path: root/doc/manual.txt

.. role:: funcdef(literal)

Lrexlib 2.5 Reference Manual
============================

.. contents:: Table of Contents

------------------------------------------------------------

**Lrexlib** builds into shared libraries called by default *rex_posix.so*,
*rex_pcre.so*, *rex_gnu.so*, *rex_tre.so* and *rex_onig.so*, which can be used with
*require*.

------------------------------------------------------------

Notes
~~~~~

1. Most functions and methods in Lrexlib have mandatory and optional arguments.
   There are no dependencies between arguments in Lrexlib's functions and
   methods. Any optional argument can be supplied as ``nil`` (or omitted if it
   is a trailing argument), the library will then use the default value for that
   argument.

2. This document uses the following syntax for optional arguments: they are
   bracketed separately, and commas are left outside brackets, e.g.::

    MyFunc (arg1, arg2, [arg3], [arg4])

3. Throughout this document (unless it causes ambiguity), the identifier **rex**
   is used in place of either *rex_posix*, *rex_pcre*, *rex_gnu*, *rex_onig* or
   *rex_tre*, which are the default namespaces for the corresponding libraries.

4. All functions that take a regular expression pattern as an argument will
   generate an error if that pattern is found invalid by the regex library.

5. All functions that take a string-type regex argument accept a compiled regex
   too. In this case, the cf_ and larg_ arguments are ignored (should
   be either supplied as nils or omitted).

.. _cf:

6. The default value for *compilation flags* (*cf*) that Lrexlib uses when
   the parameter is not supplied or ``nil`` is:

     * REG_EXTENDED for POSIX and TRE
     * 0 for PCRE
     * ONIG_OPTION_NONE for Oniguruma
     * SYNTAX_POSIX_EXTENDED for GNU

   **PCRE**, **Oniguruma**: *cf* may also be supplied as a string, whose
   characters stand for compilation flags. Combinations of the following
   characters (case sensitive) are supported:

      ===============   ==================   ==============================
       **Character**      **PCRE flag**        **Oniguruma flag**
      ===============   ==================   ==============================
       **i**              PCRE_CASELESS       ONIG_OPTION_IGNORECASE
       **m**              PCRE_MULTILINE      ONIG_OPTION_NEGATE_SINGLELINE
       **s**              PCRE_DOTALL         ONIG_OPTION_MULTILINE
       **x**              PCRE_EXTENDED       ONIG_OPTION_EXTEND
       **U**              PCRE_UNGREEDY       n/a
       **X**              PCRE_EXTRA          n/a
      ===============   ==================   ==============================

.. _ef:

7. The default value for *execution flags* (*ef*) that Lrexlib uses when
   the parameter is not supplied or ``nil``, is:

     * 0 for standard POSIX regex library
     * REG_STARTEND for those POSIX regex libraries that support it,
       e.g. Spencer's.
     * 0 for PCRE, Oniguruma and TRE

.. _larg:

8. The notation *larg...* is used to indicate optional library-specific
   arguments, which are documented in the ``new`` method of each library.

------------------------------------------------------------

Functions and methods common to all bindings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

match
-----

:funcdef:`rex.match (subj, patt, [init], [cf], [ef], [larg...])`

or

:funcdef:`r:match (subj, [init], [ef])`

The function searches for the first match of the regexp *patt* in the string
*subj*, starting from offset *init*, subject to flags *cf* and *ef*.

  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |Parameter|        Description            |  Type  |Default Value|
  +=========+===============================+========+=============+
  |    r    |regex object produced by new   |userdata|     n/a     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  subj   |          subject              | string |     n/a     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  patt   |regular expression pattern     |string  |     n/a     |
  |         |                               |or      |             |
  |         |                               |userdata|             |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  | [init]  |start offset in the subject    | number |      1      |
  |         |(can be negative)              |        |             |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [cf]   |compilation flags (bitwise OR) | number |     cf_     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [ef]   |execution flags (bitwise OR)   | number |     ef_     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |[larg...]|library-specific arguments     |        |             |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+

**Returns on success:**
  1. All substring matches ("captures"), in the order they appear in the
     pattern. ``false`` is returned for sub-patterns that did not participate in
     the match. If the pattern specified no captures then the whole matched
     substring is returned.

