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+.TH PCRETEST 1
+.SH NAME
+pcretest - a program for testing Perl-compatible regular expressions.
+.SH SYNOPSIS
+.B pcretest "[-d] [-i] [-m] [-o osize] [-p] [-t] [source] [destination]"
+
+\fBpcretest\fR was written as a test program for the PCRE regular expression
+library itself, but it can also be used for experimenting with regular
+expressions. This document describes the features of the test program; for
+details of the regular expressions themselves, see the
+.\" HREF
+\fBpcrepattern\fR
+.\"
+documentation. For details of PCRE and its options, see the
+.\" HREF
+\fBpcreapi\fR
+.\"
+documentation.
+
+.SH OPTIONS
+.rs
+.sp
+.TP 10
+\fB-C\fR
+Output the version number of the PCRE library, and all available information
+about the optional features that are included, and then exit.
+.TP 10
+\fB-d\fR
+Behave as if each regex had the \fB/D\fR modifier (see below); the internal
+form is output after compilation.
+.TP 10
+\fB-i\fR
+Behave as if each regex had the \fB/I\fR modifier; information about the
+compiled pattern is given after compilation.
+.TP 10
+\fB-m\fR
+Output the size of each compiled pattern after it has been compiled. This is
+equivalent to adding /M to each regular expression. For compatibility with
+earlier versions of pcretest, \fB-s\fR is a synonym for \fB-m\fR.
+.TP 10
+\fB-o\fR \fIosize\fR
+Set the number of elements in the output vector that is used when calling PCRE
+to be \fIosize\fR. The default value is 45, which is enough for 14 capturing
+subexpressions. The vector size can be changed for individual matching calls by
+including \\O in the data line (see below).
+.TP 10
+\fB-p\fR
+Behave as if each regex has \fB/P\fR modifier; the POSIX wrapper API is used
+to call PCRE. None of the other options has any effect when \fB-p\fR is set.
+.TP 10
+\fB-t\fR
+Run each compile, study, and match many times with a timer, and output
+resulting time per compile or match (in milliseconds). Do not set \fB-t\fR with
+\fB-m\fR, because you will then get the size output 20000 times and the timing
+will be distorted.
+
+.SH DESCRIPTION
+.rs
+.sp
+If \fBpcretest\fR is given two filename arguments, it reads from the first and
+writes to the second. If it is given only one filename argument, it reads from
+that file and writes to stdout. Otherwise, it reads from stdin and writes to
+stdout, and prompts for each line of input, using "re>" to prompt for regular
+expressions, and "data>" to prompt for data lines.
+
+The program handles any number of sets of input on a single input file. Each
+set starts with a regular expression, and continues with any number of data
+lines to be matched against the pattern.
+
+Each line is matched separately and independently. If you want to do
+multiple-line matches, you have to use the \\n escape sequence in a single line
+of input to encode the newline characters. The maximum length of data line is
+30,000 characters.
+
+An empty line signals the end of the data lines, at which point a new regular
+expression is read. The regular expressions are given enclosed in any
+non-alphameric delimiters other than backslash, for example
+
+ /(a|bc)x+yz/
+
+White space before the initial delimiter is ignored. A regular expression may
+be continued over several input lines, in which case the newline characters are
+included within it. It is possible to include the delimiter within the pattern
+by escaping it, for example
+
+ /abc\\/def/
+
+If you do so, the escape and the delimiter form part of the pattern, but since
+delimiters are always non-alphameric, this does not affect its interpretation.
+If the terminating delimiter is immediately followed by a backslash, for
+example,
+
+ /abc/\\
+
+then a backslash is added to the end of the pattern. This is done to provide a
+way of testing the error condition that arises if a pattern finishes with a
+backslash, because
+
+ /abc\\/
+
+is interpreted as the first line of a pattern that starts with "abc/", causing
+pcretest to read the next line as a continuation of the regular expression.
+
+.SH PATTERN MODIFIERS
+.rs
+.sp
+The pattern may be followed by \fBi\fR, \fBm\fR, \fBs\fR, or \fBx\fR to set the
+PCRE_CASELESS, PCRE_MULTILINE, PCRE_DOTALL, or PCRE_EXTENDED options,
+respectively. For example:
+
+ /caseless/i
+
+These modifier letters have the same effect as they do in Perl. There are
+others that set PCRE options that do not correspond to anything in Perl:
+\fB/A\fR, \fB/E\fR, \fB/N\fR, \fB/U\fR, and \fB/X\fR set PCRE_ANCHORED,
+PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY, PCRE_NO_AUTO_CAPTURE, PCRE_UNGREEDY, and PCRE_EXTRA
+respectively.
+
+Searching for all possible matches within each subject string can be requested
+by the \fB/g\fR or \fB/G\fR modifier. After finding a match, PCRE is called
+again to search the remainder of the subject string. The difference between
+\fB/g\fR and \fB/G\fR is that the former uses the \fIstartoffset\fR argument to
+\fBpcre_exec()\fR to start searching at a new point within the entire string
+(which is in effect what Perl does), whereas the latter passes over a shortened
+substring. This makes a difference to the matching process if the pattern
+begins with a lookbehind assertion (including \\b or \\B).
