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Regular_Expressions
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Regular_Expressions [2019/02/03 11:16] ccstone [Software] |
Regular_Expressions [2021/10/19 22:34] peternlewis |
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| - | {{:regex-icon.png?nolink |}} | ||
| ====== Regular Expressions (RegEx) ====== | ====== Regular Expressions (RegEx) ====== | ||
| - | + | Keyboard Maestro uses [[https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/action/linkthru?regularexpressionreferenceoverview|ICU Regular Expressions]] (aka RegEx or RegExp) which is very similar to PCRE (Perl Compatible Regular Expressions), and you can read their [documentation](https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/action/linkthru?regularexpressionreference) by choosing ICU Regular Expression Reference from the Help menu in Keyboard Maestro. | |
| - | Keyboard Maestro uses [[http://userguide.icu-project.org/strings/regexp|ICU Regular Expressions]] (aka RegEx or RegExp) which is very similar to PCRE (Perl Compatible Regular Expressions), and you can read their [documentation](http://userguide.icu-project.org/strings/regexp#TOC-Regular-Expression-Metacharacters) by choosing ICU Regular Expression Reference from the Help menu in Keyboard Maestro. | + | |
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| ===== Search Modifiers ===== | ===== Search Modifiers ===== | ||
| - | The ICU calls these modifiers "[[http://userguide.icu-project.org/strings/regexp#TOC-Flag-Options|flag options]]". | + | The ICU calls these modifiers "[[https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/action/linkthru?regularexpressionreferenceflags|flag options]]". |
| The search modifier "Pattern to Use" shown below is placed at the very beginning of the Search/Find Regular Expression box.\\ | The search modifier "Pattern to Use" shown below is placed at the very beginning of the Search/Find Regular Expression box.\\ | ||
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| ^Purpose^Pattern to Use^Description^ | ^Purpose^Pattern to Use^Description^ | ||
| - | |Global|NONE|All searches are global in Keyboard Maestro.\\ This is often indicated in other tools by the `/g` modifier.| | + | |Global|NONE|The [[action:Search_using_Regular_Expression|Search using Regular Expression Action]] will return the _first_ match it finds in the source string.\\ In order to make it be a "global" search, you need to put this Action in a [[action:For_Each|For Each Action]] that uses the [ [[collection:Substrings_In|Substrings Matching in]] ] [[:Collections|Collection]]. This will loop through all matches found in the source string.\\ This is often indicated in other tools by the `/g` modifier.| |
| |Case Insensitive|`(?i)`|Matching will be in a case-insensitive manner.\\ In some Actions this is NOT necessary since the Action already provides an "ignoring case" option.| | |Case Insensitive|`(?i)`|Matching will be in a case-insensitive manner.\\ In some Actions this is NOT necessary since the Action already provides an "ignoring case" option.| | ||
| |Dot includes EOL|`(?s)`|A "`.`" in a pattern will match a line terminator in the input text. Note that a CR LF pair in text behave as a single line terminator, and will match a single "." in a RE pattern.| | |Dot includes EOL|`(?s)`|A "`.`" in a pattern will match a line terminator in the input text. Note that a CR LF pair in text behave as a single line terminator, and will match a single "." in a RE pattern.| | ||
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| * Use the form of `$<CG#>`, or `\<CG#>` (in ver 8+) in the Action Replace box, where `<CG#>` is the number for the capture group. | * Use the form of `$<CG#>`, or `\<CG#>` (in ver 8+) in the Action Replace box, where `<CG#>` is the number for the capture group. | ||
| * Examples: | * Examples: | ||
| - | * `$1, $2, $3` | + | * `$1`, `$2`, `$23` |
| - | * `\1, \2, \3` | + | * `${1}`, ${2}`, ${23}`, |
| + | * `${name}` - named capture group (v9.2+, 10.13+) | ||
| + | * `\1`, `\2`, `\3` - single digit only (v8.0+) | ||
| * This is the same as `\<CG#>` used in other apps/languages, like BBEdit. | * This is the same as `\<CG#>` used in other apps/languages, like BBEdit. | ||
| + | * The zeroth capture group (eg `$0`) is the entire match. | ||
| For more information, see [[https://www.regular-expressions.info/brackets.html | Capture Groups]]. | For more information, see [[https://www.regular-expressions.info/brackets.html | Capture Groups]]. | ||
