Re: [Python-ideas] Proposed convenience functions for re module

BJörn Lindqvist wrote:

2009/7/22 Steven D'Aprano :

...

The rationale is to make the following idiom easier:

m = re.match(s, pattern1) if not m: m = re.match(s, pattern2) if not m: m = re.match(s, pattern3) if not m: m = re.match(s, pattern4) if m: m.group()

which will become:

m = re.multimatch(s, pattern1, pattern2, pattern3, pattern4) if m: m.group()

Is there any support or objections to this proposal? Any comments?

I don't like it very much because it would only work for uncompiled patterns. All functions in re has a RegexObject counterpart, but multisearch() and multimatch() obviously would not. For the quoted example I'd usually try to create one regex that matches all four patterns, or use a loop:

for pat in (pattern1, pattern2, pattern3, pattern4): m = re.match(s, pat) if m: m.group() break

re.match and re.search will accept either a string or a compiled pattern as the first argument. Never used it myself, but...