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Mastering Regular Expressions: Powerful Techniques for Perl and Other Tools (Nutshell Handbook) Paperback – 11 Jan 1997

by Jeffrey E.F. Friedl (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 27 customer reviews
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Mastering Regular Expressions
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Product details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (11 Jan. 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1565922573
  • ISBN-13: 978-1565922570
  • Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 2.2 x 23.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 449,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Amazon 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!

Review

As the only reference to the art, it should be on the bookshelf of every programmer and anyone who works with large text files. -- Major Keary, Book News, 2002 No 5

If you have ever used a regular expression or ever wanted to use one, this is the book for you! -- James Lance, Provo Linux User Group, May 2002

This book contains everything
you need to know bout the mysterious regex -- David Wller, Java Developers Journal Jan 2002

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Customer Reviews

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Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsEscellent coverage of a surprisingly complex topic
By nick@maproom.co.uk on 17 April 2002
Format: 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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4.0 out of 5 starsWill help you make sense of a daunting subject
By A Customer on 7 Jun. 2000
Format: Paperback
This is a book about Regular Expressions 'for Perl and Other Tools' but really it's a book about Perl. Other tools are covered, but coverage is a bit woolly, so if you are reading it to get the low-down on Python's RegEx capabilities etc. this book won't get you far. I can't help that feel that if the book had just concentrated on Perl, rather than giving sketchy coverage of 'Other Tools', it could have been even better (and would have definitely got five starts). That said, the extra coverage (particularly the RegEx engine material) was very interesting and has turned out invaluable in practice.
If you are an absolute beginner to Perl or programming you will need another book(s) to get the most out of this one, but it is a gentle and thorough introduction that won't leave you scratching your head, which is a feat in itself considering the complexity of Regular Expressions.
This is an excellent book for getting the most out of Perl's RegEx capabilities, you will close the back cover feeling that you genuinely have Mastered the subject. It is without doubt the best book available on the subject, nicely written, with a friendly and un-patronising tone (grammatical errors aside), you can't really go wrong with this one.
There could have been some more useful real world examples/projects included, and the book could probably do with an overhaul (it was published in 97) to accommodate Perl 5.6 and other developments (O'Reilly are you listening?), but it is still the best out there.
If RegEx is a subject you need to get to grips with, this book is the solution.
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5.0 out of 5 starsthis book saved my client $10,000 in a week
By A Customer on 4 Nov. 1997
Format: Paperback
I had to convert a client's db-backed Web server from the Illustra Web Blade (where it was deadlocking) into the safe fast land of AOLserver Tcl. This involved writing a Perl program to parse the Web Blade syntax and then generate Tcl with the appropriate AOLserver API calls. I didn't have the BNF for the Web Blade language and didn't particularly feel like figuring it out. Reading _Mastering Regular Expressions_ enabled me to hack this out pretty painlessly in Perl in a day or two. Probably saved the client $10,000 in programmer time.
Jeffrey Friedl would say that you're supposed to read it from cover-to-cover but I think that you can benefit by pulling it out in emergencies.
Anyway, I had to pick four O'Reilly titles to give away every month from and this book was the first that came to my mind.
Why doesn't this book get a 10? Because in a world with _Anna Karenina_, I don't think any computer trade book deserves a 10! END
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4.0 out of 5 starsVery useful book, odd grammar makes a difficult read.
By P. G. Farrow on 29 Nov. 1999
Format: Paperback
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 some explanations and examples hard to follow. Frequently the text branches into examples, where the clarity of the explanation of the regular expression being discussed is clouded by the implicit grammar used. This is particularly the case when the text discusses greedy and non greedy matches, the text implicity refers to objects or nouns from paragraphs or pages back with the words "the match" or "it", making the thread of explanation difficult to follow. However no other text covers the subject in anything like as much detail, this is THE book for regular expressions.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThis book is for programmers with insomnia!
By A Customer on 12 Jun. 1998
Format: Paperback
Wow. After reading O'Reilly's first book on the Perl language in general, this book was the real eye opener to realizing that Perl was truly a powerful language. The examples provided in this book are real world examples you can take and use or modify within your own code. If you look above, I rated this book at five stars; but then you might wonder why I said this book was for insomniacs?! Everytime I try and sit down to read a few chapters I end up feeling sleepy and nodding off! One of the most noticeable chapters in the book is the discussion on DFA versus NFA implementations of various regular expression parsers: Perl, Python, Tcl, POSIX, grep, emacs... If you want to truly optimize your code, this is the chapter to read to analyze all your "hot spots." Later chapters deal with even more real world applications, such as IP addresses and WWW pages. Don't let those big nasty regular expressions scare you though. Pretty soon you'll be able to read and understand powerful expressions that will let you manipulate any kind of text you come across.
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5.0 out of 5 starsGet this book and get over your fear
By Geoffrey G Wright on 24 Sept. 2006
Format: Paperback
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.

I can say that the first chapter of this book is one of the most important chapters of any book I ever read. It leaves you breathless. Actually you'll probably want to read it again as the first time round you were so glued to the pages you didn't have time to try out the examples yourself.

In a book such as this layout and typographical conventions are of utmost importance and this book gets this spot on. An author who can cover this subject without simply using masses of examples and dry outlines of selected syntax arrangements deserves an acolade. This book goes further. It stimulates the juices and is a struggle to put down (to the detriment of your hands-on practice as mentioned above).

I was quite wary of exploring the territory of regular expressions and used to be very ambivalent towards Perl but this book helped to ease me in to a whole new world of script programming.

This book is not just for Perl geeks. PCREs (Perl Compatible Regular Expressions) are creeping into other programming and scripting languages now and this book will serve you no matter where you're coming from.

Get this book and get over your fear!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Exellent price, but early version. Got the job done.

Published on 10 Dec. 2014 by Twyntrees
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great book. A must have !!

Published on 2 Aug. 2014 by Jean-Michel BONIN
5.0 out of 5 starsAnd 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
5.0 out of 5 starsA 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 starsWordily 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 starsExtraordinary

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 29 July 1999
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent Apporach to Writing Regex!

This book is quite possibly the most important book I have read about the philosophical approach to programming regex. Not just for those wanting to program Perl.

Published on 3 Feb. 1999
5.0 out of 5 starsFinally an instructional book that actually teaches!

Jeffrey Friedl is one of those rare authors who actually knows how to teach instead of simply trying to impress people with his knowledge, as so many authors try to do. Read more

Published on 6 Jan. 1999
5.0 out of 5 starsA masterwork.

Anyone working with regular expressions should own a copy of this book. Anyone who uses them occasionally should borrow one. Read more

Published on 20 Nov. 1998

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