but also still on occasion use the Regex101 site, since i have the link in the same menu area as the Notepad++ links, so it’s quick and easy

I have my Run menu set up with a command to “Launch RegexBuddy”, thus making it as simple as what you’re saying that you have for regex101.

RegexBuddy has a lot of options because it is very powerful. It’s always a struggle between simplicity and power, where a UI design is concerned – just consider Notepad++ itself.

But we’ve probably strayed off-topic too much with talk of RegexBuddy.

The important point I wanted to make was that people continually use regex101 and then, for more complex expressions, complain that Notepad++ isn’t acting the same way…and the reason for that is that they use different engines and neither one is wrong (but there is only something wrong when you compare different results obtained).

However, it just became easier to use the Regex101 for quick dirty checks on my small code chores, as there is so many options and such in those programs, that at the time, it was like learning 3 sets of the Encyclopedia, one for NPP, one for Regex, and one for the Regex Buddy/Magic options. Was going dizzy back then, as I remember mentioning. :-)

However, since then, I have used those tools more, using the search box inside NPP itself along with Mark, etc, but also still on occasion use the Regex101 site, since i have the link in the same menu area as the Notepad++ links, so it’s quick and easy. :)

So there is one more tool for him to get what he needs to learn provided, he’s seriously interested. :-)

which I assume most people aren’t willing to spend on a tool they expect to use once

Well, I bought it based upon someone else’s advice here, and I use it all the time, not just for Notepad++ purposes. To me it was money well spent. Each has to judge for himself.

RegexBuddy

How do the developers and maintainers of function list definitions do it? What tools are they using?

I was thinking more along the lines of visualizing what is found and in case of an invalid regex seeing the information why it failed but … that can’t replace a regex debugger, surely not.

Commercial: RegexBuddy can debug Boost regexes.

Interesting, thanks for bringing it to attention! 😄 But it’s €40, which I assume most people aren’t willing to spend on a tool they expect to use once 😕

@PeterJones Yeah, I did, but I didn’t assume it would be what I’m looking for. In hindsight I absolutely should have looked there. Maybe this section could hint the library and version is on the other page,

I had hoped that “… syntax spelled out in the docs on Searching: Regular Expressions” would be enough of a hint. Apparently not.

Possible new paragraph in the Notes on regular expressions for parsers section:

Because you aren’t the first to be confused by those tools, either for Function List parsers or Notepad++ searching in general, I am also thinking of updating the first paragraph of the Searching: Regular Expressions to be:

Let me know if you think that clarifies things more

I’m looking for the sort of debugger that regex101 has, where you can step through the execution to see where exactly it goes wrong

Commercial: RegexBuddy can debug Boost regexes.

I will try to see if I can try to make it more obvious in the User Manual, without repeating too much information.

I am curious, when you were reading the User Manual on the Function List page, did you see this section?

Because the link there takes you to the beginning of the Regular Expressions section of the Manual, whose first sentence (shown above) does give the Boost version number.

I’ll still try to make it even more clear, but I need to understand what parts are causing confusion to be able to figure it out.

@PeterJones It’s not on the function list site, and I admit I didn’t think it would be on the regular expressions site but on the function list site. I apologize.

do you really expect the Notepad++ User Manual to tell you what brand of regex engine regex101 website uses?

Of course not. What makes you think that?

Of course I didn’t really think that; I was using an exaggerated interpretation to show you that you had made a mistake, because the information is in the User Manual, even though you didn’t find it.

But exaggerations aside, I will try to see if I can try to make it more obvious in the User Manual, without repeating too much information.

do you really expect the Notepad++ User Manual to tell you what brand of regex engine regex101 website uses?

Of course not. What makes you think that?

I didn’t find this sort of “practical information” in there 😅

Realize, that Regex 101 uses PCRE, and Notepad++ uses the Boost Regex.

I see, that’s exactly the sort of information I was looking for, thanks.

Makes it quite explicit that Notepad++ uses Boost 1.80. I’m not sure what more could be said in the User Manual to give you that piece of “practical information”. (For example, do you really expect the Notepad++ User Manual to tell you what brand of regex engine regex101 website uses? If it did, it would have to tell you for all other such websites, which would be impractical and outside the scope of documenting the Notepad++ application.)

When I reload Notepad++ to apply function list file, I only see that the regex did not work, not the exact part of the (potentially very complex) regex that fails. This sort of debugger would have saved hours of my time (so far).

Thanks for the upvote, though.

First, read the online user manual

I obviously did, but I didn’t find this sort of “practical information” in there 😅

Realize, that Regex 101 uses PCRE, and Notepad++ uses the Boost Regex.

I see, that’s exactly the sort of information I was looking for, thanks.

As a more realistic response, read the Searching/Regex section of the Manual how to use Notepad++ itself to test your Regex.

That’s not exactly what I’m looking for. Ideally I’m looking for the sort of debugger that regex101 has, where you can step through the execution to see where exactly it goes wrong 😄

First, read the online user manual at Notepad++ Online User Manual

And read the FunctionList FAQ.

Realize, that Regex 101 uses PCRE, and Notepad++ uses the Boost Regex. Some of the escape characters and such are different between the two, that’s why you can’t cut and paste the result, but if you are aware of the differences between the two variants, you’ll know what you can paste over or not. You’ll need to change those differences. As a more realistic response, read the Searching/Regex section of the Manual how to use Notepad++ itself to test your Regex.
It’s not easy, and you’ll either have to trial and error or post code and questions here if you get stuck but this is not for the faint of heart. I did one 2 years ago, and I’m still not fluent with it.
Good luck.