Date:         Sun, 17 Sep 2006 23:29:33 -0700
Reply-To:     David L Cassell <davidlcassell@MSN.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         David L Cassell <davidlcassell@MSN.COM>
Subject:      Re: Perl regex options (was Prxchange: possible to make
              replace...)
In-Reply-To:  <200609151655.k8FErhXL025894@mailgw.cc.uga.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

pardee.r@GHC.ORG wrote back:
>
>Chopped liver?  Never! Apologies! ;-)
>
>That makes perfect sense--thanks!
>
>So I'm guessing the complete list of chars that can precede the opening
>'/' on a regex is 's' (for 'substitution'?) in which case you need the
>2-part /match/replace/ type, and 'm' (for 'matching'?) in which case you
>can only have the /match/ portion.  But the 'm' is the default & can be
>left off.
>
>Does that sound about right?
>
>Thanks!
>
>-Roy

You really shouldn't think of it as 'characters you can stick on the front'.

You really need to think of it as an entirely separate critter.  /pattern/
and s/pattern/subst/ are as different as INDEX() and SUBSTR().  The
first is a matching function, and the second is a substitution function.

And the letters you can put on the end are really far more useful in
Perl than in PRX functions.  I only use the 'i' suffix myself except in
really
rare cases.

HTH,
David
--
David L. Cassell
mathematical statistician
Design Pathways
3115 NW Norwood Pl.
Corvallis OR 97330

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