Info Catalog elisp: Searching and Case elisp: Searching and Matching elisp: Regexp Search

elisp: Regular Expressions

 
 33.3 Regular Expressions
 ========================
 
 A “regular expression”, or “regexp” for short, is a pattern that denotes
 a (possibly infinite) set of strings.  Searching for matches for a
 regexp is a very powerful operation.  This section explains how to write
 regexps; the following section says how to search for them.
 
    For interactive development of regular expressions, you can use the
 ‘M-x re-builder’ command.  It provides a convenient interface for
 creating regular expressions, by giving immediate visual feedback in a
 separate buffer.  As you edit the regexp, all its matches in the target
 buffer are highlighted.  Each parenthesized sub-expression of the regexp
 is shown in a distinct face, which makes it easier to verify even very
 complex regexps.
 

Menu

 
· Syntax of Regexps       Rules for writing regular expressions.
· Regexp Example          Illustrates regular expression syntax.
· Regexp Functions        Functions for operating on regular expressions.
 

Info Catalog elisp: Searching and Case elisp: Searching and Matching elisp: Regexp Search