+
+If any call to \fBpcre_exec()\fR in a \fB/g\fR or \fB/G\fR sequence matches an
+empty string, the next call is done with the PCRE_NOTEMPTY and PCRE_ANCHORED
+flags set in order to search for another, non-empty, match at the same point.
+If this second match fails, the start offset is advanced by one, and the normal
+match is retried. This imitates the way Perl handles such cases when using the
+\fB/g\fR modifier or the \fBsplit()\fR function.
+
+There are a number of other modifiers for controlling the way \fBpcretest\fR
+operates.
+
+The \fB/+\fR modifier requests that as well as outputting the substring that
+matched the entire pattern, pcretest should in addition output the remainder of
+the subject string. This is useful for tests where the subject contains
+multiple copies of the same substring.
+
+The \fB/L\fR modifier must be followed directly by the name of a locale, for
+example,
+
+ /pattern/Lfr
+
+For this reason, it must be the last modifier letter. The given locale is set,
+\fBpcre_maketables()\fR is called to build a set of character tables for the
+locale, and this is then passed to \fBpcre_compile()\fR when compiling the
+regular expression. Without an \fB/L\fR modifier, NULL is passed as the tables
+pointer; that is, \fB/L\fR applies only to the expression on which it appears.
+
+The \fB/I\fR modifier requests that \fBpcretest\fR output information about the
+compiled expression (whether it is anchored, has a fixed first character, and
+so on). It does this by calling \fBpcre_fullinfo()\fR after compiling an
+expression, and outputting the information it gets back. If the pattern is
+studied, the results of that are also output.
+
+The \fB/D\fR modifier is a PCRE debugging feature, which also assumes \fB/I\fR.
+It causes the internal form of compiled regular expressions to be output after
+compilation. If the pattern was studied, the information returned is also
+output.
+
+The \fB/S\fR modifier causes \fBpcre_study()\fR to be called after the
+expression has been compiled, and the results used when the expression is
+matched.
+
+The \fB/M\fR modifier causes the size of memory block used to hold the compiled
+pattern to be output.
+
+The \fB/P\fR modifier causes \fBpcretest\fR to call PCRE via the POSIX wrapper
+API rather than its native API. When this is done, all other modifiers except
+\fB/i\fR, \fB/m\fR, and \fB/+\fR are ignored. REG_ICASE is set if \fB/i\fR is
+present, and REG_NEWLINE is set if \fB/m\fR is present. The wrapper functions
+force PCRE_DOLLAR_ENDONLY always, and PCRE_DOTALL unless REG_NEWLINE is set.
+
+The \fB/8\fR modifier causes \fBpcretest\fR to call PCRE with the PCRE_UTF8
+option set. This turns on support for UTF-8 character handling in PCRE,
+provided that it was compiled with this support enabled. This modifier also
+causes any non-printing characters in output strings to be printed using the
+\\x{hh...} notation if they are valid UTF-8 sequences.
+
+If the \fB/?\fR modifier is used with \fB/8\fR, it causes \fBpcretest\fR to
+call \fBpcre_compile()\fR with the PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK option, to suppress the
+checking of the string for UTF-8 validity.
+
+.SH CALLOUTS
+.rs
+.sp
+If the pattern contains any callout requests, \fBpcretest\fR's callout function
+will be called. By default, it displays the callout number, and the start and
+current positions in the text at the callout time. For example, the output
+
+ --->pqrabcdef
+ 0 ^ ^
+
+indicates that callout number 0 occurred for a match attempt starting at the
+fourth character of the subject string, when the pointer was at the seventh
+character. The callout function returns zero (carry on matching) by default.
+
+Inserting callouts may be helpful when using \fBpcretest\fR to check
+complicated regular expressions. For further information about callouts, see
+the
+.\" HREF
+\fBpcrecallout\fR
+.\"
+documentation.
+
+For testing the PCRE library, additional control of callout behaviour is
+available via escape sequences in the data, as described in the following
+section. In particular, it is possible to pass in a number as callout data (the
+default is zero). If the callout function receives a non-zero number, it
+returns that value instead of zero.
