sg said
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.
John Grove said
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.
James M. O'Connell said
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.
Andrei Mouravski said
As with any review of a technical book, an understanding of the reviewer's previous experience with the topic is necessary. I had understanding of regular expressions on a basic level; I knew that .* matched everything, and a few other simple expressions. This book by O'Reilly starts on this basic level, and quickly advances towards more complicated expressions. All along, it uses numerous examples to not only illustrate the usefulness of each different tool, but also the pitfalls that each tool presents. Mastering Regular Expressions clears up common misconceptions and misguided thoughts with questions of ambiguous expressions, and in doing so allows you to craft regexes without running into constant roadblocks.
After going over the more semantic expressions, the book delves into a discussion of the underlying engines that drive regular expressions in a thorough and mostly clear way, which is an accomplishment considering the advanced language theory and esoteric formulas that are the basis behind regular expressions. While Friedl's explanations and examples are top notch, I believe that his strongest point is the pace at which he goes along. Whenever I was confused or questioning why something was a certain way, Friedl inevitably encouraged a reread of the previous section. He is distinctly aware of his readership and the subject he writes about, and is thus able to know exactly when the reader should go back over a section to make sure that they fully comprehend it. Freidl shows a clear mastery of regular expressions himself, and is able to highlight pros and cons of various methods and engines, what works and what does not. This thorough understanding of the subject combined with ability to succinctly and clearly teach it makes this book a must read for anyone interested in using regular expressions in any capacity.
Mohammad Kazemi said
If you have decided to achieve the thorough knowledge of regular expressions, your search ends here. Get this book and read it. Believe me you don't need to take any course or pay high fees to extensions to learn RE.
I strongly recommend this book.
-Mohammad K.
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