I updated the Parrot smokeserver today, and suddenly the output display was horribly garbled. I started taking apart the regular expression, converting it into a //x with comments, and suddenly the answer was clear!
Someone added a field to the middle of the data set, and didn't increment all the following field id's. (I.e., $7, $8, $8, $9...).
Lesson #1: Be careful when inserting to the middle of a set. If you can safely insert at the end, do so.
Lesson #2: Don't use the numbered regexp capture syntax for large numbers of capture groups. Use ($foo, $bar, $baz) = /(.)(.)(.)/ instead.
I didn't write the original code - I just had to fix it. (Luckily, I like fixing things.)
> Use ($foo, $bar, $baz) =
This is also known as the Eccentrica Gallumbits regex.
John
Re:Obligatory Doug Adams reference
Robrt on 2005-11-04T16:43:39
No, it's a three eyed monster with his head cocked to the left.Re:Obligatory Doug Adams reference
hfb on 2005-11-05T08:29:28
Why not the Anne Boleyn regex?:) Re:Obligatory Doug Adams reference
jbodoni on 2005-11-05T21:28:49
Because (.) doesn't look like a mole - at least, not to me.
:) John