**Returns on failure:**
  1. ``nil``

------------------------------------------------------------

find
----

:funcdef:`rex.find (subj, patt, [init], [cf], [ef], [larg...])`

or

:funcdef:`r:find (subj, [init], [ef])`

The function searches for the first match of the regexp *patt* in the string
*subj*, starting from offset *init*, subject to flags *cf* and *ef*.

  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |Parameter|        Description            |  Type  |Default Value|
  +=========+===============================+========+=============+
  |    r    |regex object produced by new   |userdata|     n/a     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  subj   |subject                        | string |     n/a     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  patt   |regular expression pattern     |string  |     n/a     |
  |         |                               |or      |             |
  |         |                               |userdata|             |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  | [init]  |start offset in the subject    | number |      1      |
  |         |(can be negative)              |        |             |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [cf]   |compilation flags (bitwise OR) | number |      cf_    |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [ef]   |execution flags (bitwise OR)   | number |      ef_    |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |[larg...]|library-specific arguments     |        |             |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+

**Returns on success:**
  1. The start point of the match (a number).
  2. The end point of the match (a number).
  3. All substring matches ("captures"), in the order they appear in the
     pattern. ``false`` is returned for sub-patterns that did not participate in
     the match.

**Returns on failure:**
  1. ``nil``

------------------------------------------------------------

gmatch
------

:funcdef:`rex.gmatch (subj, patt, [cf], [ef], [larg...])`

The function is intended for use in the *generic for* Lua construct.
It returns an iterator for repeated matching of the pattern *patt* in
the string *subj*, subject to flags *cf* and *ef*.

  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |Parameter|      Description              | Type   |Default Value|
  +=========+===============================+========+=============+
  |  subj   |subject                        |string  |     n/a     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  patt   |regular expression pattern     |string  |     n/a     |
  |         |                               |or      |             |
  |         |                               |userdata|             |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [cf]   |compilation flags (bitwise OR) |number  |     cf_     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [ef]   |execution flags (bitwise OR)   |number  |     ef_     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |[larg...]|library-specific arguments     |        |             |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+

The iterator function is called by Lua. On every iteration (that is, on every
match), it returns all captures in the order they appear in the pattern (or the
entire match if the pattern specified no captures). The iteration will continue
till the subject fails to match.

------------------------------------------------------------

gsub
----

:funcdef:`rex.gsub (subj, patt, repl, [n], [cf], [ef], [larg...])`

This function searches for all matches of the pattern *patt* in the string
*subj* and replaces them according to the parameters *repl* and *n* (see details
below).

  +---------+-----------------------------------+-------------------------+-------------+
  |Parameter|       Description                 |          Type           |Default Value|
  +=========+===================================+=========================+=============+
  |  subj   |subject                            |         string          |     n/a     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+-------------------------+-------------+
  |  patt   |regular expression pattern         |string or userdata       |     n/a     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+-------------------------+-------------+
  |  repl   |substitution source                |string, function or table|     n/a     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+-------------------------+-------------+
  |   [n]   |maximum number of matches to search| number or function      |   ``nil``   |
  |         |for, or control function, or nil   |                         |             |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+-------------------------+-------------+
  |  [cf]   |compilation flags (bitwise OR)     |         number          |     cf_     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+-------------------------+-------------+
  |  [ef]   |execution flags (bitwise OR)       |         number          |     ef_     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+-------------------------+-------------+
  |[larg...]|library-specific arguments         |                         |             |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+-------------------------+-------------+

**Returns:**
  1. The subject string with the substitutions made.
  2. Number of matches found.
  3. Number of substitutions made.

**Details:**
  The parameter *repl* can be either a string, a function or a table.
  On each match made, it is converted into a value *repl_out* that may be used
  for the replacement.

