How to master Regular Expressions? [closed]

Answer 1

I learned about them by learning Perl, and using it to create a configuration file parser. If you wanted to do something similar these days I would suggest Ruby, which has a similar hook for RE in it. Once I learned the basics, I found many of the tools I'd been using had great RE support, if you knew to use it. It is really very powerful.

I highly recommend the Regular Expressions Pocket Reference that others have mentioned. It will be much simpler to keep around to look up something quickly, as you will need to do. Not to mention that many applications have slightly different ways of implementing some parts of it (ie, whether you should have to backslash escape parenthesis).

If you do much text processing, I recommend learning RE. You will appreciate it.

Answer 2

regular-expressions.info is an excellent site, and RegexBuddy is a great visualizing tool.

Answer 3

Best way to master regular expressions is to use them in your day to day work. Use a regex aware editor. I recommend NotePad++. Use the find and replace functionality with regex enabled.

You need to know just the basics to start off. Words, characters, numbers, white spaces. They are quite easy to remember. You don't get everything right the first time. But you will learn every time you try it.

Remember, unless you use it regularly, you will probably forget regex in couple of weeks.

Answer 4

I keep a copy of the Regular Expression Pocket Reference at hand while I work - it gives me the short info I need about the use of RegEx in about a dozen languages at hand.

Answer 5

You can never master regular expressions. Just when you think you have you realise it is the regular expressions who have mastered you.

Answer 6

I highly recommend reading Mastering Regular Expressions. It lives up to its name.