java.lang.Object
- org.apache.wicket.util.parse.metapattern.MetaPattern

All Implemented Interfaces:

java.io.Serializable, IClusterable

Direct Known Subclasses:

Group, OptionalMetaPattern
```
public class MetaPattern
extends java.lang.Object
implements IClusterable
```
Useful class for constructing readable and reusable regular expressions.
MetaPatterns can be constructed from a simple regular expression String, from other MetaPatterns (copy constructor), from a list of MetaPatterns or from an array of MetaPatterns. In this way, it is easy to build up larger patterns while transparently binding the capturing groups of each MetaPattern for easy object oriented access to capturing group matches.
A given MetaPattern can be converted to a Matcher or Pattern. Groups within the MetaPattern can be used to automatically reference capturing group values when a match is made with a Matcher object.
A variety of static constants are provided for use in constructing compound MetaPatterns. Also, a number of simple parsers have been constructed using MetaPatterns in the parsers subpackage.

Author:

Jonathan Locke

See Also:

Serialized Form

Field Summary

Fields
Modifier and Type	Field	Description
`static MetaPattern`	`AMPERSAND`	Constant for ampersand.
`static MetaPattern`	`ANYTHING`	Constant for anything (string).
`static MetaPattern`	`ANYTHING_NON_EMPTY`	Constant for anything non-empty (string).
`static MetaPattern`	`AT_SIGN`	Constant for at.
`static MetaPattern`	`BACKSLASH`	Constant for backslash.
`static MetaPattern`	`COLON`	Constant for colon.
`static MetaPattern`	`COMMA`	Constant for comma.
`static MetaPattern`	`DASH`	Constant for dash.
`static MetaPattern`	`DIGIT`	Constant for digit.
`static MetaPattern`	`DIGITS`	Constant for digits.
`static MetaPattern`	`DOLLAR_SIGN`	Constant for dollar.
`static MetaPattern`	`DOT`	Constant for dot.
`static MetaPattern`	`DOUBLE_QUOTED_STRING`	Constant for a double quoted string.
`static MetaPattern`	`EQUALS`	Constant for equals.
`static MetaPattern`	`EXCLAMATION_POINT`	Constant for excl.
`static MetaPattern`	`FLOATING_POINT_NUMBER`	Constant for a floating point number.
`static MetaPattern`	`HEXADECIMAL_DIGIT`	Constant for hex digit.
`static MetaPattern`	`HEXADECIMAL_DIGITS`	Constant for hex digits.
`static MetaPattern`	`INTEGER`	Constant for an integer (of any size).
`static MetaPattern`	`LEFT_CURLY`	Constant for left curly braces.
`static MetaPattern`	`LEFT_PAREN`	Constant for left paren.
`static MetaPattern`	`LEFT_SQUARE`	Constant for left square bracket.
`static MetaPattern`	`MINUS`	Constant for minus.
`static MetaPattern`	`NON_WORD`	Constant for non-word.
`static MetaPattern`	`OPTIONAL_STRING`	Constant for an optional string.
`static MetaPattern`	`OPTIONAL_WHITESPACE`	Constant for optional whitespace.
`static MetaPattern`	`OPTIONAL_WORD`	Constant for an optional word.
`static MetaPattern`	`PERCENT`	Constant for percent.
`static MetaPattern`	`PERL_INTERPOLATION`	Constant for perl interpolation.
`static MetaPattern`	`PIPE`	Constant for pipe.
`static MetaPattern`	`PLUS`	Constant for plus.
`static MetaPattern`	`POSITIVE_INTEGER`	Constant for a positive integer.
`static MetaPattern`	`POUND_SIGN`	Constant for pound.
`static MetaPattern`	`RIGHT_CURLY`	Constant for right curly braces.
`static MetaPattern`	`RIGHT_PAREN`	Constant for right paren.
`static MetaPattern`	`RIGHT_SQUARE`	Constant for right square bracket.
`static MetaPattern`	`SEMICOLON`	Constant for semicolon.
`static MetaPattern`	`SLASH`	Constant for slash.
`static MetaPattern`	`STAR`	Constant for star.
`static MetaPattern`	`STRING`	Constant for a string.
`static MetaPattern`	`TILDE`	Constant for tilde.
`static MetaPattern`	`UNDERSCORE`	Constant for underscore.
`static MetaPattern`	`VARIABLE_NAME`	Constant for a variable name.
`static MetaPattern`	`WHITESPACE`	Constant for whitespace.
`static MetaPattern`	`WORD`	Constant for a word.
`static MetaPattern`	`XML_ATTRIBUTE_NAME`	Constant for an XML attribute name.
`static MetaPattern`	`XML_ELEMENT_NAME`	Constant for an XML element name.

Constructor Summary

Constructors
Constructor	Description
`MetaPattern(java.lang.String pattern)`	Constructor for a simple pattern.
`MetaPattern(java.util.List<MetaPattern> patterns)`	Constructs from a list of MetaPatterns
`MetaPattern(MetaPattern pattern)`	Copy constructor.
`MetaPattern(MetaPattern... patterns)`	Constructs from an array of MetaPatterns.