  *repl_out* is generated differently depending on the type of *repl*:

  1. If *repl* is a *string* then it is treated as a template for substitution,
     where the %X occurences in *repl* are handled in a special way, depending
     on the value of the character X:

    * if X represents a digit, then each %X occurence is substituted by the
      value of the X-th submatch (capture), with the following cases handled
      specially:

      * each %0 is substituted by the entire match
      * if the pattern contains no captures, then each %1 is substituted by the
        entire match
      * any other %X where X is greater than the number of captures in the
        pattern will generate an error ("invalid capture index")
      * if the pattern does contain a capture with number X but that capture
        didn't participate in the match, then %X is substituted by an empty
        string

    * if X is any non-digit character then %X is substituted by X

    All parts of *repl* other than %X are copied to *repl_out* verbatim.

  2. If *repl* is a *function* then it is called on each match with the
     submatches passed as parameters (if there are no submatches then the entire
     match is passed as the only parameter). *repl_out* is the return value of
     the *repl* call, and is interpreted as follows:

    * if it is a string or a number (coerced to a string), then the replacement
      value is that string;
    * if it is a ``nil`` or a ``false``, then no replacement is to be done;

  3. If *repl* is a table then *repl_out* is *repl* [m1], where m1 is the first
     submatch (or the entire match if there are no submatches), following the
     same rules as for the return value of *repl* call, described in the above
     paragraph.

  Note: Under some circumstances, the value of *repl_out* may be ignored; see
  below_.

  gsub behaves differently depending on the type of *n*:

  1. If *n* is a *number* then it is treated as the maximum number of matches
     to search for (an omitted or ``nil`` value means an unlimited number of
     matches). On each match, the replacement value is the *repl_out* string
     (see above).

.. _below:

  2. If *n* is a function, then it is called on each match, after *repl_out* is
     produced (so if *repl* is a function, it will be called prior to the *n*
     call).

     *n* receives 3 arguments and returns 2 values. Its arguments are:

       1. The start offset of the match (a number)
       2. The end offset of the match (a number)
       3. *repl_out*

     The type of its first return controls the replacement produced by gsub for
     the current match:

       * ``true`` -- replace/don't replace, according to *repl_out*;
       * ``nil``/``false`` -- don't replace;
       * a string (or a number coerced to a string) -- replace by that string;

     The type of its second return controls gsub behavior after the current
     match is handled:

       * ``nil``/``false`` -- no changes: *n* will be called on the next match;
       * ``true`` -- search for an unlimited number of matches; *n* will not be
         called again;
       * a number -- maximum number of matches to search for, beginning from the
         next match; *n* will not be called again;

------------------------------------------------------------

split
-----

:funcdef:`rex.split (subj, sep, [cf], [ef], [larg...])`

The function is intended for use in the *generic for* Lua construct.
It is used for splitting a subject string *subj* into parts (*sections*).
The *sep* parameter is a regular expression pattern representing
**separators** between the sections.

The function returns an iterator for repeated matching of the pattern *sep* in
the string *subj*, subject to flags *cf* and *ef*.

  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |Parameter|      Description              | Type   |Default Value|
  +=========+===============================+========+=============+
  |  subj   |subject                        |string  |     n/a     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |   sep   |separator (regular expression  |string  |     n/a     |
  |         |pattern)                       |or      |             |
  |         |                               |userdata|             |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [cf]   |compilation flags (bitwise OR) |number  |     cf_     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [ef]   |execution flags (bitwise OR)   |number  |     ef_     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |[larg...]|library-specific arguments     |        |             |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+

**On every iteration pass, the iterator returns:**

  1. A subject section (can be an empty string), followed by
  2. All captures in the order they appear in the *sep* pattern (or the entire
     match if the *sep* pattern specified no captures). If there is no match
     (this can occur only in the last iteration), then nothing is returned after
     the subject section.

The iteration will continue till the end of the subject. Unlike gmatch_, there
will always be at least one iteration pass, even if there are no matches in the
subject.

------------------------------------------------------------

flags
-----

:funcdef:`rex.flags ([tb])`

This function returns a table containing the numeric values of the constants
defined by the used regex library, with the keys being the (string) names of the
constants. If the table argument *tb* is supplied then it is used as the output
table, otherwise a new table is created.

The constants contained in the returned table can then be used in most functions
and methods where *compilation flags* or *execution flags* can be specified.
They can also be used for comparing with return codes of some functions and
methods for determining the reason of failure. For details, see the relevant
regex library's documentation.