+
+.SH DATA LINES
+.rs
+.sp
+Before each data line is passed to \fBpcre_exec()\fR, leading and trailing
+whitespace is removed, and it is then scanned for \\ escapes. Some of these are
+pretty esoteric features, intended for checking out some of the more
+complicated features of PCRE. If you are just testing "ordinary" regular
+expressions, you probably don't need any of these. The following escapes are
+recognized:
+
+ \\a alarm (= BEL)
+ \\b backspace
+ \\e escape
+ \\f formfeed
+ \\n newline
+ \\r carriage return
+ \\t tab
+ \\v vertical tab
+ \\nnn octal character (up to 3 octal digits)
+ \\xhh hexadecimal character (up to 2 hex digits)
+ \\x{hh...} hexadecimal character, any number of digits
+ in UTF-8 mode
+ \\A pass the PCRE_ANCHORED option to \fBpcre_exec()\fR
+ \\B pass the PCRE_NOTBOL option to \fBpcre_exec()\fR
+ \\Cdd call pcre_copy_substring() for substring dd
+ after a successful match (any decimal number
+ less than 32)
+ \\Cname call pcre_copy_named_substring() for substring
+ "name" after a successful match (name termin-
+ ated by next non alphanumeric character)
+ \\C+ show the current captured substrings at callout
+ time
+ \\C- do not supply a callout function
+ \\C!n return 1 instead of 0 when callout number n is
+ reached
+ \\C!n!m return 1 instead of 0 when callout number n is
+ reached for the nth time
+ \\C*n pass the number n (may be negative) as callout
+ data
+ \\Gdd call pcre_get_substring() for substring dd
+ after a successful match (any decimal number
+ less than 32)
+ \\Gname call pcre_get_named_substring() for substring
+ "name" after a successful match (name termin-
+ ated by next non-alphanumeric character)
+ \\L call pcre_get_substringlist() after a
+ successful match
+ \\M discover the minimum MATCH_LIMIT setting
+ \\N pass the PCRE_NOTEMPTY option to \fBpcre_exec()\fR
+ \\Odd set the size of the output vector passed to
+ \fBpcre_exec()\fR to dd (any number of decimal
+ digits)
+ \\S output details of memory get/free calls during matching
+ \\Z pass the PCRE_NOTEOL option to \fBpcre_exec()\fR
+ \\? pass the PCRE_NO_UTF8_CHECK option to
+ \fBpcre_exec()\fR
+
+If \\M is present, \fBpcretest\fR calls \fBpcre_exec()\fR several times, with
+different values in the \fImatch_limit\fR field of the \fBpcre_extra\fR data
+structure, until it finds the minimum number that is needed for
+\fBpcre_exec()\fR to complete. This number is a measure of the amount of
+recursion and backtracking that takes place, and checking it out can be
+instructive. For most simple matches, the number is quite small, but for
+patterns with very large numbers of matching possibilities, it can become large
+very quickly with increasing length of subject string.
+
+When \\O is used, it may be higher or lower than the size set by the \fB-O\fR
+option (or defaulted to 45); \\O applies only to the call of \fBpcre_exec()\fR
+for the line in which it appears.
+
+A backslash followed by anything else just escapes the anything else. If the
+very last character is a backslash, it is ignored. This gives a way of passing
+an empty line as data, since a real empty line terminates the data input.
+
+If \fB/P\fR was present on the regex, causing the POSIX wrapper API to be used,
+only \fB\B\fR, and \fB\Z\fR have any effect, causing REG_NOTBOL and REG_NOTEOL
+to be passed to \fBregexec()\fR respectively.
+
+The use of \\x{hh...} to represent UTF-8 characters is not dependent on the use
+of the \fB/8\fR modifier on the pattern. It is recognized always. There may be
+any number of hexadecimal digits inside the braces. The result is from one to
+six bytes, encoded according to the UTF-8 rules.
+
+.SH OUTPUT FROM PCRETEST
+.rs
+.sp
+When a match succeeds, pcretest outputs the list of captured substrings that
+\fBpcre_exec()\fR returns, starting with number 0 for the string that matched
+the whole pattern. Here is an example of an interactive pcretest run.
+
+ $ pcretest
+ PCRE version 4.00 08-Jan-2003
+
+ re> /^abc(\\d+)/
+ data> abc123
+ 0: abc123
+ 1: 123
+ data> xyz
+ No match
+
+If the strings contain any non-printing characters, they are output as \\0x
+escapes, or as \\x{...} escapes if the \fB/8\fR modifier was present on the
+pattern. If the pattern has the \fB/+\fR modifier, then the output for
+substring 0 is followed by the the rest of the subject string, identified by
+"0+" like this:
+
+ re> /cat/+
+ data> cataract
+ 0: cat
+ 0+ aract
+
+If the pattern has the \fB/g\fR or \fB/G\fR modifier, the results of successive
+matching attempts are output in sequence, like this:
+
+ re> /\\Bi(\\w\\w)/g
+ data> Mississippi
+ 0: iss
+ 1: ss
+ 0: iss
+ 1: ss
+ 0: ipp
+ 1: pp
+
+"No match" is output only if the first match attempt fails.
+
+If any of the sequences \fB\\C\fR, \fB\\G\fR, or \fB\\L\fR are present in a
+data line that is successfully matched, the substrings extracted by the
+convenience functions are output with C, G, or L after the string number
+instead of a colon. This is in addition to the normal full list. The string
+length (that is, the return from the extraction function) is given in
+parentheses after each string for \fB\\C\fR and \fB\\G\fR.
+
+Note that while patterns can be continued over several lines (a plain ">"
+prompt is used for continuations), data lines may not. However newlines can be
+included in data by means of the \\n escape.
+
+.SH AUTHOR
+.rs
+.sp
+Philip Hazel <ph10@cam.ac.uk>
+.br
+University Computing Service,
+.br
+Cambridge CB2 3QG, England.
+
+.in 0
+Last updated: 09 December 2003
+.br
+Copyright (c) 1997-2003 University of Cambridge.