| REGEXP(3) | REGEXP(3)

NAME

| regcomp, regcomplit, regcompnl, regexec, regsub, rregexec, rregsub, regerror – regular expression

SYNOPSIS

`#include <u.h>
#include <libc.h>
#include <regexp.h>

` `Reprog *regcomp(char *exp)

` `Reprog *regcomplit(char *exp)

` `Reprog *regcompnl(char *exp)

` `int regexec(Reprog *prog, char *string, Resub *match, int msize)

` `void regsub(char *source, char *dest, int dlen, Resub *match, int msize)

` `int rregexec(Reprog *prog, Rune *string, Resub *match, int msize)

` `void rregsub(Rune *source, Rune *dest, int dlen, Resub *match, int msize)

` `void regerror(char *msg)
`

DESCRIPTION

Regcomp compiles a regular expression and returns a pointer to the generated description. The space is allocated by malloc(3) and may be released by free. Regular expressions are exactly as in regexp(7).

Regcomplit is like regcomp except that all characters are treated literally. Regcompnl is like regcomp except that the `.` metacharacter matches all characters, including newlines.

Regexec matches a null-terminated string against the compiled regular expression in prog. If it matches, regexec returns `1` and fills in the array match with character pointers to the substrings of string that correspond to the parenthesized subexpressions of exp: `match[`i`].sp` points to the beginning and `match[`i`].ep` points just beyond the end of the ith substring. (Subexpression i begins at the ith left parenthesis, counting from 1.) Pointers in `match[0]` pick out the substring that corresponds to the whole regular expression. Unused elements of match are filled with zeros. Matches involving `*`, `+`, and `?` are extended as far as possible. The number of array elements in match is given by msize. The structure of elements of match is:

`typedef struct {

| union { char *sp; Rune *rsp; } s; union { char *ep; Rune *rep; } e;

} Resub;

`

If `match[0].s.sp` is nonzero on entry, regexec starts matching at that point within string. If `match[0].e.ep` is nonzero on entry, the last character matched is the one preceding that point.

Regsub places in dest a substitution instance of source in the context of the last regexec performed using match. Each instance of `\`n, where n is a digit, is replaced by the string delimited by `match[`n`].sp` and `match[`n`].ep`. Each instance of `&` is replaced by the string delimited by `match[0].sp` and `match[0].ep`. The substitution will always be null terminated and trimmed to fit into dlen bytes.

Regerror, called whenever an error is detected in regcomp, writes the string msg on the standard error file and exits. Regerror can be replaced to perform special error processing. If the user supplied regerror returns rather than exits, regcomp will return 0.

Rregexec and rregsub are variants of regexec and regsub that use strings of `Runes` instead of strings of `chars`. With these routines, the rsp and rep fields of the match array elements should be used.

SOURCE

| `/usr/local/plan9/src/libregexp`

SEE ALSO

| grep(1)

DIAGNOSTICS

| Regcomp returns `0` for an illegal expression or other failure. Regexec returns 0 if string is not matched.

BUGS

| There is no way to specify or match a NUL character; NULs terminate patterns and strings.