  +---------+--------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |Parameter|        Description             |  Type  |Default Value|
  +=========+================================+========+=============+
  |  [tb]   |a table for placing results into| table  |  ``nil``    |
  +---------+--------------------------------+--------+-------------+

**Returns:**
 1. A table filled with the results.

**Notes:**
The keys in the `tb` table are formed from the names of the corresponding
constants in the used library. They are formed as follows:

* **POSIX**, **TRE**: prefix REG\_ is omitted, e.g. REG_ICASE becomes ``"ICASE"``.
* **PCRE:** prefix PCRE\_ is omitted, e.g. PCRE_CASELESS becomes
  ``"CASELESS"``.
* **Oniguruma:** names of constants are converted to strings with no alteration,
  but for ONIG_OPTION_xxx constants, alias strings are created additionally,
  e.g., the value of ONIG_OPTION_IGNORECASE constant becomes accessible via
  either of two keys: ``"ONIG_OPTION_IGNORECASE"`` and ``"IGNORECASE"``.
* **GNU**: the GNU library provides the flags ``not_bol``, which stops a
  beginning-of-line anchor from matching at the start of a string, ``not_eol``,
  which stops an end-of-line anchor from matching at the end of a string, and
  ``backward`` which causes the search to be performed backwards (that is, the
  pattern is matched from positions starting at the end of the string; however,
  the matches themselves are still made forwards), as well as the RE_xxx syntax
  specifiers (as defined in regex.h), omitting the RE\_ prefix. For example,
  RE_SYNTAX_GREP becomes ``SYNTAX_GREP`` in Lua.

------------------------------------------------------------

new
---

:funcdef:`rex.new (patt, [cf], [larg...])`

The function compiles regular expression *patt* into a regular expression object
whose internal representation is corresponding to the library used. The returned
result then can be used by the methods, e.g. `tfind`_, `exec`_, etc. Regular
expression objects are automatically garbage collected. See the library-specific
documentation below for details of the library-specific arguments *larg...*, if
any.

  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |Parameter|        Description            |  Type  |Default Value|
  +=========+===============================+========+=============+
  |  patt   |regular expression pattern     | string |     n/a     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [cf]   |compilation flags (bitwise OR) | number |     cf_     |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |[larg...]|library-specific arguments     |        |             |
  +---------+-------------------------------+--------+-------------+

**Returns:**
 1. Compiled regular expression (a userdata).

------------------------------------------------------------

tfind
-----

:funcdef:`r:tfind (subj, [init], [ef])`

The method searches for the first match of the compiled regexp *r* in the
string *subj*, starting from offset *init*, subject to execution flags *ef*.

  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |Parameter|        Description                |  Type  |Default Value|
  +=========+===================================+========+=============+
  |    r    |regex object produced by new       |userdata|     n/a     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  subj   |subject                            | string |     n/a     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  | [init]  |start offset in the subject        | number |      1      |
  |         |(can be negative)                  |        |             |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [ef]   |execution flags (bitwise OR)       | number |     ef_     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+

**Returns on success:**
 1. The start point of the match (a number).
 2. The end point of the match (a number).
 3. Substring matches ("captures" in Lua terminology) are returned as a third
    result, in a table. This table contains ``false`` in the positions where the
    corresponding sub-pattern did not participate in the match.

    1. **PCRE**, **Oniguruma**: if *named subpatterns* are used then the table
       also contains substring matches keyed by their correspondent subpattern
       names (strings).

**Returns on failure:**
 1. ``nil``

------------------------------------------------------------

exec
----

:funcdef:`r:exec (subj, [init], [ef])`

The method searches for the first match of the compiled regexp *r* in the
string *subj*, starting from offset *init*, subject to execution flags *ef*.

  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |Parameter|        Description                |  Type  |Default Value|
  +=========+===================================+========+=============+
  |    r    |regex object produced by new       |userdata|     n/a     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  subj   |subject                            | string |     n/a     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  | [init]  |start offset in the subject        | number |      1      |
  |         |(can be negative)                  |        |             |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [ef]   |execution flags (bitwise OR)       | number |     ef_     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+

**Returns on success:**
 1. The start point of the first match (a number).
 2. The end point of the first match (a number).
 3. The offsets of substring matches ("captures" in Lua terminology) are
    returned as a third result, in a table. This table contains ``false`` in the
    positions where the corresponding sub-pattern did not participate in the
    match.

