Using explicitly numbered repetition instead of question mark, star and plus
- by polygenelubricants
I've seen regex patterns that use explicitly numbered repetition instead of ?, * and +, i.e.:
Explicit Shorthand
(something){0,1} (something)?
(something){1} (something)
(something){0,} (something)*
(something){1,} (something)+
The questions are:
Are these two forms identical? What if you add possessive/reluctant modifiers?
If they are identical, which one is more idiomatic? More readable? Simply "better"?