by Suvam Das
Alright, let's break down that regular expression!
^ [ \ w - \ . ] + @ ( [ \ w - ] + \ . ) + [ \ w - ] { 2,4 } $
Here's a step-by-step explanation:
^: This symbol asserts that the match must start at the beginning of the string.
[ \ w - \ . ] +: This part matches one or more (+) occurrences of any character that is:
\w: A word character (letters, numbers, and underscore).
-: A hyphen.
.: A literal dot (period).
@: This matches a literal "@" symbol.
( [ \ w - ] + \ . ) +: This is a capturing group (due to the parentheses) that matches one or more (+) repetitions of the following:
[ \ w - ] +: One or more word characters or hyphens.
.: A literal dot.
[ \ w - ] { 2,4 }: This matches between 2 and 4 ({2,4}) occurrences of word characters or hyphens.
$: This symbol asserts that the match must end at the end of the string.
In essence, this regular expression has the general structure of a simplified email address.
It starts with one or more word characters, hyphens, or dots.
Then, it has an "@" symbol.
After the "@", it has one or more parts separated by dots, where each part consists of one or more word characters or hyphens.
Finally, it ends with a top-level domain (like "com", "org", "net", "in", etc.) that is between 2 and 4 characters long and consists of word characters or hyphens.
So, a programmer might see a pattern that looks suspiciously like the basic format of an email address!