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Mastering Regular Expressions (Nutshell Handbooks) (Paperback)

by Jeffrey E. F. Friedl (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 496 pages
  • Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; 2 edition (19 Jul 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0596002890
  • ISBN-13: 978-0596002893
  • Product Dimensions: 23.5 x 17.8 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 78,201 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #29 in  Books > Computing & Internet > Programming > Languages > PHP
    #60 in  Books > Computing & Internet > Programming > Languages & Tools > Scripting

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Regular expressions--it sounds fairly ordinary in a regular sort of way, so therefore it must be very simple and very straightforward, right? Not quite.

The simple name hides an incredible amount of power when handling textual data with scripting languages such as Perl, Python and awk and more and the programmer that can master regular expressions can master just about anything.

From the off it's necessary to congratulate author Jeffrey Friedl on doing a superb job of asking what can be a very complex subject and breaking it down into digestible chunks that almost anyone can understand.

From the basics of character and pattern matching through to the recognition of complex string patterns and multiple character replacements to "greedy" metacharacters and how to curb their appetite, this is about as comprehensive as it gets.

With a handful of latter chapters devoted to the differences between scripting languages and the way in which they deal with regular expressions and so many examples it'll make your eyes water there's something here for everyone.

So, if you can examine a string like this "(\\.|[^"\\])*" and know what it does and how it does it there's plenty of reference material in here for those odd moments when you need a refresher. If, however, you've no idea what the above means, and you need the ability to handle textual data, buy this book. Now! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Major Keary, Book News, June 2002
"....Jeffrey Friedl, takes the reader through an amazing regex journey, probing every nook and cranny, and turning over every rock...."

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Customer Reviews

30 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Escellent coverage of a surprisingly complex topic, 17 April 2002
This review is from: Mastering Regular Expressions (Nutshell Handbook) (Paperback)
I bought this book so as to answer a couple of simple questions about regular expressions. I then found it surprisingly readable, and read it for pleasure.

Once I had read it, I found that I was able to apply what I had learned in a variety of powerful ways. I had known that regexes are an important part of Perl. But now I find that they are supported by, and remarkably useful in, Javascript.

The subject matter is difficult, largely because different regex engines work in subtly different ways - this is all clearly covered.

Above all, Friedl avoids the irritating patronising style of so many authors of computer books.

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece of Fine Details, 7 Jan 2004
By M. W. Ellwood "mwellwood" (Abingdon, GB) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I bought, read and thoroughly enjoyed the first edition of this book, and was actually surprised to find the second edition a few years later, since I thought Jeffrey Friedl must have already said all there was to say about the subject, so complete was edition 1. However, I soon found a lot of useful new information in edition 2 (e.g. look-behind), beautifully explained as ever. Both editions are well-written IMO, although I wouldn't call them "easy reads". They are not really for dipping into, but for settling down with, although I can only usually manage a couple of chapters at a time, but I always come back. They are "satisfying reads", and somewhat addictive; I think they appeal to the nit-picker in me. For dipping into, perhaps the "Regular Expression Pocket Reference" (by a different author) will be better - I haven't read it yet. But if you actually want to understand REs (and they occur widely in the UNIX/Linux world that I inhabit :-) ), this book is a must.

As a bonus, it is also a rather good introduction to Perl (5.8 in the 2nd edition), but of course, REs are not confined to Perl, as the author makes clear.

My only criticism is actually of the paper quality of the 2nd edition, which is odd, since the 1st edition's paper was recycled and acid-free, which this is apparently not, but it looks cheap and nasty. I think Jeffrey Friedl deserves better.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, 14 Dec 2003
By Mr. M. Hopewell "mikehopewell" (Birmingham, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It goes far behind simply using regExps but into efficiency and alternate strategies. Covers implementation in many languages (java, perl, .net) yet is still quite easy to understand.

The author says the aim of the book is to get you to "think in regular expressions", this is a great approach and I now find myself using regular expressions to do just about everything involving text.

Well recommended if you really want to understand and use regular expressions

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Get this book and get over your fear
Regular expressions always terrified me. I really got tired of looking for related examples on the 'net and hacking sample code so I decided I had to take the plunge... Read more
Published on 24 Sep 2006 by Jon Wright

5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative and readable
Starts at the beginning with simple examples and detailed explanations. If you stick with it through 500-odd pages I'm sure you will end up knowing everything that's worth knowing... Read more
Published on 17 Jul 2003 by Graham Phillips

5.0 out of 5 stars Quality - your coding will never be the same again!
If you regularly develop code in Perl, PHP, Javascript, Java or any other language supporting Regular Expressions, this book will be invaluable to you. Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2003 by David Precious

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Perl or Java programmers ...
I welcome the second edition of this book; it's five years since the first edition, which was showing its age. Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2002 by Graham Ellis

5.0 out of 5 stars And you thought regexes were easy....
"Regular Expressions" -- the term sounds fairly bland and unexciting, but it isn't. Using regexes can cut down the number of lines in your code. Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars Will help you make sense of a daunting subject

This is a book about Regular Expressions 'for Perl and Other Tools' but really it's a book about Perl. Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for anyone serious about JavaScript
There are unfortunately a great number of variations in regular expression syntax between various platforms. Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars Very useful book, odd grammar makes a difficult read.
I found this book a very useful aid to understanding regular expressions. However I do find that the author's lack of attention to detail in the grammar used in the text makes... Read more
Published on 29 Nov 1999 by peter@farrows.org

4.0 out of 5 stars Wordily book
The author talks so much of unrelated stuff outside regular expresions. However he gives good examples and cases for the use of regex.
Published on 31 Aug 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary
This book opened up a whole new world of computing for me. Regular expressions will save you unbelievable amounts of time. The author's explanations are wonderful. Read more
Published on 30 Jul 1999

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