Windows Developer Power Tools

6.7 Creating Regular Expressions with ReguLazy

Learning how to write regular expressions is a big task, especially if all you need to do is parse something really simple (such as a small piece of text), and then get on with your work. You don’t want to waste your time learning the awkward syntax, or even look at a regular expression; you just want to use one. (It’s like XML—you know it’s there, you just never want to touch it directly unless you really have to.)

ReguLazy helps users build expressions to parse text without requiring them to know anything about regex syntax. All it needs is some sample input and the user’s attention. It then suggests expressions that would match parts of the text, such as “one or more letters” or “exactly two 2 numbers,” and lets the user decide which are the most appropriate. It’s all point-and-click, and when the user has finished clicking her selections, she has a ready-made regular expression.

ReguLazy lets the user forget about learning the syntax and get right back to the work at hand: building an application.

ReguLazy at a Glance
Tool	ReguLazy
Version covered	1.00
Home page	http://regulazy.osherove.com
Power Tools page	http://www.windevpowertools.com/tools/69
Summary	Create regular expressions visually
License type	Freeware
Online resources	Author’s blog
Supported Frameworks	.NET 2.0
Related tools in this book	The Regulator

Getting Started

ReguLazy’s distribution ...