python regex dash

Question

I am trying to match the following line in python however this line is not working.

Example text is:

usr/local/java/latest/bin/java-Djava.util.logging.config.file=/usr/local/tomcat/foobarcode/conf/

Example python:

re.match(r"/usr/local/java/latest/bin/java[-]Djava[.]util[.]logging[.]config[.]file[=]/usr/local/tomcat/(\.*)/conf/\.*", pidInfo)

Any help that can be provided will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

@Ashwini Chaudhary, your edit breaks the Python syntax. If the long lines are a problem for you, use the `` line continuation char, but don't break the syntax. — Yuval Adam
– Yuval Adam, Commented Dec 14, 2012 at 22:14

Martin Ender · Accepted Answer · 2012-12-14 22:05:22Z

1

The problem is that you escape the .. That makes it a literal period. You want to leave it unescaped so that it becomes the wildcard:

re.match(r"/usr/local/java/latest/bin/java-Djava[.]util[.]logging[.]config[.]file=/usr/local/tomcat/(.*)/conf/.*", pidInfo)

Also, your input example does not contain the leading /, but that might be a copy-paste mistake. (And note that there is no need to escape = and -).

answered Dec 14, 2012 at 22:05

Martin Ender

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2 Comments

Jon Clements Over a year ago

D0h - the issue is it appears off-screen the area you're referring to!

Martin Ender Over a year ago

@JonClements I prefer the scrollbar to the random line-breaks in how the question is rendered ;)

Yuval Adam · Accepted Answer · 2012-12-14 22:08:48Z

1

Here's the fixed version of what you're trying to do:

>>> s = '/usr/local/java/latest/bin/java-Djava.util.logging.config.file=/usr/local/tomcat/foobarcode/conf/'
>>> re.match(r'/usr/local/java/latest/bin/java-Djava\.util\.logging\.config\.file=/usr/local/tomcat/(.*)/conf/.*', s)
<_sre.SRE_Match object at 0x1004a0648>

Issues:

You do not need to escape the . as a wildcard
You do need to (elegantly) escape \. when used as dots in filename ([.] works just fine, just less elegant IMO)
Missing root / in filename
- and = chars do not need escaping

answered Dec 14, 2012 at 22:08

Yuval Adam

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3 Comments

Yuval Adam Over a year ago

My version, I like it better, but yeah [.] works as well :)

Martin Ender Over a year ago

Yeah, but you say it like \. is the way to go, although it is really nothing but a matter of taste. I find the character class escape technique much more readable in many cases.

user1905277 Over a year ago

I tried running the regex you created and it still won't match unless I change the "-" to a ".+" Other than that it seems to work flawlessly.

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