    1. **PCRE**, **Oniguruma**: if *named subpatterns* are used then the table
       also contains substring matches keyed by their correspondent subpattern
       names (strings).

**Returns on failure:**
 1. ``nil``

**Example:**
 If the whole match is at offsets 10,20 and substring matches are at offsets
 12,14 and 16,19 then the function returns the following: 10, 20,
 { 12,14,16,19 }.

------------------------------------------------------------

PCRE-only functions and methods
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

new
---

:funcdef:`rex.new (patt, [cf], [lo])`

The locale (*lo*) can be either a string (e.g., "French_France.1252"), or a
userdata obtained from a call to maketables_. The default value, used when the
parameter is not supplied or ``nil``, is the built-in PCRE set of character
tables.

dfa_exec
--------

[PCRE 6.0 and later. See *pcre_dfa_exec* in the PCRE docs.]

:funcdef:`r:dfa_exec (subj, [init], [ef], [ovecsize], [wscount])`

The method matches a compiled regular expression *r* against a given subject
string *subj*, using a DFA matching algorithm.

  +----------+-------------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |Parameter |                 Description         |  Type  |Default Value|
  +==========+=====================================+========+=============+
  |    r     |regex object produced by new         |userdata|     n/a     |
  +----------+-------------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  subj    |subject                              | string |     n/a     |
  +----------+-------------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  | [init]   |start offset in the subject          | number |      1      |
  |          |(can be negative)                    |        |             |
  +----------+-------------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |   [ef]   |execution flags (bitwise OR)         | number |     ef_     |
  +----------+-------------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |[ovecsize]|size of the array for result offsets | number |     100     |
  +----------+-------------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |[wscount] |number of elements in the working    | number |     50      |
  |          |space array                          |        |             |
  +----------+-------------------------------------+--------+-------------+

**Returns on success (either full or partial match):**
 1. The start point of the matches found (a number).
 2. A table containing the end points of the matches found, the longer matches
    first.
 3. The return value of the underlying *pcre_dfa_exec* call (a number).

**Returns on failure (no match):**
 1. ``nil``

**Example:**
 If there are 3 matches found starting at offset 10 and ending at offsets 15, 20
 and 25 then the function returns the following: 10, { 25,20,15 }, 3.

------------------------------------------------------------

maketables
----------

[See *pcre_maketables* in the PCRE docs.]

:funcdef:`rex_pcre.maketables ()`

Creates a set of character tables corresponding to the current locale and
returns it as a userdata. The returned value can be passed to any Lrexlib
function accepting the *locale* parameter.

------------------------------------------------------------

config
------

[PCRE 4.0 and later. See *pcre_config* in the PCRE docs.]

:funcdef:`rex_pcre.config ([tb])`

This function returns a table containing the values of the configuration
parameters used at PCRE library build-time. Those parameters (numbers) are
keyed by their names (strings). If the table argument *tb* is supplied then it
is used as the output table, else a new table is created.

------------------------------------------------------------

.. _version:

version
-------

[See *pcre_version* in the PCRE docs.]

:funcdef:`rex_pcre.version ()`

This function returns a string containing the version of the used PCRE library
and its release date.

------------------------------------------------------------

GNU-only functions and methods
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

new
---

:funcdef:`rex.new (patt, [cf], [tr])`

If the compilation flags (*cf*) are not supplied or ``nil``, the default syntax
is ``SYNTAX_POSIX_EXTENDED``. Note that this is not the same as passing a value
of zero, which is the same as ``SYNTAX_EMACS``.

The *translation* parameter (*tr*) is a map of eight-bit character codes (0 to
255 inclusive) to 8-bit characters (strings). If this parameter is given, the
pattern is translated at compilation time, and each string to be matched is
translated when it is being matched.


