Re: Ugly regexps

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:

> So you can do
>
>     (string-match (ere "\\(def(macro|un|subst) .{1,}"))
>
> instead of
>
>     (string-match "(def\\(macro\\|un\\|subst\\) .\\{1,\\}")
>
> ?

Sounds good to me.  In some cases, introducing an alternative syntax can
create confusion, but I don't think that's really the case here -- I
think everybody knows this syntax, perhaps better than the Emacs regexp
syntax.

The byte compiler can do the transformation, I guess?  (When it's a
string literal, which is usually is.)  So there should be no performance
impact.  And when Emacs finally grows support for a regexp object, then
`ere' can return one of those.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no