Most regex books, blogs, websites, tutorials and classes cover “just the basics” really. Even the ones that say “advanced” often barely get into lookarounds.
This book is the definitive guide on regex. Full stop. I’m not quite halfway through and it has already increased my understanding of regex in ways I hadn’t imagined possible. That said, the 3rd edition is 16 years old and it shows. The author regularly references now out-of-date technologies (e.g., PHP and Tcl). But that in no way hampers his ability to teach and ingrain the material. One just simply needs to understand that due to its age, some claims may no longer be true.
For example, (and bare in mind I’m halfway through so I don’t know what I don’t yet know) there’s a chart stating that MySQL’s regex engine is a DFA. From what I’ve read, and knowing that MySQL “upgraded” their regex support in version 8, I believe it may now be an NFA. Or, at the very least, a hybrid. I could be wrong, but the point is, before reading this book, I wouldn’t have understood enough to even make that guess.
Now, will I skip the chapters that focus on PHP and Tcl? Perhaps the latter. It’s not like I can’t come back and read it later if I find myself ankle-deep in Tcl regex one day. I could say the same for PHP, but it’s in a lot of legacy software, so a quick read through it is probably worthwhile.
Not to keep bringing it up, but even halfway through, my understanding of lookarounds increased substantially. I use all of them regularly, but with a half-understanding of what was going on or why it would work sometimes and others not. Beyond that, greedy/lazy/possessive quantifiers… grouping. Sure, I’ve used them at some point. Some more often than others and with more understanding. But now? I get it all.
It’s kind of a shame. I don’t have to write regex every day and when I do, it’s usually file searching, so it’s throw-away code. However, I haven’t yet read the chapters on efficiency, so perhaps my knowledge will grow in that area and that will pay off daily!
Anyway, if you have any regular use of regex, this book is worth it. I picked up a used copy. I’d have paid cover price ($44.99 USD) easily knowing what’s actually in the book, how it’s written, etc. That brings me to my final point. The author does an amazing job of keeping what could be a very dry subject fresh and clear. You just can’t appreciate that enough.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Frequently bought together
- +
- +
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the brand
-
-
Sharing the knowledge of experts
O'Reilly's mission is to change the world by sharing the knowledge of innovators. For over 40 years, we've inspired companies and individuals to do new things (and do them better) by providing the skills and understanding that are necessary for success.
Our customers are hungry to build the innovations that propel the world forward. And we help them do just that.
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
expressions not displaying properly on kindle
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2016
so far on the kindle reader on my ipad, desktop and iphone some of the expressions do not display correctly. something about the formatting does not display right and i have to copy paste into a notepad in order to see it correctly. this is highly annoying. i have not tried my kindle paperwhite.
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2016
Images in this review
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 20, 2022
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 20, 2022
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 13, 2019
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 28, 2006
Top reviews from other countries
William Watts
Excellent reference.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 9, 2013PETER
Very thorough introduction into regular expressions
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 3, 2013Sante
Comprehensive and detailed, a book you need to have if you're serious about learning regex
Reviewed in Italy 🇮🇹 on July 27, 2022
