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author | Georg Brandl <georg@python.org> | 2007-08-23 21:36:05 (GMT) |
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committer | Georg Brandl <georg@python.org> | 2007-08-23 21:36:05 (GMT) |
commit | 604c121eee4a3faef0c242342bc6b73cae46fd28 (patch) | |
tree | 78a74b69f0a82de069f0f667fd2cb5515905a449 /Doc/library/re.rst | |
parent | da5f16ab19db54f5801489b8d0caadea793ec187 (diff) | |
download | cpython-604c121eee4a3faef0c242342bc6b73cae46fd28.zip cpython-604c121eee4a3faef0c242342bc6b73cae46fd28.tar.gz cpython-604c121eee4a3faef0c242342bc6b73cae46fd28.tar.bz2 |
Bug #1625381: clarify match vs search introduction.
Diffstat (limited to 'Doc/library/re.rst')
-rw-r--r-- | Doc/library/re.rst | 10 |
1 files changed, 5 insertions, 5 deletions
diff --git a/Doc/library/re.rst b/Doc/library/re.rst index 027ff16..d5abcdd 100644 --- a/Doc/library/re.rst +++ b/Doc/library/re.rst @@ -393,12 +393,12 @@ Matching vs Searching Python offers two different primitive operations based on regular expressions: -match and search. If you are accustomed to Perl's semantics, the search -operation is what you're looking for. See the :func:`search` function and -corresponding method of compiled regular expression objects. +**match** checks for a match only at the beginning of the string, while +**search** checks for a match anywhere in the string (this is what Perl does +by default). -Note that match may differ from search using a regular expression beginning with -``'^'``: ``'^'`` matches only at the start of the string, or in +Note that match may differ from search even when using a regular expression +beginning with ``'^'``: ``'^'`` matches only at the start of the string, or in :const:`MULTILINE` mode also immediately following a newline. The "match" operation succeeds only if the pattern matches at the start of the string regardless of mode, or at the starting position given by the optional *pos* |