Hackers,
Please find attached an improvement to the error messages given for invalid backreference usage:
select 'xyz' ~ '(.)(.)\3';
ERROR: invalid regular expression: invalid backreference number
select 'xyz' ~ '(.)(.)(?=\2)';
-ERROR: invalid regular expression: invalid backreference number
+ERROR: invalid regular expression: backreference in lookaround assertion
The first regexp is invalid because only two capture groups exist, so \3 doesn't refer to anything. The second regexp
isrejected because the regular expression system does not support backreferences within lookaround assertions. (See
thedocs, section 9.7.3.6. Limits And Compatibility.) It is flat wrong to say the backreference number is invalid.
Thereis a perfectly valid capture that \2 refers to.
The patch defines a new error code REG_ENOBREF in regex/regex.h right next to REG_ESUBREG from which it is split out,
ratherthan at the end of the list. Is there a project preference to add it at the end? Certainly, that would give a
shortergit diff.
Are there dependencies on the current error messages which prevent such changes?
—
Mark Dilger
EnterpriseDB: http://www.enterprisedb.com
The Enterprise PostgreSQL Company