Method Summary

All Methods Instance Methods Concrete Methods
Modifier and Type	Method	Description
`java.util.regex.Matcher`	`matcher(java.lang.CharSequence input)`	Creates a matcher against a given input character sequence.
`java.util.regex.Matcher`	`matcher(java.lang.CharSequence input, int flags)`	Creates a matcher with the given regexp compile flags.
`java.util.regex.Pattern`	`pattern()`	Gets the regular expression Pattern for this MetaPattern by compiling it.
`java.util.regex.Pattern`	`pattern(int flags)`	Gets the regular expression Pattern for this MetaPattern by compiling it using the given flags.
`java.lang.String`	`toString()`	Converts this MetaPattern to a String.

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object
clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait

- Field Detail
  - WHITESPACE
```
public static final MetaPattern WHITESPACE
```
    Constant for whitespace.
  - OPTIONAL_WHITESPACE
```
public static final MetaPattern OPTIONAL_WHITESPACE
```
    Constant for optional whitespace.
  - NON_WORD
```
public static final MetaPattern NON_WORD
```
    Constant for non-word.
  - COMMA
```
public static final MetaPattern COMMA
```
    Constant for comma.
  - COLON
```
public static final MetaPattern COLON
```
    Constant for colon.
  - SEMICOLON
```
public static final MetaPattern SEMICOLON
```
    Constant for semicolon.
  - SLASH
```
public static final MetaPattern SLASH
```
    Constant for slash.
  - BACKSLASH
```
public static final MetaPattern BACKSLASH
```
    Constant for backslash.
  - DOT
```
public static final MetaPattern DOT
```
    Constant for dot.
  - PLUS
```
public static final MetaPattern PLUS
```
    Constant for plus.
  - MINUS
```
public static final MetaPattern MINUS
```
    Constant for minus.
  - DASH
```
public static final MetaPattern DASH
```
    Constant for dash.
  - UNDERSCORE
```
public static final MetaPattern UNDERSCORE
```
    Constant for underscore.
  - AMPERSAND
```
public static final MetaPattern AMPERSAND
```
    Constant for ampersand.
  - PERCENT
```
public static final MetaPattern PERCENT
```
    Constant for percent.
  - DOLLAR_SIGN
```
public static final MetaPattern DOLLAR_SIGN
```
    Constant for dollar.
  - POUND_SIGN
```
public static final MetaPattern POUND_SIGN
```
    Constant for pound.
  - AT_SIGN
```
public static final MetaPattern AT_SIGN
```
    Constant for at.
  - EXCLAMATION_POINT
```
public static final MetaPattern EXCLAMATION_POINT
```
    Constant for excl.
  - TILDE
```
public static final MetaPattern TILDE
```
    Constant for tilde.
  - EQUALS
```
public static final MetaPattern EQUALS
```
    Constant for equals.
  - STAR
```
public static final MetaPattern STAR
```
    Constant for star.
  - PIPE
```
public static final MetaPattern PIPE
```
    Constant for pipe.
  - LEFT_PAREN
```
public static final MetaPattern LEFT_PAREN
```
    Constant for left paren.
  - RIGHT_PAREN
```
public static final MetaPattern RIGHT_PAREN
```
    Constant for right paren.
  - LEFT_CURLY
```
public static final MetaPattern LEFT_CURLY
```
    Constant for left curly braces.
  - RIGHT_CURLY
```
public static final MetaPattern RIGHT_CURLY
```
    Constant for right curly braces.
  - LEFT_SQUARE
```
public static final MetaPattern LEFT_SQUARE
```
    Constant for left square bracket.
  - RIGHT_SQUARE
```
public static final MetaPattern RIGHT_SQUARE
```
    Constant for right square bracket.
  - DIGIT
```
public static final MetaPattern DIGIT
```
    Constant for digit.
  - DIGITS
```
public static final MetaPattern DIGITS
```
    Constant for digits.
  - INTEGER
```
public static final MetaPattern INTEGER
```
    Constant for an integer (of any size).
  - FLOATING_POINT_NUMBER
```
public static final MetaPattern FLOATING_POINT_NUMBER
```
    Constant for a floating point number.
  - POSITIVE_INTEGER
```
public static final MetaPattern POSITIVE_INTEGER
```
    Constant for a positive integer.
  - HEXADECIMAL_DIGIT
```
public static final MetaPattern HEXADECIMAL_DIGIT
```
    Constant for hex digit.
  - HEXADECIMAL_DIGITS
```
public static final MetaPattern HEXADECIMAL_DIGITS
```
    Constant for hex digits.
  - ANYTHING
```
public static final MetaPattern ANYTHING
```
    Constant for anything (string).
  - ANYTHING_NON_EMPTY
```
public static final MetaPattern ANYTHING_NON_EMPTY
```
    Constant for anything non-empty (string).
  - WORD
```
public static final MetaPattern WORD
```
    Constant for a word.
  - OPTIONAL_WORD
```
public static final MetaPattern OPTIONAL_WORD
```
    Constant for an optional word.
  - VARIABLE_NAME
```
public static final MetaPattern VARIABLE_NAME
```
    Constant for a variable name.
  - XML_ELEMENT_NAME
```
public static final MetaPattern XML_ELEMENT_NAME
```
    Constant for an XML element name.
  - XML_ATTRIBUTE_NAME
```
public static final MetaPattern XML_ATTRIBUTE_NAME
```
    Constant for an XML attribute name.
  - PERL_INTERPOLATION
```
public static final MetaPattern PERL_INTERPOLATION
```
    Constant for perl interpolation.
  - DOUBLE_QUOTED_STRING
```
public static final MetaPattern DOUBLE_QUOTED_STRING
```
    Constant for a double quoted string.
  - STRING
```
public static final MetaPattern STRING
```
    Constant for a string.
  - OPTIONAL_STRING
```
public static final MetaPattern OPTIONAL_STRING
```
    Constant for an optional string.
- Constructor Detail
  - MetaPattern
```
public MetaPattern(java.lang.String pattern)
```
    Constructor for a simple pattern.
    
