PCRE is a good option. It is based on the Perl regexe, although there are some minor differences under the hood (which I do not remember now). I wrote my own C++ template regex some years ago that gives me full control of behavior in my personal projects. I used other libraries like PCRE, for comparison, in my test bed, to test for speed and accuracy. That is why I know that there are some minor differences on what one considers valid and invalid syntax (implementation differences or programmers mind set - who knows?). As for Cs ability to process strings or any other data type - it is very efficient. I used to be able to look a C-code and translate it, in my head, directly to the equivalent assembly code. What you are talking about is the standard C libraries, which were designed to provide only the simple low level functionality that programmers require to develop more complex algorithms (how many ways are there to write a 'strcmp' function?). It was left to others to provide libraries that required more than a simple 'for' or while 'loop' in their functions. That being said, when I find my self doing contract work on old C-code, where I am not allowed to upgrade or use external libraries, I recreate some simple algorithms for parsing (hey its their money, so who am I to argue with a brick wall). Basically, I create equivalent functions for parsing sub-strings like the regex "\d*" or "[abd]" and wrap them in a function call - depending on what I am looking for. What little testing I have done has actually shown me that they were more efficient than using the MS implementation of regex (not a surprise). Conclusion: C is the most efficient language I have ever work with - there is a reason that all of the modern operating systems, I have worked with, were written in C. (I have not checked lately, so it is possible that C++ snuck in their some were).
INTP "Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence." - Edsger Dijkstra "I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks. " - Daniel Boone
