")?
               )
              |PORTs?[0-9A-Fa-fXx]{1,4}[Hh]?
                (?:"[^"]+")?
               )
/ at /home/[user]/proj/tractest/intlist.pl line 447, <$array_lstff[...
+]> line 197305.

[download]

In reply to Reusing a complex regexp in multiple spots, escaping the regexp by ecm

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