Perl-compatible Regular Expressions (revised API: PCRE2)

The HTML documentation for PCRE2 consists of a number of pages that are listed below in alphabetical order. If you are new to PCRE2, please read the first one first.

pcre2 Introductory page

pcre2-config Information about the installation configuration

pcre2api PCRE2's native API

pcre2build Building PCRE2

pcre2callout The callout facility

pcre2compat Compability with Perl

pcre2convert Experimental foreign pattern conversion functions

pcre2demo A demonstration C program that uses the PCRE2 library

pcre2grep The pcre2grep command

pcre2jit Discussion of the just-in-time optimization support

pcre2limits Details of size and other limits

pcre2matching Discussion of the two matching algorithms

pcre2partial Using PCRE2 for partial matching

pcre2pattern Specification of the regular expressions supported by PCRE2

pcre2perform Some comments on performance

pcre2posix The POSIX API to the PCRE2 8-bit library

pcre2sample Discussion of the pcre2demo program

pcre2serialize Serializing functions for saving precompiled patterns

pcre2syntax Syntax quick-reference summary

pcre2test The pcre2test command for testing PCRE2

pcre2unicode Discussion of Unicode and UTF-8/UTF-16/UTF-32 support

There are also individual pages that summarize the interface for each function in the library.

pcre2_callout_enumerate Enumerate callouts in a compiled pattern

pcre2_code_copy Copy a compiled pattern

pcre2_code_copy_with_tables Copy a compiled pattern and its character tables

pcre2_code_free Free a compiled pattern

pcre2_compile Compile a regular expression pattern

pcre2_compile_context_copy Copy a compile context

pcre2_compile_context_create Create a compile context

pcre2_compile_context_free Free a compile context

pcre2_config Show build-time configuration options

pcre2_convert_context_copy Copy a convert context

pcre2_convert_context_create Create a convert context

pcre2_convert_context_free Free a convert context

pcre2_converted_pattern_free Free converted foreign pattern

pcre2_dfa_match Match a compiled pattern to a subject string (DFA algorithm; not Perl compatible)

pcre2_general_context_copy Copy a general context

pcre2_general_context_create Create a general context

pcre2_general_context_free Free a general context

pcre2_get_error_message Get textual error message for error number

pcre2_get_mark Get a (*MARK) name

pcre2_get_match_data_size Get the size of a match data block

pcre2_get_ovector_count Get the ovector count

pcre2_get_ovector_pointer Get a pointer to the ovector

pcre2_get_startchar Get the starting character offset

pcre2_jit_compile Process a compiled pattern with the JIT compiler

pcre2_jit_free_unused_memory Free unused JIT memory

pcre2_jit_match Fast path interface to JIT matching

pcre2_jit_stack_assign Assign stack for JIT matching

pcre2_jit_stack_create Create a stack for JIT matching

pcre2_jit_stack_free Free a JIT matching stack

pcre2_maketables Build character tables in current locale

pcre2_maketables_free Free character tables

pcre2_match Match a compiled pattern to a subject string (Perl compatible)

pcre2_match_context_copy Copy a match context

pcre2_match_context_create Create a match context

pcre2_match_context_free Free a match context

pcre2_match_data_create Create a match data block

pcre2_match_data_create_from_pattern Create a match data block getting size from pattern

pcre2_match_data_free Free a match data block

pcre2_pattern_convert Experimental foreign pattern converter

pcre2_pattern_info Extract information about a pattern

pcre2_serialize_decode Decode serialized compiled patterns

pcre2_serialize_encode Serialize compiled patterns for save/restore

pcre2_serialize_free Free serialized compiled patterns

pcre2_serialize_get_number_of_codes Get number of serialized compiled patterns

pcre2_set_bsr Set \R convention

pcre2_set_callout Set up a callout function

pcre2_set_character_tables Set character tables

pcre2_set_compile_extra_options Set compile time extra options

pcre2_set_compile_recursion_guard Set up a compile recursion guard function

pcre2_set_depth_limit Set the match backtracking depth limit

pcre2_set_glob_escape Set glob escape character

pcre2_set_glob_separator Set glob separator character

pcre2_set_heap_limit Set the match backtracking heap limit

pcre2_set_match_limit Set the match limit

pcre2_set_max_pattern_compiled_length Set the maximum length of a compiled pattern

pcre2_set_max_pattern_length Set the maximum length of a pattern

pcre2_set_max_varlookbehind Set the maximum match length for a variable-length lookbehind

pcre2_set_newline Set the newline convention

pcre2_set_offset_limit Set the offset limit

pcre2_set_optimize Set an optimization directive

pcre2_set_parens_nest_limit Set the parentheses nesting limit

pcre2_set_recursion_limit Obsolete: use pcre2_set_depth_limit

pcre2_set_recursion_memory_management Obsolete function that (from 10.30 onwards) does nothing

pcre2_set_substitute_callout Set a substitution callout function

pcre2_set_substitute_case_callout Set a substitution case callout function

pcre2_substitute Match a compiled pattern to a subject string and do substitutions

pcre2_substring_copy_byname Extract named substring into given buffer

pcre2_substring_copy_bynumber Extract numbered substring into given buffer

pcre2_substring_free Free extracted substring

pcre2_substring_get_byname Extract named substring into new memory

pcre2_substring_get_bynumber Extract numbered substring into new memory

pcre2_substring_length_byname Find length of named substring

pcre2_substring_length_bynumber Find length of numbered substring

pcre2_substring_list_free Free list of extracted substrings

pcre2_substring_list_get Extract all substrings into new memory

pcre2_substring_nametable_scan Find table entries for given string name

pcre2_substring_number_from_name Convert captured string name to number