Advanced Features

2 min read ·

These features make regular expressions more powerful for searching, modifying, and processing text.

Alternation using |

The pipe symbol is used to match one pattern or another.
Matches:
  • cat
  • dog

finditer()

Returns an iterator of match objects with detailed information like position.

Note

finditer is useful when you need position of matches along with value.


split()

Splits a string based on a pattern.
Output:
  • apple
  • banana
  • mango

sub()

Replaces matched pattern with new value.

Replace Multiple Values


Pro Tip

Use sub when cleaning or transforming text data.


Combining Features


Caution

Be careful with patterns in sub and split as incorrect pattern can remove important data.


Exercise

  • Use | to match multiple words
  • Use finditer to print positions
  • Split sentence using space and comma
  • Replace word using sub