From: "Ara.T.Howard" <ahoward@...>
Date: 2004-05-15T00:03:51+09:00
Subject: Re: Regexp Error?

On Fri, 14 May 2004, Simon Strandgaard wrote:

> On Fri, 14 May 2004 23:21:27 +0900
> ts <decoux@moulon.inra.fr> wrote:
> 
> > >>>>> "S" == Simon Strandgaard <neoneye@adslhome.dk> writes:
> > 
> > S> ts <decoux@moulon.inra.fr> wrote:
> > S> [snip] 
> > >> What do you expect with ?
> > >> 
> > >> /(.*).*/ =~ "abc"
> > 
> > S> According to the left-most-longest rule.. I would guess the output
> > S> should be ["abc", "abc"].. 
> > 
> >  Then you have make .* match *twice* :-)
> > 
> >  If the regexp can't match the empty string in the second .* (because it's
> >  included in the first), it must not give a result
> 
> I don't understand you here.. (maybe your assumption is wrong) ?


what guy is saying here is that __unless__ both '(.*)' __and__ '.*' match in
the above - you don't have match.  we all agree that the '(.*)' matches the
entire 'abc' and we all agree that the pattern '(.*).*' matches 'abc' -
therefore we all agree that it's correct that certain pattern match zero width
positions in strings and consume no chars whilst still matching.  therefore we
all agree that

  '123-456'.gsub /.*$/, 'X' => 'XX'

because if it __didn't__ '(.*).*' could not match 'abc'


-a
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