Oniguruma-only functions and methods
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

new
---

:funcdef:`rex.new (patt, [cf], [enc], [syn])`

The *encoding* parameter (*enc*) must be one of the predefined strings that are
formed from the ONIG_ENCODING_xxx identifiers defined in oniguruma.h, by means
of omitting the ONIG_ENCODING\_ part. For example, ONIG_ENCODING_UTF8 becomes
``"UTF8"`` on the Lua side. The default value, used when the parameter is not
supplied or ``nil``, is ``"ASCII"``.

If the caller-supplied value of this parameter is not one of the predefined
"encoding" string set, an error is raised.

The *syntax* parameter (*syn*) must be one of the predefined strings that are
formed from the ONIG_SYNTAX_xxx identifiers defined in oniguruma.h, by means of
omitting the ONIG_SYNTAX\_ part. For example, ONIG_SYNTAX_JAVA becomes
``"JAVA"`` on the Lua side. The default value, used when the parameter is not
supplied or ``nil``, is either ``"RUBY"`` (at start-up), or the value set by the
last setdefaultsyntax_ call.

If the caller-supplied value of `syntax` parameter is not one of the predefined
"syntax" string set, an error is raised.

setdefaultsyntax
----------------

:funcdef:`rex_onig.setdefaultsyntax (syntax)`

This function sets the default syntax for the Oniguruma library, according to the
value of the string syntax. The specified syntax will be further used for
interpreting string regex patterns by all relevant functions, unless the *syntax*
argument is passed to those functions explicitly.

**Returns:** nothing

**Examples:**

  1. ``rex_onig.setdefaultsyntax ("ASIS") -- use plain text syntax as the default``
  2. ``rex_onig.setdefaultsyntax ("PERL") -- use PERL regex syntax as the default``

------------------------------------------------------------

version
-------

[See *onig_version* in the Oniguruma docs.]

:funcdef:`rex_onig.version ()`

This function returns a string containing the version of the used Oniguruma
library.

------------------------------------------------------------

TRE-only functions and methods
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

new
---

:funcdef:`rex.new (patt, [cf])`

atfind
-------

:funcdef:`r:atfind (subj, params, [init], [ef])`

The method searches for the first match of the compiled regexp *r* in the
string *subj*, starting from offset *init*, subject to execution flags *ef*.

  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |Parameter|        Description                |  Type  |Default Value|
  +=========+===================================+========+=============+
  |    r    |regex object produced by new       |userdata|     n/a     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  subj   |subject                            | string |     n/a     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  | params  |Approximate matching parameters.   | table  |n/a          |
  |         |The values are integers.           |        |             |
  |         |The valid string key values are:   |        |(Default     |
  |         |``cost_ins``, ``cost_del``,        |        |value for    |
  |         |``cost_subst``, ``max_cost``,      |        |a missing    |
  |         |``max_ins``, ``max_del``,          |        |field is 0)  |
  |         |``max_subst``, ``max_err``         |        |             |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  | [init]  |start offset in the subject        | number |      1      |
  |         |(can be negative)                  |        |             |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [ef]   |execution flags (bitwise OR)       | number |     ef_     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+

**Returns on success:**
 1. The start point of the match (a number).
 2. The end point of the match (a number).
 3. Substring matches ("captures" in Lua terminology) are returned as a third
    result, in the array part of a table. Positions where the corresponding
    sub-pattern did not participate in the match contain ``false``.
    The hash part of the table contains additional information on the match,
    in the following fields: ``cost``, ``num_ins``, ``num_del`` and ``num_subst``.

**Returns on failure:**
 1. ``nil``

------------------------------------------------------------

aexec
------

:funcdef:`r:aexec (subj, params, [init], [ef])`

The method searches for the first match of the compiled regexp *r* in the
string *subj*, starting from offset *init*, subject to execution flags *ef*.

