Help with regex to validate URL format

[Seb]

Hi,

I am trying to find the right regular expression which would only
validate a URL with a given number of folders.


Example:


http://www.abc.com/folder/page.htm --Valid (4 slahes)


http://www.abc.com/folder/subfolder/ --not valid (5 slashes)


Basically, any URL not made of 4 slahes would be invalid.
However, the URL:


http://www.abc.com/folder/subfolder --would also be invalid


Any ideas?


Thanks,
Seb

[usenet+2004@john.dunlop.name]

Re: Help with regex to validate URL format

Seb:

I am trying to find the right regular expression which would only
validate a URL with a given number of folders.

URLs don't have, or refer to, folders. The parts in between the
slashes in URL paths are called path segments, and they might or might
not correspond to a part of a filesystem.

http://www.abc.com/folder/page.htm --Valid (4 slahes)
>
http://www.abc.com/folder/subfolder/ --not valid (5 slashes)
>
Basically, any URL not made of 4 slahes would be invalid.

Count the number of slashes in the string.

http://www.abc.com/folder/subfolder --would also be invalid

How would you distinguish that URL from your first example?

Now you see the problems arising from the confusion of URL paths and
filesystem paths.

--
Jock

[Seb]

Re: Help with regex to validate URL format

Thanks.

I guess all my actual files would be file extensions (.htm etc) whereas
a path segment wouldn't.

The question was around which regular expression I can use to access
something with 4 slashes, and which does not finish with ".***" or
".****".

Thanks,
Seb

usenet+2004@joh n.dunlop.name wrote:

Seb:
>

I am trying to find the right regular expression which would only
validate a URL with a given number of folders.

>
URLs don't have, or refer to, folders. The parts in between the
slashes in URL paths are called path segments, and they might or might
not correspond to a part of a filesystem.
>

http://www.abc.com/folder/page.htm --Valid (4 slahes)

http://www.abc.com/folder/subfolder/ --not valid (5 slashes)

Basically, any URL not made of 4 slahes would be invalid.

>
Count the number of slashes in the string.
>

http://www.abc.com/folder/subfolder --would also be invalid

>
How would you distinguish that URL from your first example?
>
Now you see the problems arising from the confusion of URL paths and
filesystem paths.
>
--
Jock

[Colin Fine]

Re: Help with regex to validate URL format

Seb wrote:

>
usenet+2004@joh n.dunlop.name wrote:

>Seb:
>>

>>I am trying to find the right regular expression which would only
>>validate a URL with a given number of folders.

>URLs don't have, or refer to, folders. The parts in between the
>slashes in URL paths are called path segments, and they might or might
>not correspond to a part of a filesystem.
>>

>>http://www.abc.com/folder/page.htm --Valid (4 slahes)
>>>
>>http://www.abc.com/folder/subfolder/ --not valid (5 slashes)
>>>
>>Basically, any URL not made of 4 slahes would be invalid.

>Count the number of slashes in the string.
>>

>>http://www.abc.com/folder/subfolder --would also be invalid

>How would you distinguish that URL from your first example?
>>
>Now you see the problems arising from the confusion of URL paths and
>filesystem paths.
>>
>--
>Jock

>
Thanks.
>
I guess all my actual files would be file extensions (.htm etc) whereas
a path segment wouldn't.
>
The question was around which regular expression I can use to access
something with 4 slashes, and which does not finish with ".***" or
".****".
>
Thanks,
Seb

If that is indeed what you need (and assuming you mean 'does', not 'does
not'),
preg_match ('|^http://[^/]+/[^/]+/[^/.]+.[^/.]{3,4}$|', $string)
will do it.

But you should be aware that there's nothing in the URL RFC that says
you can't have a path like:

https://www.abc.com/my.bit/next.bit

Unless you have control over the format of valid URL's, you are not
entitled to assume that xxx.yyy is the final part of a URL path.

Incidentally, don't top-post if you don't want to bring down the Wrath
of Jerry Stuckle. I've fixed yours.

Colin

[Jerry Stuckle]

Re: Help with regex to validate URL format

Colin Fine wrote:

Seb wrote:
>

>>
>usenet+2004@jo hn.dunlop.name wrote:
>>

>>Seb:
>>>
>>>I am trying to find the right regular expression which would only
>>>validate a URL with a given number of folders.
>>>
>>URLs don't have, or refer to, folders. The parts in between the
>>slashes in URL paths are called path segments, and they might or might
>>not correspond to a part of a filesystem.
>>>
>>>http://www.abc.com/folder/page.htm --Valid (4 slahes)
>>>>
>>>http://www.abc.com/folder/subfolder/ --not valid (5 slashes)
>>>>
>>>Basically, any URL not made of 4 slahes would be invalid.
>>>
>>Count the number of slashes in the string.
>>>
>>>http://www.abc.com/folder/subfolder --would also be invalid
>>>
>>How would you distinguish that URL from your first example?
>>>
>>Now you see the problems arising from the confusion of URL paths and
>>filesystem paths.
>>>
>>--
>>Jock

>>
>>
Thanks.
>
I guess all my actual files would be file extensions (.htm etc) whereas
a path segment wouldn't.
>
The question was around which regular expression I can use to access
something with 4 slashes, and which does not finish with ".***" or
".****".
>
Thanks,
Seb

>
If that is indeed what you need (and assuming you mean 'does', not 'does
not'),
preg_match ('|^http://[^/]+/[^/]+/[^/.]+.[^/.]{3,4}$|', $string)
will do it.
>
But you should be aware that there's nothing in the URL RFC that says
you can't have a path like:
>

https://www.abc.com/my.bit/next.bit

>
Unless you have control over the format of valid URL's, you are not
entitled to assume that xxx.yyy is the final part of a URL path.
>
Incidentally, don't top-post if you don't want to bring down the Wrath
of Jerry Stuckle. I've fixed yours.
>
Colin

Colin,

What do you mean "wrath"? I ask very politely, and generally only when
answering a question.

--
=============== ===
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attgl obal.net
=============== ===

[Seb]

Re: Help with regex to validate URL format

Thanks!