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| ===== ICU 55+ Metacharacters ===== | ===== ICU 55+ Metacharacters ===== | ||
| - | For the currently complete list, see [ICU Regular Expression Metacharacters](http://userguide.icu-project.org/strings/regexp#TOC-Regular-Expression-Metacharacters). | + | For the currently complete list, see [ICU Regular Expression Metacharacters](https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/action/linkthru?regularexpressionreference). |
| - | + | ||
| - | **New Metacharacters Available in ICU 55+**(([ICU Regular Expression Metacharacters](http://userguide.icu-project.org/strings/regexp#TOC-Regular-Expression-Metacharacters))) | + | |
| [ICU 55](http://site.icu-project.org/download/55) was released on 2015-04-01, and is available in the follow software versions: | [ICU 55](http://site.icu-project.org/download/55) was released on 2015-04-01, and is available in the follow software versions: | ||
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| These Metacharacters offer some powerful solutions to long-standing RegEx problems. These can replace complicated RegEx patterns previously required, and are recommended for use if you are running the required versions. For example, `\h` and `\R`. ICU 55 is _not_ available in all RegEx engines. A notable exception is JavaScript (and JXA), even in High Sierra. So if you are using the native Keyboard Maestro Actions that use RegEx, it would be available, but not necessarily in Actions that use Execute Script in another language. It is available in Execute AppleScript Actions that use ASObjC RegEx. | These Metacharacters offer some powerful solutions to long-standing RegEx problems. These can replace complicated RegEx patterns previously required, and are recommended for use if you are running the required versions. For example, `\h` and `\R`. ICU 55 is _not_ available in all RegEx engines. A notable exception is JavaScript (and JXA), even in High Sierra. So if you are using the native Keyboard Maestro Actions that use RegEx, it would be available, but not necessarily in Actions that use Execute Script in another language. It is available in Execute AppleScript Actions that use ASObjC RegEx. | ||
| - | ^ New Metacharacters in ICU 55+(([ICU Regular Expression Metacharacters](http://userguide.icu-project.org/strings/regexp#TOC-Regular-Expression-Metacharacters))) ^^^ | + | ^ New Metacharacters in ICU 55+(([ICU Regular Expression Metacharacters](https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/action/linkthru?regularexpressionreference))) ^^^ |
| ^ Character ^ Alternate Expression\\ (Pre ICU 55) ^ Description ^ | ^ Character ^ Alternate Expression\\ (Pre ICU 55) ^ Description ^ | ||
| | `\h` | `[^\S\r\n\f]` | Match a Horizontal White Space character.\\ They are characters with Unicode General Category of Space_Separator plus the ASCII tab (\u0009). | | | `\h` | `[^\S\r\n\f]` | Match a Horizontal White Space character.\\ They are characters with Unicode General Category of Space_Separator plus the ASCII tab (\u0009). | | ||
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| ==== General ==== | ==== General ==== | ||
| - | - [[http://userguide.icu-project.org/strings/regexp|ICU Regular Expressions]] | + | - [[https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/action/linkthru?regularexpressionreferenceoverview|ICU Regular Expressions]] |
| - [ICU Unicode Properties for Regular Expressions](http://unicode.keyboardmaestro.com) | - [ICU Unicode Properties for Regular Expressions](http://unicode.keyboardmaestro.com) | ||
| - [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_expression|Wikpedia Regular Expression article]] | - [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_expression|Wikpedia Regular Expression article]] | ||
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| * [[https://regex101.com|RegEx101.com]] -- An Outstanding and Comprehensive Online RegEx Analyzer. | * [[https://regex101.com|RegEx101.com]] -- An Outstanding and Comprehensive Online RegEx Analyzer. | ||
| * [[http://regexr.com/|Regexr]] -- Regex testing and explaining, examples and references. | * [[http://regexr.com/|Regexr]] -- Regex testing and explaining, examples and references. | ||
| + | |||
| ==== Books ==== | ==== Books ==== | ||
Regular_Expressions.txt · Last modified: 2022/11/10 03:29 by ccstone
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