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PCRECALLOUT(3) Library Functions Manual PCRECALLOUT(3)
NAME
PCRE - Perl-compatible regular expressions
SYNOPSIS
#include <pcre.h>
int (*pcre_callout)(pcre_callout_block *);
int (*pcre16_callout)(pcre16_callout_block *);
int (*pcre32_callout)(pcre32_callout_block *);
DESCRIPTION
PCRE provides a feature called "callout", which is a means of temporarily passing control
to the caller of PCRE in the middle of pattern matching. The caller of PCRE provides an
external function by putting its entry point in the global variable pcre_callout
(pcre16_callout for the 16-bit library, pcre32_callout for the 32-bit library). By
default, this variable contains NULL, which disables all calling out.
Within a regular expression, (?C) indicates the points at which the external function is
to be called. Different callout points can be identified by putting a number less than 256
after the letter C. The default value is zero. For example, this pattern has two callout
points:
(?C1)abc(?C2)def
If the PCRE_AUTO_CALLOUT option bit is set when a pattern is compiled, PCRE automatically
inserts callouts, all with number 255, before each item in the pattern. For example, if
PCRE_AUTO_CALLOUT is used with the pattern
A(\d{2}|--)
it is processed as if it were
(?C255)A(?C255)((?C255)\d{2}(?C255)|(?C255)-(?C255)-(?C255))(?C255)
Notice that there is a callout before and after each parenthesis and alternation bar.
Automatic callouts can be used for tracking the progress of pattern matching. The pcretest
command has an option that sets automatic callouts; when it is used, the output indicates
how the pattern is matched. This is useful information when you are trying to optimize the
performance of a particular pattern.
The use of callouts in a pattern makes it ineligible for optimization by the just-in-time
compiler. Studying such a pattern with the PCRE_STUDY_JIT_COMPILE option always fails.
MISSING CALLOUTS
You should be aware that, because of optimizations in the way PCRE matches patterns by
default, callouts sometimes do not happen. For example, if the pattern is
ab(?C4)cd
PCRE knows that any matching string must contain the letter "d". If the subject string is
"abyz", the lack of "d" means that matching doesn't ever start, and the callout is never
reached. However, with "abyd", though the result is still no match, the callout is obeyed.
If the pattern is studied, PCRE knows the minimum length of a matching string, and will
immediately give a "no match" return without actually running a match if the subject is
not long enough, or, for unanchored patterns, if it has been scanned far enough.
You can disable these optimizations by passing the PCRE_NO_START_OPTIMIZE option to the
matching function, or by starting the pattern with (*NO_START_OPT). This slows down the
matching process, but does ensure that callouts such as the example above are obeyed.
THE CALLOUT INTERFACE
During matching, when PCRE reaches a callout point, the external function defined by
pcre_callout or pcre[16|32]_callout is called (if it is set). This applies to both normal
and DFA matching. The only argument to the callout function is a pointer to a pcre_callout
or pcre[16|32]_callout block. These structures contains the following fields:
int version;
int callout_number;
int *offset_vector;
const char *subject; (8-bit version)
PCRE_SPTR16 subject; (16-bit version)
PCRE_SPTR32 subject; (32-bit version)
int subject_length;
int start_match;
int current_position;
int capture_top;
int capture_last;
void *callout_data;
int pattern_position;
int next_item_length;
const unsigned char *mark; (8-bit version)
const PCRE_UCHAR16 *mark; (16-bit version)
const PCRE_UCHAR32 *mark; (32-bit version)
The version field is an integer containing the version number of the block format. The
initial version was 0; the current version is 2. The version number will change again in
future if additional fields are added, but the intention is never to remove any of the
existing fields.
The callout_number field contains the number of the callout, as compiled into the pattern
(that is, the number after ?C for manual callouts, and 255 for automatically generated
callouts).
The offset_vector field is a pointer to the vector of offsets that was passed by the call-
er to the matching function. When pcre_exec() or pcre[16|32]_exec() is used, the contents
can be inspected, in order to extract substrings that have been matched so far, in the
same way as for extracting substrings after a match has completed. For the DFA matching
functions, this field is not useful.
The subject and subject_length fields contain copies of the values that were passed to the
matching function.
The start_match field normally contains the offset within the subject at which the current
match attempt started. However, if the escape sequence \K has been encountered, this value
is changed to reflect the modified starting point. If the pattern is not anchored, the
callout function may be called several times from the same point in the pattern for dif-
ferent starting points in the subject.
The current_position field contains the offset within the subject of the current match
pointer.
When the pcre_exec() or pcre[16|32]_exec() is used, the capture_top field contains one
more than the number of the highest numbered captured substring so far. If no substrings
have been captured, the value of capture_top is one. This is always the case when the DFA
functions are used, because they do not support captured substrings.
The capture_last field contains the number of the most recently captured substring. If no
substrings have been captured, its value is -1. This is always the case for the DFA match-
ing functions.
The callout_data field contains a value that is passed to a matching function specifically
so that it can be passed back in callouts. It is passed in the callout_data field of a
pcre_extra or pcre[16|32]_extra data structure. If no such data was passed, the value of
callout_data in a callout block is NULL. There is a description of the pcre_extra struc-
ture in the pcreapi documentation.
The pattern_position field is present from version 1 of the callout structure. It contains
the offset to the next item to be matched in the pattern string.
The next_item_length field is present from version 1 of the callout structure. It contains
the length of the next item to be matched in the pattern string. When the callout immedi-
ately precedes an alternation bar, a closing parenthesis, or the end of the pattern, the
length is zero. When the callout precedes an opening parenthesis, the length is that of
the entire subpattern.
The pattern_position and next_item_length fields are intended to help in distinguishing
between different automatic callouts, which all have the same callout number. However,
they are set for all callouts.
The mark field is present from version 2 of the callout structure. In callouts from
pcre_exec() or pcre[16|32]_exec() it contains a pointer to the zero-terminated name of the
most recently passed (*MARK), (*PRUNE), or (*THEN) item in the match, or NULL if no such
items have been passed. Instances of (*PRUNE) or (*THEN) without a name do not obliterate
a previous (*MARK). In callouts from the DFA matching functions this field always contains
NULL.
RETURN VALUES
The external callout function returns an integer to PCRE. If the value is zero, matching
proceeds as normal. If the value is greater than zero, matching fails at the current
point, but the testing of other matching possibilities goes ahead, just as if a lookahead
assertion had failed. If the value is less than zero, the match is abandoned, the matching
function returns the negative value.
Negative values should normally be chosen from the set of PCRE_ERROR_xxx values. In par-
ticular, PCRE_ERROR_NOMATCH forces a standard "no match" failure. The error number
PCRE_ERROR_CALLOUT is reserved for use by callout functions; it will never be used by PCRE
itself.
AUTHOR
Philip Hazel
University Computing Service
Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
REVISION
Last updated: 24 June 2012
Copyright (c) 1997-2012 University of Cambridge.
PCRE 8.30 24 June 2012 PCRECALLOUT(3)
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