I just verified that CGI::Cookie v1.24 still contains that ineffectual regexp. Per the CGI::Cookie POD, "Address bug reports and comments to: lstein@cshl.org". Go for it. You might want to submit your report along with a recommended patch, if you want to get it implemented quicker.

I know that Lincoln is pretty aggressive about stamping bugs out of his modules.

The problem you're seeing is that the regexp engine is acting lazy. The following regexp seems to work for your test strings: 

s/\s*\b(.+)\b\s*/$1/

[download]

But it's probably better to anchor the regexp to the start and end of string, to draw it out to match the entire string. Even then it still just is a slightly ambiguous way to do things; to rely on greed outweighing non-greed. Especially when there are better ways to do it.

It is faster and more reliable to do it this way: 

s/^\s+//;
s/\s+$//;

[download]

Alternation could be used along with the /g modifier, but then you slow things down just a little.


Dave


"If I had my life to do over again, I'd be a plumber." -- Albert Einstein

In reply to Re: Weird Regex in CGI::Cookie by davido
in thread Weird Regex in CGI::Cookie by enoch

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