Regular Expressions Questions and Answers

A useful guide. The examples assume a particular environment, but that is fixable.

There is a particular kind of technical book that is dense without being difficult, and this is one of them. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

Excellent from start to finish. No filler, no padding.

I have been working with regular expressions for a few years now and I still found plenty here that was new to me. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. An easy five stars from me. I look forward to whatever the author writes next.

Well worth picking up if you already have the basics.

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.