Why doesn't this match?

It's been a while since I have done much regex work so I am sure it's something simple, but I cannot get this thing to match when several regular expression checkers say it should!

Here is the code

public static final Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile(".*=([0-9|.]*),([0-9|.]*),([0-9|.]*),([0-9|.]*),([0-9|.]*),([0-9|.]*),([0-9|.]*),([0-9|.]*)");
...

Matcher m = pattern.matcher("GN=12.7,0,0.9,12.9,0.0,1,1,0");

if(m.matches())
{
//NEVER happens. m.matches() always returns false, but why?
}

Why does m.matches() return false?

Thanks!

Darrin Smith wrote:Why does m.matches() return false?

Well, I suspect you don't need the '|' because you don't appear to be matching on it, but I wouldn't have thought it would need escaping inside square brackets.
I also think that "(-?[0-9]+([.][0-9]+)?)" is more correct for a decimal number.

Winston

Darrin Smith wrote:
Why does m.matches() return false?

When I tested it, I got "true" from m.matches().

Henry

Henry Wong wrote:

Darrin Smith wrote:
Why does m.matches() return false?

When I tested it, I got "true" from m.matches().

Henry

Every time I run the code it shows false. Driving me up a wall trying to figure it out. It SHOULD match.

Darrin Smith wrote:
Every time I run the code it shows false. Driving me up a wall trying to figure it out. It SHOULD match.

Then there is something that you are not telling us... because the code that you provided DOES result in a match.

Here's my code...

Henry

Winston Gutkowski wrote:

Darrin Smith wrote:Why does m.matches() return false?

Well, I suspect you don't need the '|' because you don't appear to be matching on it, but I wouldn't have thought it would need escaping inside square brackets.
I also think that "(-?[0-9]+([.][0-9]+)?)" is more correct for a decimal number.

Winston

I tried doing this too...no help:

public static final Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile(".*=(-?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+?),([0-9]+),(-?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+?),(-?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+?),(-?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+?),([0-9]*),([0-9]*),([0-9]*)");

Again though, using a tool it works. Just not when I run it in a Java application.

Darrin Smith wrote:I tried doing this too...no help:
...
Pattern.compile(".*=(-?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+?),([0-9]+),(-?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+?),(-?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+?),(-?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+?),([0-9]*),([0-9]*),([0-9]*)");
...
Again though, using a tool it works. Just not when I run it in a Java application.

That's not quite what I was thinking of. I tried this:
Pattern.compile("GN=-?[0-9]+([.][0-9]+)?(,-?[0-9]+([.][0-9]+)?){7}");
against your test string and it worked just fine.

I suspect you should also make your initial ".*" string ".*?" or "[^=]*".

Winston

Just FYI, my code:
and the output:

I tried that and it did work on the string I sent but failed on others (sometimes no decimal was sent, etc.). I modified it slightly and ended up with this which works great!

private static final Pattern getStatusPattern = Pattern.compile("GN=(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?),(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?),(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?),(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?),(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?),(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?),(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?)");

Thanks!

Winston Gutkowski wrote:

Darrin Smith wrote:I tried doing this too...no help:
...
Pattern.compile(".*=(-?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+?),([0-9]+),(-?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+?),(-?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+?),(-?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+?),([0-9]*),([0-9]*),([0-9]*)");
...
Again though, using a tool it works. Just not when I run it in a Java application.

That's not quite what I was thinking of. I tried this:
Pattern.compile("GN=-?[0-9]+([.][0-9]+)?(,-?[0-9]+([.][0-9]+)?){7}");
against your test string and it worked just fine.

I suspect you should also make your initial ".*" string ".*?" or "[^=]*".

Winston

Just FYI, my code:public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception { String decimal = "-?[0-9]+([.][0-9]+)?"; int occurrences = 8; String numberlist = String.format("%s(,%s){%d}", decimal, decimal, occurrences - 1); Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile("GN=" + numberlist); Matcher m = pattern.matcher("GN=12.7,0,0.9,12.9,0.0,1,1,0"); System.out.println(numberlist); System.out.println(pattern); System.out.println(m.matches()); }
and the output:-?[0-9]+([.][0-9]+)?(,-?[0-9]+([.][0-9]+)?){7} GN=-?[0-9]+([.][0-9]+)?(,-?[0-9]+([.][0-9]+)?){7} true

Darrin Smith wrote:I tried that and it did work on the string I sent but failed on others (sometimes no decimal was sent, etc.).

Ah. That's why, when asking questions about regexes, it's very important to specify ALL of the requirements.

I modified it slightly and ended up with this which works great!

Great. Two things I can see though:

1. Your "number" pattern will allow a number with a decimal point but no decimal digits, eg: "12.".

2. You can reduce the pattern size a lot by providing a 'number of' qualifier, as in my example above, viz:
"GN=(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?)(,-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?){6}"
as opposed to
"GN=(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?),(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?),(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?),(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?),(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?),(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?),(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?)"

If the comma must always be present (as it would seem from your example) you could use:
"GN=(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?)(,(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?)?){6}"
Which will match any of "GN=12.7,,,,,,", "GN=12.7,0,0.9,,,," or "GN=12.7,0,0.9,12.9,0.0,1,1"

You can even make it a range. For example:
"GN=(-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?)(,-?[0-9]+\\.?[0-9]?){0,6}"
Would match any of "GN=12.7", "GN=12.7,0,0.9" or "GN=12.7,0,0.9,12.9,0.0,1,1"

In fact, the "?" (optional) qualifier can actually be written as "{0,1}", although you don't see it too often.

HIH

Winston