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From: Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell,comp.unix.programmer,comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: Command Languages Versus Programming Languages
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:53:38 +0100
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On 20.11.2024 12:46, Ed Morton wrote:
> 
> Definitely. The most relevant statement about regexps is this:
> 
>> Some people, when confronted with a problem, think "I know, I'll use
>> regular expressions." Now they have two problems.

(Worth a scribbling on a WC wall.)

> 
> Obviously regexps are very useful and commonplace but if you find you
> have to use some online site or other tools to help you write/understand
> one or just generally need more than a couple of minutes to
> write/understand it then it's time to back off and figure out a better
> way to write your code for the sake of whoever has to read it 6 months
> later (and usually for robustness too as it's hard to be sure all rainy
> day cases are handled correctly in a lengthy and/or complicated regexp).

Regexps are nothing for newbies.

The inherent fine thing with Regexps is that you can incrementally
compose them[*].[**]

It seems you haven't found a sensible way to work with them?
(And I'm really astonished about that since I know you worked with
Regexps for years if not decades.)

In those cases where Regexps *are* the tool for a specific task -
I don't expect you to use them where they are inappropriate?! -
what would be the better solution[***] then?

Janis

[*] Like the corresponding FSMs.

[**] And you can also decompose them if they are merged in a huge
expression, too large for you to grasp it. (BTW, I'm doing such
decompositions also with other expressions in program code that
are too bulky.)

[***] Can you answer the question that another poster failed to do?