From: Michael Campbell <michael_s_campbell@...>
Date: 2004-05-14T22:34:47+09:00
Subject: Re: Regexp Error?

ts wrote:
>>>>>>"R" == Robert Klemme <bob.news@gmx.net> writes:
> 
> 
> R> irb(main):025:0> "123-456".gsub(/.*$/, 'X')
> R> => "XX"
> 
> R> Applying your explanation, one would have to say that "$" is
matched
> R> twice.  IMHO this is not correct.  Or is there another
explanation why
> R> this gsub happens to return "XX"?
> 
>  This is the same explanation. Your regexp means match a string
which is at
>  the end (where end can be \n or the end of string, in this case)
> 
>   * first match : "123-456"
>   * now it's at end
>   * it can match the empty string
> 
> 
>  $ is like ^ : it don't match a character but a position in the
string
>  (sort of ...)


Does *ANY* other language that you know of have this behavior?  What 
advantage does it give Ruby to have it?

(In other words, this seems to me like "it's not a bug, it's a 
feature!" type issue.)


	
		
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