Cloud Software Group, Inc. EBX®
Documentation > User Guide > EBX® Metadata Management > User Interface > Navigation pane > Metadata catalog
Navigation mode Documentation > User Guide > EBX® Metadata Management > User Interface > Navigation pane > Metadata catalog

# Regular expressions

## Overview

Regular expressions are used to classify assets and tie them to data elements depending on whether the sample data of an asset matches with the regular expressions defined on data elements.

## Characters

- `x` The character x

- `\\` The backslash character

- `\0n` The character with octal value 0n `(0 <= n <= 7)`

- `\0nn` The character with octal value 0nn `(0 <= n <= 7)`

- `\0mnn` The character with octal value 0mnn `(0 <= m <= 3, 0 <= n <= 7)`

- `\xhh` The character with hexadecimal value 0xhh

- `\uhhhh` The character with hexadecimal value 0xhhhh

- `\x{h...h}` The character with hexadecimal value 0xh…h (Character.MIN_CODE_POINT <= 0xh…h <= Character.MAX_CODE_POINT)

- `\t` The tab character (`\u0009`)

- `\n` The newline (line feed) character (`\u000A`)

- `\r` The carriage-return character (`\u000D`)

- `\f` The form-feed character (`\u000C`)

- `\a` The alert (bell) character (’007`)

- `\e` The escape character (`'\u001B`)

- `\cx` The control character corresponding to x

## Character classes

- `[abc]` a, b, or c (simple class)

- `[^abc]` Any character except a, b, or c (negation)

- `[a-zA-Z]` a through z or A through Z, inclusive (range)

- `[a-d[m-p]]` a through d, or m through p: `[a-dm-p]` (union)

- `[a-z&&[def]]` d, e, or f (intersection)

- `[a-z&&[^bc]]` a through z, except for b and c: `[ad-z]` (subtraction)

- `[a-z&&[^m-p]]` a through z, and not m through p: `[a-lq-z]` (subtraction)

## Predefined character classes

- `.` Any character (may or may not match line terminators)

- `\d` A digit: `[0-9]`

- `\\D` A non-digit: `[^0-9]`

- `\s` A whitespace character: `[ \t\n\x0B\f\r]`

- `\\S` A non-whitespace character: `[^\s]`

- `\w` A word character: `[a-zA-Z_0-9]`

- `\W` A non-word character: `[^\w]`

## POSIX character classes (US-ASCII only)

- `\p{Lower}` A lower-case alphabetic character: `[a-z]`

- `\p{Upper}` An upper-case alphabetic character: `[A-Z]`

- `\p{ASCII}` All ASCII:`[\x00-\x7F]`

- `\\p{Alpha}` An alphabetic character:`[\p{Lower}\p{Upper}]`

- `\p{Digit}` A decimal digit: `[0-9]`

- `\p{Alnum}` An alphanumeric character:`[\p{Alpha}\p{Digit}]`

- `\p{Punct}` Punctuation: One of `!"#$%&'()*+,-./:;<=>?@[\]^_``{|}~`

- `\p{Graph}` A visible character: `[\p{Alnum}\p{Punct}]`

- `\p{Print}` A printable character: `[\p{Graph}\x20]`

- `\p{Blank}` A space or a tab: `[ \t]`

- `\p{Cntrl}` A control character: `[\x00-\x1F\x7F]`

- `\p{XDigit}` A hexadecimal digit: `[0-9a-fA-F]`

- `\p{Space}` A whitespace character: `[ \t\n\x0B\f\r]`

## Classes for Unicode scripts, blocks, categories and binary properties

- `\p{IsLatin}` A Latin script character (script)

- `\p{InGreek}` A character in the Greek block (block)

- `\p{Lu}` An uppercase letter (category)

- `\p{IsAlphabetic}` An alphabetic character (binary property)

- `\p{Sc}` A currency symbol

- `\P{InGreek}` Any character except one in the Greek block (negation)

- `[\p{L}&&[^\p{Lu}]]` Any letter except an uppercase letter (subtraction)

## Boundary matchers

- `^` The beginning of a line

- `$` The end of a line

- `\b` A word boundary

- `\B` A non-word boundary

- `\A` The beginning of the input

- `\G` The end of the previous match

- `\Z` The end of the input but for the final terminator, if any

- `\z` The end of the input

## Greedy quantifiers

- `X?` X, once or not at all

- `X*` X, zero or more times

- `X+` X, one or more times

- `X{n}` X, exactly n times

- `X{n,}` X, at least n times

- `X{n,m}` X, at least n but not more than m times

## Reluctant quantifiers

- `X??` X, once or not at all

- `X*?` X, zero or more times

- `X+?` X, one or more times

- `X{n}?` X, exactly n times

- `X{n,}?` X, at least n times

- `X{n,m}?` X, at least n but not more than m times

## Possessive quantifiers

- `X?+` X, once or not at all

- `X*+` X, zero or more times

- `X++` X, one or more times

- `X{n}+` X, exactly n times

- `X{n,}+` X, at least n times

- `X{n,m}+` X, at least n but not more than m times

## Logical operators

- `XY` X followed by Y

- `X|Y` Either X or Y

- `(X)` X, as a capturing group

## Back references

- `\n` Whatever the nth capturing group matched

- `\k<name>` Whatever the named-capturing group name matched

## Quotation

- `\` Nothing, but quotes the following character

- `\Q` Nothing, but quotes all characters until `\E`

- `\E` Nothing, but ends quoting started by `\Q`

## Special constructs (named-capturing and non-capturing)

- `(?<name>X)` X, as a named-capturing group

- `(?:X)` X, as a non-capturing group

- `(?idmsuxU-idmsuxU)` Nothing, but turns match flags `i d m s u x U` on - off

- `(?idmsux-idmsux:X)` X, as a non-capturing group with the given flags `i d m s u x` on - off

- `(?=X)` X, via zero-width positive lookahead

- `(?!X)` X, via zero-width negative lookahead

- `(?<=X)` X, via zero-width positive lookbehind

- `(?<!X)` X, via zero-width negative lookbehind

- `(?>X)` X, as an independent, non-capturing group

Documentation > User Guide > EBX® Metadata Management > User Interface > Navigation pane > Metadata catalog