Regular Expression Pocket Reference [Paperback]

Tony Stubblebine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2003 | ISBN-10: 059600415X | ISBN-13: 978-0596004156 | Edition: 1st

Regular expressions are such a powerful tool for manipulating text and data that anyone who uses a computer can benefit from them. Composed of a mixture of symbols and text, regular expressions can be an outlet for creativity, for brilliant programming, and for the elegant solution. While a command of regular expressions is an invaluable skill, all there is to know about them fills a very large volume, and you don't always have time to thumb through hundreds of pages each time a question arises. The answer is the Regular Expression Pocket Reference. Concise and easy-to-use, this little book is the portable companion to Mastering Regular Expressions.

This handy guide offers programmers a complete overview of the syntax and semantics of regular expressions that are at the heart of every text-processing application. Ideal as an introduction for beginners and a quick reference for advanced programmers, Regular Expression Pocket Reference is a comprehensive guide to regular expression APIs for C, Perl, PHP,Java, .NET, Python, vi, and the POSIX regular expression libraries.

O'Reilly's Pocket References have become a favorite among programmers everywhere. By providing a wealth of important details in a concise, well-organized format, these handy books deliver just what you need to complete the task at hand. When you've reached a sticking point and need to get to a solution quickly, the new Regular Expression Pocket Reference is the book you'll want to have.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tony Stubblebine, writes Perl and regular expressions for O'Reilly. Previously he held the titles of Web Peasant and Rogue Developer while hacking Perl for MasterCard International. He is also the Social Director and Senior Nightlife Correspondent for the O'Reilly Network.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1st edition (May 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059600415X
• ISBN-13: 978-0596004156
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #968,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Computers & Internet > Programming

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A review of "Regular Expression Pocket Reference", July 12, 2005

By 

G. Roush (Des Moines, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Regular Expression Pocket Reference (Paperback)

One of the most difficult things when working with regular expressoins -- at least for me -- is dealing with different implementations (i.e., Perl, Java, Python, PHP, UNIX tools, etc.) The basics of regexes and pattern matching don't vary all that much, but each implementation is just different enough that the smae line of code can yield different results. If you work with more than one of these implementations, keeping track of differences in metacharacters and metasequences can be nearly impossible. This is especially true when -- as is the case with me -- you deal with regexes somewhat intermittently.

This is one of the main reasons why the "Regular Expression Pocket Reference"
was written and this is why I keep it close at hand. This book will not really teach you how to use regexes, nor will it tell you how to use, say, Perl. If, however, you use Perl and you know how to use regexes but just can't remember whether you can disallow backtracking for text matched by a subpattern, then this book will save you quite a bit of time and effort.

If you're wondering what it means to "disallow backtracking for text matched by a subpattern," or when you would want to use it, buy "Mastering Regular Expressions" or a similar title. The "Regular Expression Pocket Reference" is designed to be a quick reference tool, and it serves this purpose very well. I would recommend it especially for those who work with regular expressions intermittently or who work with several different implementations.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too many implementations covered, December 15, 2003

By 

"mark_seattle" (Kirkland, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Regular Expression Pocket Reference (Paperback)

I love this series of books (the C#, C++ and STL pocket refs are my favorite), but the Regular Expression pocket ref tries to cover too many implementations. You only get about 10 pages for each language so, unless you use multiple implementations (e.g. C#/.NET, Perl, JavaScript, etc), this just isn't good value for money. I returned my copy and printed out a quick reference from one of the many Internet programming sites.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great reference, but not a tutorial, November 20, 2003

By 

David C. Veeneman (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Regular Expression Pocket Reference (Paperback)

The editorial blurb on this book suggests that it can be used as a tutorial by those new to regular expressions. That's not the case. This book is strictly a reference, albeit a very good one. I bought O'Reilly's "Mastering Regular Expressions" to learn the area, and I use this book as a quick reference. It serves that purpose very well.