ac?e matches ace and aerie but not axiomatic.
{n} Exactly n instances of the preceding character. e{2} matches reed and each pair of two e??™s in
Aieeeeeeee!; but nothing in Dreamweaver.
{n,m} A minimum of n and a maximum of m C{2,4} matches #CC00FF and #CCCC00, but not
instances of the preceding character. the full string #CCCCCC.
If you searched with the regular expression
C{2,4}, it would first locate the first four C??™s in
the string #CCCCCC. If you clicked Find Next,
the search would locate the last two C??™s in the
string because the search is looking for two,
three, or four C??™s in a row.
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Working with Text 8
Matching character ranges
Beyond single characters, or repetitions of single characters, regular expressions incorporate the capability
of finding or excluding ranges of characters. This feature is particularly useful when you??™re working with
groups of names or titles. Ranges are specified in set brackets. A match is made when any one of the
characters within the set brackets, not necessarily all the characters, is found. Descriptions of how to match
character ranges with regular expressions can be found in Table 8-5.
TABLE 8-5
Regular Expression Character Ranges
Character Matches Example
[abc] Any one of the characters a, b, or c [lmrt] matches the individual l and m??™s in
lemmings, and the r and t in roadtrip.
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