  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |Parameter|        Description                |  Type  |Default Value|
  +=========+===================================+========+=============+
  |    r    |regex object produced by new       |userdata|     n/a     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  subj   |subject                            | string |     n/a     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  | params  |Approximate matching parameters.   | table  |n/a          |
  |         |The values are integers.           |        |             |
  |         |The valid string key values are:   |        |(Default     |
  |         |``cost_ins``, ``cost_del``,        |        |value for    |
  |         |``cost_subst``, ``max_cost``,      |        |a missing    |
  |         |``max_ins``, ``max_del``,          |        |field is 0)  |
  |         |``max_subst``, ``max_err``         |        |             |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  | [init]  |start offset in the subject        | number |      1      |
  |         |(can be negative)                  |        |             |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [ef]   |execution flags (bitwise OR)       | number |     ef_     |
  +---------+-----------------------------------+--------+-------------+

**Returns on success:**
 1. The start point of the first match (a number).
 2. The end point of the first match (a number).
 3. The offsets of substring matches ("captures" in Lua terminology) are
    returned as a third result, in the array part of a table. Positions where
    the corresponding sub-pattern did not participate in the match contain
    ``false``. The hash part of the table contains additional information on
    the match, in the following fields: ``cost``, ``num_ins``, ``num_del`` and
    ``num_subst``.

**Returns on failure:**
 1. ``nil``

------------------------------------------------------------

have_approx
------------

:funcdef:`r:have_approx ()`

The method returns ``true`` if the compiled pattern uses approximate matching,
and ``false`` if not.

------------------------------------------------------------

have_backrefs
--------------

:funcdef:`r:have_backrefs ()`

The method returns ``true`` if the compiled pattern has back references,
and ``false`` if not.

------------------------------------------------------------

config
------

[See *tre_config* in the TRE docs.]

:funcdef:`rex_tre.config ([tb])`

This function returns a table containing the values of the configuration
parameters used at TRE library build-time. Those parameters are
keyed by their names. If the table argument *tb* is supplied then it
is used as the output table, else a new table is created.

------------------------------------------------------------

rex_tre.version
---------------

[See *tre_version* in the TRE docs.]

:funcdef:`rex_tre.version ()`

This function returns a string containing the version of the used TRE library.

------------------------------------------------------------

Other functions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

plainfind
---------

:funcdef:`rex.plainfind (subj, patt, [init], [ci])`

The function searches for the first match of the string *patt* in the subject
*subj*, starting from offset *init*.

  * The string *patt* is not regular expression, all its characters stand for
    themselves.
  * Both strings *subj* and *patt* can have embedded zeros.
  * The flag *ci* specifies case-insensitive search (current locale is used).
  * This function uses no regex library.

  +---------+---------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |Parameter|        Description        |  Type  |Default Value|
  +=========+===========================+========+=============+
  |  subj   |subject                    | string |     n/a     |
  +---------+---------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  patt   |text to find               | string |     n/a     |
  +---------+---------------------------+--------+-------------+
  | [init]  |start offset in the subject| number |      1      |
  |         |(can be negative)          |        |             |
  +---------+---------------------------+--------+-------------+
  |  [ci]   |case insensitive search    |boolean |  ``false``  |
  +---------+---------------------------+--------+-------------+

**Returns on success:**
  1. The start point of the match (a number).
  2. The end point of the match (a number).

**Returns on failure:**
  1. ``nil``

------------------------------------------------------------

Incompatibilities with previous versions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Incompatibilities between versions 2.2 and 2.1:**

  1. gsub_: a special "break" return of *repl* function is deprecated.
  #. (PCRE) gsub_, gmatch_: after finding an empty match at the current
     position, the functions try to find a non-empty match anchored to the same
     position.

**Incompatibilities between versions 2.1 and 2.0:**

  1. match_, find_, tfind_, exec_, dfa_exec_: only one value (a ``nil``) is
     returned when the subject does not match the pattern. Any other failure
     generates an error.

**Incompatibilities between versions 2.0 and 1.19:**

  1. Lua 5.1 is required
  #. Functions ``newPCRE`` and ``newPOSIX`` renamed to new
  #. Functions ``flagsPCRE`` and ``flagsPOSIX`` renamed to flags_
  #. Function ``versionPCRE`` renamed to version_
  #. Method ``match`` renamed to tfind_
  #. Method ``gmatch`` removed (similar functionality is provided by function
     gmatch_)
  #. Methods tfind_ and exec_: 2 values are returned on failure
  #. (PCRE) exec_: the returned table may additionally contain *named
     subpatterns*