Regex to detect patterns that do not start with // or <!--

[Mike Grandmasion]

Hi,

I am trying to write a pattern which will give me all matches in java
files for strings that contain the word "the " but do not start with
//, <!--.

This is my pattern so far,

grep -PRi 'out.print.*?[^/][^/].*?the' * | grep -Pi
'out.print.*?[^\<][^!][^-][^-].*?the'

It sort of works but I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on how
to improve it.

Thanks for any pointers,

Mike

[Tad McClellan]

Mike Grandmasion <surfer97301@yahoo.com> wrote:

> if anyone has suggestions on how
> to improve it.

Rewrite it in Perl.


--
Tad McClellan SGML consulting
[email]tadmc@augustmail.com[/email] Perl programming
Fort Worth, Texas

[Abigail]

Mike Grandmasion (surfer97301@yahoo.com) wrote on MMMDCLXIX September
MCMXCIII in <URL:news:75821f06.0309170822.18e25b5a@posting.goo gle.com>:
-- Hi,
--
-- I am trying to write a pattern which will give me all matches in java
-- files for strings that contain the word "the " but do not start with
-- //, <!--.

m{^(?!//|<!--).*the }

-- This is my pattern so far,
--
-- grep -PRi 'out.print.*?[^/][^/].*?the' * | grep -Pi
-- 'out.print.*?[^\<][^!][^-][^-].*?the'

$ perl -w
grep -PRi 'out.print.*?[^/][^/].*?the' * | grep -Pi
String found where operator expected at - line 1, near "PRi 'out.print.*?[^/][^/].*?the'"
(Do you need to predeclare PRi?)
'out.print.*?[^\<][^!][^-][^-].*?the'
String found where operator expected at - line 2, near "Pi
'out.print.*?[^\<][^!][^-][^-].*?the'"
(Missing semicolon on previous line?)
syntax error at - line 1, near "PRi 'out.print.*?[^/][^/].*?the'"
Execution of - aborted due to compilation errors.
$


Well, that doesn't compile.

-- It sort of works but I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on how
-- to improve it.

"sort of works"? Is that like "partially pregnant"?


Abigail
--
perl -we 'print split /(?=(.*))/s => "Just another Perl Hacker\n";'

[Mike Grandmasion]

It is a perl regular expression. That is what the P option
designates. If I wrote it in perl I would have the exact same
results.

[email]tadmc@augustmail.com[/email] (Tad McClellan) wrote in message news:<slrnbmh6n1.82o.tadmc@magna.augustmail.com>.. .

> Mike Grandmasion <surfer97301@yahoo.com> wrote:
>

> > if anyone has suggestions on how
> > to improve it.

>
>
> Rewrite it in Perl.

[Mike Grandmasion]

> m{^(?!//|<!--).*the }

Yeah I would have though I could negate a grouping like that too but
if I change my pattern from:

'out.print.*?[^/][^/].*?the'

to

'out.print.*?^(//).*?the'

I get no output.

> -- This is my pattern so far,
> --
> -- grep -PRi 'out.print.*?[^/][^/].*?the' * | grep -Pi
> -- 'out.print.*?[^\<][^!][^-][^-].*?the'
>
> $ perl -w
> grep -PRi 'out.print.*?[^/][^/].*?the' * | grep -Pi
> String found where operator expected at - line 1, near "PRi 'out.print.*?[^/][^/].*?the'"
> (Do you need to predeclare PRi?)
> 'out.print.*?[^\<][^!][^-][^-].*?the'
> String found where operator expected at - line 2, near "Pi
> 'out.print.*?[^\<][^!][^-][^-].*?the'"
> (Missing semicolon on previous line?)
> syntax error at - line 1, near "PRi 'out.print.*?[^/][^/].*?the'"
> Execution of - aborted due to compilation errors.
> $
>
>
> Well, that doesn't compile.

Right it is using a perl regular expression being executed through
grep on the unix commandline.

> "sort of works"? Is that like "partially pregnant"?

No more like thinking you are pregnant with a baby and finding out you
are pregnant with two. My pattern is returing a little more than I
want.

Specifically I get hits on it like this:

out.print("<!--\r\n\t

because I assume that the pattern puts the <!-- into the minimal match
before the ^(<!--) portion.

Mike

[Abigail]

Mike Grandmasion (surfer97301@yahoo.com) wrote on MMMDCLXX September
MCMXCIII in <URL:news:75821f06.0309181001.377b455b@posting.goo gle.com>:
:) > m{^(?!//|<!--).*the }
:)
:) Yeah I would have though I could negate a grouping like that too but
:) if I change my pattern from:
:)
:) 'out.print.*?[^/][^/].*?the'

What do you think that matches?

:) to
:)
:) 'out.print.*?^(//).*?the'
:)
:) I get no output.

And that surprises you? ^ matches the beginning of the string, so you
are saying you want to match strings that have something before the
beginning of the string. I don't think there are many such strings.

:) > Well, that doesn't compile.
:)
:) Right it is using a perl regular expression being executed through
:) grep on the unix commandline.

That isn't going to work. You can ask questions about Perl regular
expressions here, but for grep, there are other places.


Abigail
--
A perl rose: perl -e '@}>-`-,-`-%-'