diff --git a/Doc/library/re.rst b/Doc/library/re.rst index 3da70ab054a..8d6ef03e7cd 100644 --- a/Doc/library/re.rst +++ b/Doc/library/re.rst @@ -677,18 +677,12 @@ Regular Expression Objects The :class:`RegexObject` class supports the following methods and attributes: + .. method:: RegexObject.search(string[, pos[, endpos]]) - .. method:: RegexObject.match(string[, pos[, endpos]]) - - If zero or more characters at the beginning of *string* match this regular - expression, return a corresponding :class:`MatchObject` instance. Return - ``None`` if the string does not match the pattern; note that this is different - from a zero-length match. - - .. note:: - - If you want to locate a match anywhere in *string*, use - :meth:`~RegexObject.search` instead. + Scan through *string* looking for a location where this regular expression + produces a match, and return a corresponding :class:`MatchObject` instance. + Return ``None`` if no position in the string matches the pattern; note that this + is different from finding a zero-length match at some point in the string. The optional second parameter *pos* gives an index in the string where the search is to start; it defaults to ``0``. This is not completely equivalent to @@ -700,24 +694,34 @@ Regular Expression Objects will be as if the string is *endpos* characters long, so only the characters from *pos* to ``endpos - 1`` will be searched for a match. If *endpos* is less than *pos*, no match will be found, otherwise, if *rx* is a compiled regular - expression object, ``rx.match(string, 0, 50)`` is equivalent to - ``rx.match(string[:50], 0)``. + expression object, ``rx.search(string, 0, 50)`` is equivalent to + ``rx.search(string[:50], 0)``. - >>> pattern = re.compile("o") - >>> pattern.match("dog") # No match as "o" is not at the start of "dog." - >>> pattern.match("dog", 1) # Match as "o" is the 2nd character of "dog". - <_sre.SRE_Match object at ...> + >>> pattern = re.compile("d") + >>> pattern.search("dog") # Match at index 0 + <_sre.SRE_Match object at ...> + >>> pattern.search("dog", 1) # No match; search doesn't include the "d" - .. method:: RegexObject.search(string[, pos[, endpos]]) + .. method:: RegexObject.match(string[, pos[, endpos]]) - Scan through *string* looking for a location where this regular expression - produces a match, and return a corresponding :class:`MatchObject` instance. - Return ``None`` if no position in the string matches the pattern; note that this - is different from finding a zero-length match at some point in the string. + If zero or more characters at the *beginning* of *string* match this regular + expression, return a corresponding :class:`MatchObject` instance. Return + ``None`` if the string does not match the pattern; note that this is different + from a zero-length match. The optional *pos* and *endpos* parameters have the same meaning as for the - :meth:`~RegexObject.match` method. + :meth:`~RegexObject.search` method. + + .. note:: + + If you want to locate a match anywhere in *string*, use + :meth:`~RegexObject.search` instead. + + >>> pattern = re.compile("o") + >>> pattern.match("dog") # No match as "o" is not at the start of "dog". + >>> pattern.match("dog", 1) # Match as "o" is the 2nd character of "dog". + <_sre.SRE_Match object at ...> .. method:: RegexObject.split(string[, maxsplit=0])