AutoHotkey Community

I'm trying to use "RegExMatch" to return every set of
consecutive numbers in my test string.

Here is my test script:


Using the test string and my Regular Expression in
RegexBuddy, it finds exactly what I am looking for, which is:
1.1
22
33
44
55
66
77
88
99
0.0

According to the Ahk Documentation on RegExMatch:
"Matches are stored in an array using the base name
provided for the OutputVar (which in my script is "match");
and the matching substring patterns would then be stored
in the array variables match1, match2, match3, etc..

But, when I take the Regular Expression I used in RegexBuddy
and use it in my script with RegExMatch, this is all I get:
match = 1.1
match1 =
match2 =
match3 =
match4 =
match5 =
match6 =
match7 =
match8 =
match9 =
match10 =

As you can see, my script finds only the first Match
and all the array variables remain empty.

I'm just a Regular Expression novice trying hard to
learn the language, and I've already spent more than
eight hours working on this one problem.

Please anyone.... What am I missing here?

RegExMatch is not global. It fills an array only "If any capturing subpatterns are present..."

For global matching you need something like grep(). You may also just use RegExMatch in a loop.

You're not capturing subpatterns because you didn't specify any to capture. Parenthesis () specify subpatterns:



In this case you don't really need to specify subpatterns, you just need a find a way to keep the matching moving through the entire string, which is where a While loop comes in:



EDIT: jaco beat me to it.

_________________

Try Quick Search for Autohotkey or see the tutorial for newbies.

Thanks guys, the "while" loop was the answer.

I think the ahk documentation is very misleading as it makes no mention of the fact that a "while" loop is needed to build the RegExMatch arrays.

Since RegexBuddy needed no such assistance from a loop to grab all the subpatterns when I tested my Regular Expression, I was clearly lead astray.

It is not. You're not even capturing subpatterns, as sinkfaze explained.

_________________
"Read the manual. Read it again. Search the forum.
Try something before asking. Show what you've tried."

Antonio França
My stuff: Google Profile

To be fair, RegExMatch does not claim to work with RegExBuddy, which I would guess is similar to RegExr in that it has a global option that is on by default. Note that global is an option, not an inherent feature of regular expressions. AHK simply has a different default setting than you're used to.This seems clear that without subpatterns there is no array. Could you suggest an alternate description?

Here's an alternate option, if you want to use AutoHotkey_L:
Or, I suppose RegExReplace would work easier here:

_________________

Recommended: AutoHotkey_L
Basic Webpage Controls

A while loop is not needed to build the RegExMatch array, your matching was not designed to require the array. This example returns an array created by RegExMatch:



As jaco has mentioned, RegExBuddy, amongst many other regex test matching modules that can be found on the web, has a global option available that AHK cannot use in its version of regex. This is not some bug of AHK though, as many applications and programming languages implement regex in unique ways.

The examples jaco and I provided would be examples you could use to manually build your own pseudo-array using regexmatch to filter out the array elements (which would have an added advantage in that you can create a zero element to represent how many array elements there are).

I would tend to agree with you, though, that the power of using a while loop in combination with RegExMatch for that purpose is non-existent in the manual, yet you will find that it a frequently used solution here at the forums.

_________________

Try Quick Search for Autohotkey or see the tutorial for newbies.

... using RegExReplace instead with AutoHotkey

_________________
nick

Thanks for all the help guys. Your willingness to help us nonprogrammers is what makes this forum great. And it benefits everyone in these forums whether it comes in the form of more script postings or just more searchable material for others exeriencing similar problems to what I had.

Thanks again.
Larry

Thank you very much for this. It was very helpful.

I too was stuck on the exact same situation... spent over 2 days racking my brain as to why AHK was giving me blank 'array' values past 1...
This thread is helpful! thank you.