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  3. I love regular expressions

I love regular expressions

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designcomgraphicsiot
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  • D David ONeil

    How the hell would someone know that "[0-9]{1,3}" is enough to find sequential numbers in Microsoft Word? How the hell did I find that magic? Every regular expression seems to require a convoluted google search. Crazy world...

    Our Forgotten Astronomy | Object Oriented Programming with C++ | Wordle solver

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    trønderen
    wrote on last edited by
    #3

    If you give programmers super-compact notation, such as APL, they scream in horror: That is unreadable cryptic! If you give them readable regular expressions, such as in SNOBOL, they scream in horror: That takes at least twice as many keystrokes! The rule is simple: If we have learned the cryptics, it is excellent. Otherwise it is detestable. Obligatory URL: Geek&Poke: Yesterday's regex[^]

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    • H honey the codewitch

      At least the non-backtracking subset. DFA regular expressions. - they are a compact way to describe a simple syntax - they are plain text and brief, easily communicatable and transferable - they are cross platform (at least DFA), running in most any engine - they are incredibly efficient (again, DFA) - they are versatile, able to do validation, tokenization, and matching as well That's probably why they will always be with us. They are maybe the perfect canonical execution of a Chomsky type 3 language. Sure, they can be really terse, but this is as much a strength as it is a weakness, because it facilitates some of the above. I know some people hate them, and I can understand that. But show me a better way.

      Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

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      jmaida
      wrote on last edited by
      #4

      how about natural language to regex translator? such a thing? i am checking.

      "A little time, a little trouble, your better day" Badfinger

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      • H honey the codewitch

        At least the non-backtracking subset. DFA regular expressions. - they are a compact way to describe a simple syntax - they are plain text and brief, easily communicatable and transferable - they are cross platform (at least DFA), running in most any engine - they are incredibly efficient (again, DFA) - they are versatile, able to do validation, tokenization, and matching as well That's probably why they will always be with us. They are maybe the perfect canonical execution of a Chomsky type 3 language. Sure, they can be really terse, but this is as much a strength as it is a weakness, because it facilitates some of the above. I know some people hate them, and I can understand that. But show me a better way.

        Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

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        Ron Anders
        wrote on last edited by
        #5

        They should be called irregular expressions. :-D

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        • H honey the codewitch

          At least the non-backtracking subset. DFA regular expressions. - they are a compact way to describe a simple syntax - they are plain text and brief, easily communicatable and transferable - they are cross platform (at least DFA), running in most any engine - they are incredibly efficient (again, DFA) - they are versatile, able to do validation, tokenization, and matching as well That's probably why they will always be with us. They are maybe the perfect canonical execution of a Chomsky type 3 language. Sure, they can be really terse, but this is as much a strength as it is a weakness, because it facilitates some of the above. I know some people hate them, and I can understand that. But show me a better way.

          Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

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          raddevus
          wrote on last edited by
          #6

          The following quote is the only good thing I've found in relation to RegEx...

          Anonymous Dev said:

          Some people, when confronted with a problem, think "I know, I'll use a RegEx." Now they have two problems.

          :rolleyes:

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          • J jmaida

            how about natural language to regex translator? such a thing? i am checking.

            "A little time, a little trouble, your better day" Badfinger

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            Mike Hankey
            wrote on last edited by
            #7

            COBOL?

            As the aircraft designer said, "Simplicate and add lightness". PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - Release Version 1.3.0 JaxCoder.com Latest Article: SimpleWizardUpdate

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            • R Ron Anders

              They should be called irregular expressions. :-D

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              Mike Hankey
              wrote on last edited by
              #8

              Ron Anders wrote:

              They should be called irregular expressions.

              Or ChineseExpressions, because I'll become more proficient in Chinese before RegEx!

              As the aircraft designer said, "Simplicate and add lightness". PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - Release Version 1.3.0 JaxCoder.com Latest Article: SimpleWizardUpdate

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              • T trønderen

                If you give programmers super-compact notation, such as APL, they scream in horror: That is unreadable cryptic! If you give them readable regular expressions, such as in SNOBOL, they scream in horror: That takes at least twice as many keystrokes! The rule is simple: If we have learned the cryptics, it is excellent. Otherwise it is detestable. Obligatory URL: Geek&Poke: Yesterday's regex[^]

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                honey the codewitch
                wrote on last edited by
                #9

                I don't understand why it's difficult - DFA at least. DFA is () [] * + . | That's not a whole lot to master.

                Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

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                • M Mike Hankey

                  COBOL?

                  As the aircraft designer said, "Simplicate and add lightness". PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - Release Version 1.3.0 JaxCoder.com Latest Article: SimpleWizardUpdate

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                  jmaida
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #10

                  :) close cobol brings back a lot programming memories

                  "A little time, a little trouble, your better day" Badfinger

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                  • H honey the codewitch

                    At least the non-backtracking subset. DFA regular expressions. - they are a compact way to describe a simple syntax - they are plain text and brief, easily communicatable and transferable - they are cross platform (at least DFA), running in most any engine - they are incredibly efficient (again, DFA) - they are versatile, able to do validation, tokenization, and matching as well That's probably why they will always be with us. They are maybe the perfect canonical execution of a Chomsky type 3 language. Sure, they can be really terse, but this is as much a strength as it is a weakness, because it facilitates some of the above. I know some people hate them, and I can understand that. But show me a better way.

                    Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

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                    StarNamer work
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #11

                    RegExes are like any other tool/language. Great if you've learned how to use it, otherwise you're likely to get annoyed. Many people here probably touch type, but the first time you used a keyboard you possibly thought "why can't they just put the letters in alphabetical order so they're easy to find?" :)

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                    • M Mike Hankey

                      COBOL?

