Character sets
You can define a set of characters within a string. Character sets match any single character enclosed in square brackets [ ]. For example:
Expression | Match |
|---|---|
j[oa]n | jon or jan |
Use the - character between two characters in a set to indicate a range. A - character outside of a set, or at the beginning or end of a set, is treated literally. For example:
Expression | Match |
|---|---|
[a-c] | a , b , or c |
[1-3] | 1 , 2 , or 3 |
[ab-] | a , b , or - |
[B-D]-3 | B-3 , C-3 , or D-3 |
If the first character in the set is ^, then the character set matches any character that is not in the list. For example:
Expression | Match |
|---|---|
[^oa] | Any character except o and a |
All other special characters lose their meaning when included in a character set. For example:
Expression | Match |
|---|---|
^[^*\+.-] | Line must not start with *, \ , + , . ,or - |
To include a literal ] in the character set, make it the first character in the set. It can also be excluded by following ^. The ] character is also treated literally outside of a set. For example:
Expression | Match |
|---|---|
[^]a-] | Any character besides ] , a , and - |
[]a] | ] or a |
[a]] | a] |