regexp prob

[Filip]

this is driving my crazy:

$set = '<Error Type="string" Value="System Error" /><ErrorCode
Type="int" Value="0" />';
preg_match('%<E rror .*? Value="(.*)"%', $set, $matches);
echo $matches[1];


returns: System Error" />

why on earth does it include the " /> part when my pattern clearly asks
only to capture what's between the double quotes with "(.*)" ?

[Simon Stienen]

Re: regexp prob

Filip <filip.camerman @mrbookmaker-nv.no.spam.be> wrote:[color=blue]
> this is driving my crazy:
>
> $set = '<Error Type="string" Value="System Error" /><ErrorCode
> Type="int" Value="0" />';
> preg_match('%<E rror .*? Value="(.*)"%', $set, $matches);
> echo $matches[1];
>
>
> returns: System Error" />
>
> why on earth does it include the " /> part when my pattern clearly asks
> only to capture what's between the double quotes with "(.*)" ?[/color]

Because .* without trailing question mark will consume as many characters
as possible. In your example that would be:
<Error Type="string" Value="System Error" /><ErrorCode Type="int" Value="0" />';
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^

--
Simon Stienen <http://dangerouscat.ne t> <http://slashlife.de>
»What you do in this world is a matter of no consequence,
The question is, what can you make people believe that you have done.«
-- Sherlock Holmes in "A Study in Scarlet" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

[Filip]

Re: regexp prob

Simon Stienen wrote:[color=blue]
> Filip <filip.camerman @mrbookmaker-nv.no.spam.be> wrote:
>[color=green]
>>this is driving my crazy:
>>
>>$set = '<Error Type="string" Value="System Error" /><ErrorCode
>>Type="int" Value="0" />';
>>preg_match('% <Error .*? Value="(.*)"%', $set, $matches);
>>echo $matches[1];
>>
>>
>>returns: System Error" />
>>
>>why on earth does it include the " /> part when my pattern clearly asks
>>only to capture what's between the double quotes with "(.*)" ?[/color]
>
>
> Because .* without trailing question mark will consume as many characters
> as possible. In your example that would be:
> <Error Type="string" Value="System Error" /><ErrorCode Type="int" Value="0" />';
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^
>[/color]

ah I was sure that wasn't the problem because it only showed " />, but I
guess anything starting with < is not shown in the browser. In any case,
adding the ? made it work, thanx!

[Michael Fesser]

Re: regexp prob

.oO(Filip)
[color=blue]
>ah I was sure that wasn't the problem because it only showed " />, but I
>guess anything starting with < is not shown in the browser.[/color]

While debugging use

htmlspecialchar s(echo $matches[1])

instead, if the result contains HTML-code. Or use

header('Content-type: text/plain');

somewhere before.
[color=blue]
>In any case,
>adding the ? made it work, thanx![/color]

If you have more quantifiers in your pattern you could also use the
modifier U which turns all quantifiers to ungreedy.

Micha