This is re-builder.info, produced by makeinfo version 6.0 from
re-builder.texi.

START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* re-builder::                Write regular expressions with visual feedback.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

This file documents the re-builder XEmacs package, which provides visual
feedback when developing regular expressions.

   This documentation was taken from the source file, 're-builder.el',
which is subject to the following conditions; because of the nature of
the GNU GPL, this file is as a result also subject to those conditions.

   Copyright (C) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 Free Software Foundation,
Inc.

   This file is part of GNU Emacs.

   GNU Emacs is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any
later version.

   GNU Emacs is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General
Public License for more details.

   You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with GNU Emacs; see the file COPYING. If not, write to the Free
Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA
02111-1307, USA.

   End of permissions notice.


File: re-builder.info,  Node: Top,  Next: Copying,  Prev: (dir),  Up: (dir)

Re-builder on XEmacs
********************

When I have to come up with regular expressions that are more complex
than simple string matchers, especially if they contain sub expressions,
I find myself spending quite some time in the 'development cycle'.
're-builder' aims to shorten this time span so I can get on with the
more interesting bits.

   With it you can have immediate visual feedback about how well the
regexp behaves to your expectations on the intended data.

   This is version 1.2 of the re-builder manual, last updated on Sunday,
July 24, 2005.

* Menu:

* Copying::                     re-builder copying conditions.
* Overview::                    re-builder history and general information.

For general users:
* Usage::                       An overview of the operation of re-builder.
* Regex Types::                 Types of regular expression handled.
* Questions::                   A couple of selected queries.


File: re-builder.info,  Node: Copying,  Next: Overview,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top

1 re-builder Copying Conditions
*******************************

Copyright (C) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 Free Software Foundation,
Inc.

   re-builder is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any
later version.

   re-builder is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General
Public License for more details.

   You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with XEmacs; see the file COPYING. If not, write to the Free
Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA
02111-1307, USA.


File: re-builder.info,  Node: Overview,  Next: Usage,  Prev: Copying,  Up: Top

2 An Overview of re-builder
***************************

When I have to come up with regular expressions that are more complex
than simple string matchers, especially if they contain sub expressions,
I find myself spending quite some time in the 'development cycle'.
re-builder aims to shorten this time span so I can get on with the more
interesting bits.

   With it you can have immediate visual feedback about how well the
regexp behaves to your expectations on the intended data.


File: re-builder.info,  Node: Usage,  Next: Regex Types,  Prev: Overview,  Up: Top

3 Operation of re-builder
*************************

When called up, with 'M-x re-builder RET', re-builder attaches itself to
the current buffer which becomes its target buffer, where all the
matching is done.  The active window is split so you have a view on the
data while authoring the RE. If the edited expression is valid the
matches in the target buffer are marked automatically with colored
overlays (for non-color displays see below) giving you feedback over the
extents of the matched (sub) expressions.  The (non-)validity is shown
only in the modeline without throwing the errors at you.  If you want to
know the reason why RE Builder considers it as invalid call
'reb-force-update' ('C-c C-u') which should reveal the error.

   The target buffer can be changed with 'reb-change-target-buffer'
('C-c C-b').  Changing the target buffer automatically removes the
overlays from the old buffer and displays the new one in the target
window.

   re-builder keeps the focus while updating the matches in the target
buffer so corrections are easily incorporated.  If you are satisfied
with the result you can paste the RE to the kill-ring with 'reb-copy'
('C-c C-w') (the copied RE and current syntax is displayed in the echo
area), quit re-builder ('C-c C-q') and use it wherever you need it.

   As the automatic updates can take some time on large buffers, they
can be limited by 'reb-auto-match-limit' so that they should not have a
negative impact on the editing.  Setting it to nil makes even the auto
updates go all the way.  Forcing an update overrides this limit allowing
an easy way to see all matches.


File: re-builder.info,  Node: Regex Types,  Next: Questions,  Prev: Usage,  Up: Top

4 Regex Types
*************

Currently re-builder understands six different forms of input, namely
'lisp-re', 'perl', 'read', 'rx', 'sregex', and 'string' syntax.  Read
syntax and string syntax are both delimited by '"'s and behave according
to their name.  With the 'perl' and 'string' syntax there's no need to
escape the backslashes and double quotes simplifying the editing
somewhat.  The other four allow editing of symbolic regular expressions
supported by the packages of the same name.  ('lisp-re' is a package by
me and its support may go away as it is nearly the same as the 'sregex'
package in Emacs)

   Note that the 'sregex,' 'rx' and 'lisp-re' syntaxes will only be
available in XEmacs if you've installed them yourself.

   Editing symbolic expressions is done through a major mode derived
from 'emacs-lisp-mode' so you'll get all the good stuff like automatic
indentation and font-locking etc.

   When editing a symbolic regular expression, only the first expression
in the RE Builder buffer is considered, which helps limiting the extent
of the expression like the '"'s do for the text modes.  For the 'sregex'
syntax the function 'sregex' is applied to the evaluated expression
read.  So you can use quoted arguments with something like '("findme")
or you can construct arguments to your heart's content with a valid
ELisp expression.  The compiled string form will be copied by
'reb-copy'.  If you want to take a glance at the corresponding string
you can temporarily change the input syntax using 'reb-change-syntax'
('C-c C-i').  The current RE syntax is also displayed in the modeline.

   Changing the input syntax is transparent (for the obvious exception
non-symbolic -> symbolic) so you can change your mind as often as you
like.

   There is also a shortcut function, 'reb-toggle-case' ('C-c C-c'), for
toggling the 'case-fold-search' variable in the target buffer with an
immediate update.


File: re-builder.info,  Node: Questions,  Prev: Regex Types,  Up: Top

5 Questions
***********

Q: But what if my display cannot show colored overlays?

   A: Then the cursor will flash around the matched text making it stand
out.

   Q: But how can I then make out the sub-expressions?

   A: That's where the 'sub-expression mode' comes in.  In it only the
digit keys are assigned to perform an update that will flash the
corresponding subexp only.


Tag Table:
Node: Top1364
Node: Copying2382
Node: Overview3285
Node: Usage3853
Node: Regex Types5558
Node: Questions7566

End Tag Table
