Job Management Partner 1/Integrated Management - Manager Overview and System Design Guide

Appendix G.2 Syntax of regular expressions

The following regular expressions can be used in JP1/IM. Use them in accordance with the coding conventions explained below.

Note

We advise against using regular expressions other than those described here because the specifications differ according to the computer model and operating system. Use only the regular expressions described below.

Organization of this subsection

(1) Ordinary characters

(2) Special characters

(1) Ordinary characters

An ordinary character is one that requires a complete match with itself when specified as the search target in a regular expression. The only characters not handled as ordinary characters are control codes and special characters.

(2) Special characters

Special characters are the following: ^ $ . * + ? | ( ) { } [ ] \. These special characters are explained below.

^

The caret (^) means the first characters (match the start). The caret is a special character only when used as the first character in a regular expression. When used elsewhere, the caret is handled as an ordinary character.

When a caret is specified as a special character, lines beginning with the specified string make a match.

$

The dollar sign ($) means the last characters (match the end). It is a special character only when used as the last character in a regular expression. When used elsewhere, the dollar sign is handled as an ordinary character.

When a dollar sign is specified as a special character, lines ending with the specified string make a match. When $ and ^ are used together, lines containing only the specified string make a match.

. (period)

The period (.) means any single character.

When a period is specified as a special character, any single character makes a match.

*

The asterisk (*) means zero or more occurrences of the preceding character.

+

In JP1-specific regular expressions and basic regular expressions, the plus sign (+) is handled as an ordinary character.

As a special character, + means one or more occurrences of the preceding character.

?

In JP1-specific regular expressions and basic regular expressions, the question mark (?) is handled as an ordinary character.

As a special character, ? means zero or one occurrence of the preceding character.

|

In JP1-specific regular expressions and basic regular expressions, the vertical bar (|) is handled as an ordinary character.

As a special character, | means an OR condition between the regular expressions on either side. It is used in combination with the special characters ( ).

( )

In JP1-specific regular expressions and basic regular expressions, left and right parentheses are handled as ordinary characters.

As special characters, ( ) group the enclosed regular expression.

Parentheses are used to explicitly indicate to the program that the enclosed characters are a regular expression. They are mainly used with a vertical bar (|). (See G.4 Tips on using regular expressions.)

{ }

In JP1-specific regular expressions and basic regular expressions, curly brackets are handled as ordinary characters.

As special characters, { } mean that the preceding character occurs repeatedly for the number of times specified inside the curly brackets.

[ ]

In JP1-specific regular expressions and basic XPG4 regular expressions, square brackets are handled as ordinary characters.

As special characters, [ ] mean a match with any of the characters enclosed in the square brackets (or with any character not enclosed if a caret (^) is the first character).

\

The backslash (\) cancels a special character (^ $ . * + ? | ( ) { } [ ] \).^#

A special character preceded by a backslash is handled as an ordinary character. Use the backslash only to cancel a special character. You can sometimes use an alphanumeric character as a regular expression indicating a control code (linefeed code or tab character, for example) by prefixing it with a backslash. However, this can lead to unintended behavior as the regular expression will be handled differently according to the operating system and product.

#

In JP1-specific regular expressions and basic XPG4 regular expressions, the following are handled as ordinary characters: + ? | ( ) { } [ ]

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