I want to learn how to do complex pattern matching in php - since one of the machines I run isn't linux, alas (so i can't just encant and cast spells in perl and turn intel chips into frogs and make macintoshes dance and sing like the golden child with his pepsi cans).

It also uses aspx, so I would like to learn pattern matching with aspx too, but it prob belongs in the "other languages" section, plus I have a big book on aspx but only the sprawling web for php, so if anyone can break down the basics of php pattern matching and point me toward the complicated shiyat, that'll be mighty obama of you (obama is my new word for anything good).

have an obama day!

http://www.regular-expressions.info/php.html

http://www.regular-expressions.info/dotnet.html

Have fun

If you're familiar with pattern matching in Perl, you'll love the preg_match, preg_match_all and preg_replace functions in PHP.
They actually use a Perl compatible pattern syntax.

Originally Posted by Insensus

If you're familiar with pattern matching in Perl, you'll love the preg_match, preg_match_all and preg_replace functions in PHP.
They actually use a Perl compatible pattern syntax.

Yeah, you're right, I just went to the first of the two links Chris posted and within seconds my eyes were popping out of my head and I was scrolling like a porn surfer on a gallerypage of free videos.

I like it. This looks fun. I was expecting like one command, which could match really rubbishly, but instead I find there's loads of fun to have.

Sometimes I wonder whether knowing all these things can ever bring anything other than a bit of mental joy, but usually I don't even think about that. Besides, when I've saved up a bit of dosh, maybe I'll sit down and just do a bit of programming nonstop for an entire month - take a break from all else just to make software. In the meantime we learn in tidbits, eh?

It can be fun to do regex and sometimes it can drive you nuts when you're trying to come up with a complex pattern that isn't matching how you think it should. Here's a web ajax tool I use sometimes when I'm stuck.
http://regex.larsolavtorvik.com/
Also, there are some ide's out there that have regex tools as well. I.E. Komodo IDE

Cool tool.

My first php pattern matching script will be a boycotted-brand search script, for me to put on to freehosted sites which can run php...