Regular expressions are an extremely powerful tool for manipulating text and data. They are now standard features in a wide range of languages and popular tools, including Perl, Python, Ruby, Java, VB.NET and C# (and any language using the .NET Framework), PHP, and MySQL.

If you don't use regular expressions yet, you will discover in this book a whole new world of mastery over your data. If you already use them, you'll appreciate this book's unprecedented detail and breadth of coverage. If you think you know all you need to know about regular expressions, this book is a stunning eye-opener.

As this book shows, a command of regular expressions is an invaluable skill. Regular expressions allow you to code complex and subtle text processing that you never imagined could be automated. Regular expressions can save you time and aggravation. They can be used to craft elegant solutions to a wide range of problems. Once you've mastered regular expressions, they'll become an invaluable part of your toolkit. You will wonder how you ever got by without them.

Yet despite their wide availability, flexibility, and unparalleled power, regular expressions are frequently underutilized. Yet what is power in the hands of an expert can be fraught with peril for the unwary. Mastering Regular Expressions will help you navigate the minefield to becoming an expert and help you optimize your use of regular expressions.

Mastering Regular Expressions, Third Edition, now includes a full chapter devoted to PHP and its powerful and expressive suite of regular expression functions, in addition to enhanced PHP coverage in the central "core" chapters. Furthermore, this edition has been updated throughout to reflect advances in other languages, including expanded in-depth coverage of Sun's java.util.regex package, which has emerged as the standard Java regex implementation.Topics include:

• A comparison of features among different versions of many languages and tools

• How the regular expression engine works

• Optimization (major savings available here!)

• Matching just what you want, but not what you don't want

• Sections and chapters on individual languages

Written in the lucid, entertaining tone that makes a complex, dry topic become crystal-clear to programmers, and sprinkled with solutions to complex real-world problems, Mastering Regular Expressions, Third Edition offers a wealth information that you can put to immediate use.

Reviews of this new edition and the second edition: "There isn't a better (or more useful) book available on regular expressions." --Zak Greant, Managing Director, eZ Systems

"A real tour-de-force of a book which not only covers the mechanics of regexes in extraordinary detail but also talks about efficiency and the use of regexes in Perl, Java, and .NET...If you use regular expressions as part of your professional work (even if you already have a good book on whatever language you're programming in) I would strongly recommend this book to you." --Dr. Chris Brown, Linux Format

"The author does an outstanding job leading the reader from regex novice to master. The book is extremely easy to read and chock full of useful and relevant examples...Regular expressions are valuable tools that every developer should have in their toolbox. Mastering Regular Expressions is the definitive guide to the subject, and an outstanding resource that belongs on every programmer's bookshelf. Ten out of Ten Horseshoes." --Jason Menard, Java Ranch

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 134 Ratings

This book is about 'Mastery,' not 'solving your problem right away'. - 2009-05-18
Reviewer Rating:
Indispensable.

Friedl's 'Regular Expressions' is in-depth and thorough. It has provided me with the framework to become proficient in crafting efficient Regular Expressions as I need them, and that's just what the author intended.

It's not a cookbook to solve the problem you suspect might best be tackled with a 'regexp' expression (you know; the problem that made you think of looking at this book in the first place). But a perusal over a few nights -- not more than a week, though -- and you'll be able to work quickly and efficiently in whatever regexp-supporting environment you're in.

I never give more than four stars because nothing is ever perfect, but I'd be hard-pressed to imagine a better reference or learning aid than this book.

Nice comprehensive overview - 2009-08-22
Reviewer Rating:
A nice look into the mechanics of regular expressions, starting from a birds eye view and diving down into the details.

The Regex Book - 2009-08-14
Reviewer Rating:
This book covers regular expressions thoroughly and completely. It covers them in a way that is easy to understand and yet guides you through the complexity of this powerful tool. If you only buy one book on regular expressions, this is it. Easily one of the best technical books I have read.

take the fear out of regex - 2009-05-27
Reviewer Rating:
Very useful book, the first 6 chapters are general introduction to the tips and tricks of creating and using regexes which applies to all flavors and versions of regular expressions in different programming and scripting languages. The author has a good writing style which does not intimidate but is to the point and concise.

\bGreat\sB(o)\1k\b - 2009-05-21
Reviewer Rating:
This is the standard textbook on Regular Expressions and for good reason. The third edition however covers the different shades of RegEx from many programming perspectives including {Egrep, Perl, PHP, Java, .NET}

A mix of humor coupled with real examples will get you to master status with RegEx in no time. I have read this book like 5 times and still use it a lot.

This book does for RegEx what Cormen's book does for Algorithms.

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