Menu
There is a similar question going around, but it just got the same old answers that people always give about Regex syntax, but that's not the point here, so please try to not knee jerk the same old answers about regex syntax. Try to be a little more original and personal about it this time.
Regex syntax is very VERY compact, almost too compact to be good. Its like code-golfing, and everyone agrees code-golfing isn't a good thing in production code. However most people accept regex syntax, which seems... contradictory to say the least.
So now some common defenses one is likely to hear include :
Answer: It's compact
Counter: Haven't we all agreed in this day and age that code should be literate and a variable like "client" is better than "c"?
Answer: It's a "domain specific language"
Counter: how about all the very easy to understand, non compact, non cryptic and dare I say pretty domain languages out there like SQL or LINQ?
Answer: Its easy to understand once you know it.
Counter: Most great languages are easy to understand even if you've never used them before. For example anyone could jump into Python very easily even if they had never seen it before. And why do people defend Regex when its such a hard language to look at, but then go on and complain about Lisps parenthesis?
Ok now everyone try to be original and honest here, don't just pull out the same old rote answers programmers used 20 years ago to design regex. Unless you really believe they are valid propositions in this day and age.
Edit: For the record, I know Regex from years ago, use them frequently even today and might even grok them. However I suddenly had a feeling it was perhaps time to reconsider things I had taken as "truths" about regex, and look at them from a modern standpoint. Mostly because questioning principles is necessary for further development, and because so many newcomers complain vehemently about them, they can't just be flat out right, so I decided to try to step into the shoes of a newcomer and consider what are some good points against regex.
As for being subjective, I don't think this is less subjective OR less programmer related than Programmer Jokes of the days stuff. On the contrary it is very programmer related.
As for argumentative, thats the point of the question. To get good arguments pro and con regex outdated syntax, that can serve newcomers to actually understand more about why regex are what they are, and even better hopefully get some newcomer to come up with a better solution US old minded can't see because we are blinded by the "coolness" of regex.
Quote:
The Perl 5.10 documentation for regexes has melted down into a heap of unreadable drivel because so many zany features have creeped into the syntax that no-one can write sensible documentation for it any more.
You're trying to say regex have become unmaintainable? Well then as good programmers should we consider refactoring them? Maybe cleaning up and trying over as we've done with some many other technologies?
491
The biggest problem with regex isn't the overly terse syntax, it's that we try to express a complex definition in a single expression, instead of composing it from smaller building blocks. This is similar to programming where you never use variables and functions and instead embed your code all in a single line.
Regular expressions are dense. This makes them hard to read, but not in proportion to the information they carry. Certainly 100 characters of regular expression syntax is harder to read than 100 consecutive characters of ordinary prose or 100 characters of C code.
Regular expressions are useful in search and replace operations. The typical use case is to look for a sub-string that matches a pattern and replace it with something else. Most APIs using regular expressions allow you to reference capture groups from the search pattern in the replacement string.
Despite being hard to read, hard to validate, hard to document and notoriously hard to master, regexes are still widely used today. Supported by all modern programming languages, text processing programs and advanced text editors, regexes are now used in more than a third of both Python and JavaScript projects.
It's actually a conspiracy perpetuated by the American Association of Retired Programmers against today's young whippersnappers who cut their teeth on Python and Java. We need to maintain a sense of awe and respect for the mystics whose cleverness surmounted the challenges of tiny core memories and arcane languages with 3-character mnemonics ... and liked it. Uphill ... both ways ... in the snow. :-)
126
Look at the other side of the question: how would you design a new syntax that embodies all the features, consistency, conciseness, and robustness as regex, but is more programmer-friendly?
31
If you love us? You can donate to us via Paypal or buy me a coffee so we can maintain and grow! Thank you!
Donate Us With