                      As the aircraft designer said, "Simplicate and add lightness". PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - Release Version 1.3.0 JaxCoder.com Latest Article: SimpleWizardUpdate

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                      J Offline
                      jmaida
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #12

                      need regex to natural language and vice versa

                      "A little time, a little trouble, your better day" Badfinger

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                      • S StarNamer work

                        RegExes are like any other tool/language. Great if you've learned how to use it, otherwise you're likely to get annoyed. Many people here probably touch type, but the first time you used a keyboard you possibly thought "why can't they just put the letters in alphabetical order so they're easy to find?" :)

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                        Mircea Neacsu
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #13

                        StarNamer@work wrote:

                        "why can't they just put the letters in alphabetical order so they're easy to find?"

                        A better question is "why are we so enslaved to tradition that we keep using a layout optimized for the Remington No 2 mechanical typewriter over 100 years ago?" And, please, don't get me started on the sexagesimal system used for time and degrees! :D

                        Mircea

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                        • H honey the codewitch

                          At least the non-backtracking subset. DFA regular expressions. - they are a compact way to describe a simple syntax - they are plain text and brief, easily communicatable and transferable - they are cross platform (at least DFA), running in most any engine - they are incredibly efficient (again, DFA) - they are versatile, able to do validation, tokenization, and matching as well That's probably why they will always be with us. They are maybe the perfect canonical execution of a Chomsky type 3 language. Sure, they can be really terse, but this is as much a strength as it is a weakness, because it facilitates some of the above. I know some people hate them, and I can understand that. But show me a better way.

                          Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

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                          Kenneth Haugland
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #14

                          Stay away from the vodka!!! Clinton Yeltsin disaster - YouTube[^] :laugh: I do like regular expressions too. But they often turn out to be very complicated to read and error-check.

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                          • J jmaida

                            how about natural language to regex translator? such a thing? i am checking.

                            "A little time, a little trouble, your better day" Badfinger

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                            GuyThiebaut
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #15

                            I used ChatGPT precisely for that and it returned a decent regex with an explanation. I needed to word my question in a manner that was generic but the result was actually helpful.

                            “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

                            ― Christopher Hitchens

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                            • H honey the codewitch

                              I don't understand why it's difficult - DFA at least. DFA is () [] * + . | That's not a whole lot to master.

                              Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

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                              Nelek
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #16

                              Only because there are few operators it doesn't mean it is easy. Binary is only 0 and 1, and look at what can be done with it. :rolleyes: :-D

                              M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.

                              1 Reply Last reply
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                              • H honey the codewitch

                                I don't understand why it's difficult - DFA at least. DFA is () [] * + . | That's not a whole lot to master.

                                Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

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                                pivertt
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #17

                                Thx, learned something new today!

                                the funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything it's to late to stop reading it

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                                • J jmaida

                                  :) close cobol brings back a lot programming memories

                                  "A little time, a little trouble, your better day" Badfinger

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                                  Daniel Pfeffer
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #18

                                  jmaida wrote:

                                  COBOL brings back a lot of programming memories

                                  ... and a good therapist helped me deal with them. :)

                                  Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. -- 6079 Smith W.

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                                  • H honey the codewitch

                                    At least the non-backtracking subset. DFA regular expressions. - they are a compact way to describe a simple syntax - they are plain text and brief, easily communicatable and transferable - they are cross platform (at least DFA), running in most any engine - they are incredibly efficient (again, DFA) - they are versatile, able to do validation, tokenization, and matching as well That's probably why they will always be with us. They are maybe the perfect canonical execution of a Chomsky type 3 language. Sure, they can be really terse, but this is as much a strength as it is a weakness, because it facilitates some of the above. I know some people hate them, and I can understand that. But show me a better way.

                                    Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

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                                    Wizard of Sleeves
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #19

                                    Becoming fluent in regex is they first step to becoming a wizard. But a word of warning, never say them out loud, as there is a very good chance you will summon an evil demon (not daemon).

                                    Nothing succeeds like a budgie without teeth. To err is human, to arr is pirate.

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                                    • R Ron Anders

                                      They should be called irregular expressions. :-D

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                                      giulicard
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #20

                                      Joking aside, more trivially I believe the term "regular" refers to the third level of Chomsky's hierarchy, which, precisely, is defined as Type3-Regular. DFA (Deterministic Finite Automaton) are FSA (Finite State Automaton).

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                                      • P pivertt

                                        Thx, learned something new today!

                                        the funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything it's to late to stop reading it

                                        P Offline
                                        P Offline
                                        Paul Sanders the other one
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #21

                                        Love your sig 🤣🤣🤣

                                        Paul Sanders. If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter - Blaise Pascal. Some of my best work is in the undo buffer.

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                                        • M Mircea Neacsu

                                          StarNamer@work wrote:

                                          "why can't they just put the letters in alphabetical order so they're easy to find?"

                                          A better question is "why are we so enslaved to tradition that we keep using a layout optimized for the Remington No 2 mechanical typewriter over 100 years ago?" And, please, don't get me started on the sexagesimal system used for time and degrees! :D

                                          Mircea

                                          P Offline
                                          P Offline
                                          Paul Sanders the other one
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #22

                                          Take my QWERTY keyboard away? Over my dead body!

                                          Paul Sanders. If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter - Blaise Pascal. Some of my best work is in the undo buffer.

                                          1 Reply Last reply
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