    Parameters:
    
    pattern - The regular expression pattern to compile
  - MetaPattern
```
public MetaPattern(MetaPattern pattern)
```
    Copy constructor.
    
    Parameters:
    
    pattern - The meta pattern to copy
  - MetaPattern
```
public MetaPattern(MetaPattern... patterns)
```
    Constructs from an array of MetaPatterns.
    
    Parameters:
    
    patterns - Array of MetaPatterns
  - MetaPattern
```
public MetaPattern(java.util.List<MetaPattern> patterns)
```
    Constructs from a list of MetaPatterns
    
    Parameters:
    
    patterns - List of MetaPatterns
- Method Detail
  - matcher
```
public final java.util.regex.Matcher matcher(java.lang.CharSequence input)
```
    Creates a matcher against a given input character sequence.
    
    Parameters:
    
    input - The input to match against
    
    Returns:
    
    The matcher
  - matcher
```
public final java.util.regex.Matcher matcher(java.lang.CharSequence input,
                                             int flags)
```
    Creates a matcher with the given regexp compile flags. Once you call this method with a given regexp compile flag value, the pattern will be compiled. Calling it again with a different value for flags will not recompile the pattern.
    
    Parameters:
    
    input - The input to match
    
    flags - One or more of the standard Java regular expression compile flags (see Pattern.compile(String, int))
    
    Returns:
    
    The matcher
  - pattern
```
public final java.util.regex.Pattern pattern()
```
    Gets the regular expression Pattern for this MetaPattern by compiling it.
    
    Returns:
    
    Pattern compiled with default Java regular expression compile flags
  - pattern
```
public final java.util.regex.Pattern pattern(int flags)
```
    Gets the regular expression Pattern for this MetaPattern by compiling it using the given flags.
    
    Parameters:
    
    flags - One or more of the standard Java regular expression compile flags (see Pattern.compile(String, int))
    
    Returns:
    
    Equivalent Java regular expression Pattern compiled with the given flags
  - toString
```
public java.lang.String toString()
```
    Converts this MetaPattern to a String.
    
    Overrides:
    
    toString in class java.lang.Object
    
    Returns:
    
    A String representing this MetaPattern
    
    See Also:
    
    Object.toString()

Class MetaPattern

Field Summary

Constructor Summary

Method Summary

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

Field Detail

WHITESPACE

OPTIONAL_WHITESPACE

NON_WORD

COMMA

COLON

SEMICOLON

SLASH

BACKSLASH

DOT

PLUS

MINUS

DASH

UNDERSCORE

AMPERSAND

PERCENT

DOLLAR_SIGN

POUND_SIGN

AT_SIGN

EXCLAMATION_POINT

TILDE

EQUALS

STAR

PIPE

LEFT_PAREN

RIGHT_PAREN

LEFT_CURLY

RIGHT_CURLY

LEFT_SQUARE

RIGHT_SQUARE

DIGIT

DIGITS

INTEGER

FLOATING_POINT_NUMBER

POSITIVE_INTEGER

HEXADECIMAL_DIGIT

HEXADECIMAL_DIGITS

ANYTHING

ANYTHING_NON_EMPTY

WORD

OPTIONAL_WORD

VARIABLE_NAME

XML_ELEMENT_NAME

XML_ATTRIBUTE_NAME

PERL_INTERPOLATION

DOUBLE_QUOTED_STRING

STRING

OPTIONAL_STRING

Constructor Detail

MetaPattern

MetaPattern

MetaPattern

MetaPattern

Method Detail

matcher

matcher

pattern

pattern

toString