php.net |  support |  documentation |  report a bug |  advanced search |  search howto |  statistics |  random bug |  login

go to bug id or search bugs for

Bug #66423 preg_match / preg_replace greedyness changes unpredictably with subject string
Submitted: 2014-01-06 02:40 UTC Modified: 2014-12-30 10:42 UTC
From: publi at web dot de Assigned:
Status: No Feedback Package: *Regular Expressions
PHP Version: Irrelevant OS: Debian Linux
Private report: No CVE-ID: None
View Developer Edit
Anyone can comment on a bug. Have a simpler test case? Does it work for you on a different platform? Let us know!
Just going to say 'Me too!'? Don't clutter the database with that please !
Your email address:
MUST BE VALID
Solve the problem:
5 - 1 = ?
Subscribe to this entry?

 
 [2014-01-06 02:40 UTC] publi at web dot de 
Description:
------------
I am using a shared debian host where I cannot easily upgrade to a newer version of PHP myself, currently it is PHP Version 5.3.3-7+squeeze18

I currently experience the expected behavior at roughly 85% of the inputs:
the preg_* modifiers "sU" make two ".*"s in the search string ungreedy.

Otherwise, at least the 1st occurrence of ".*" is not greedy.
Alterig it to ".*?" fixes the problem.

Behavior reproducibly depended on the subject strings of the search in my tests.
Since these are lengthy web pages, there is an archive with all source files at:
http://omegawiki.purodha.net/test-M15/test-M15.tgz
and the test script is also available to run at:
http://omegawiki.purodha.net/test-M15/test-M15.php
and more input files for additional tests ate at:
http://omegawiki.purodha.net/test-M15/

If you want more information or additional tests, feel free to contact me
via e-mail.

Test script:
---------------
See:

http://omegawiki.purodha.net/test-M15/test-M15.tgz

http://omegawiki.purodha.net/test-M15/test-M15.php

Expected result:
----------------
file	 regex-1	 regex-2
6028	 1		 1
6245	 1		 1


Actual result:
--------------
file	 regex-1	 regex-2
6028	 1		 1
6245	 0		 1

Patches

Pull Requests

History

AllCommentsChangesGit/SVN commitsRelated reports
 [2014-01-06 03:52 UTC] requinix@php.net
-Status: Open +Status: Feedback
 [2014-01-06 03:52 UTC] requinix@php.net 
Increase your pcre.backtrack_limit and try again.
 [2014-12-30 10:42 UTC] php-bugs at lists dot php dot net 
No feedback was provided. The bug is being suspended because
we assume that you are no longer experiencing the problem.
If this is not the case and you are able to provide the
information that was requested earlier, please do so and
change the status of the bug back to "Re-Opened". Thank you.
 
PHP Copyright © 2001-2025 The PHP Group
All rights reserved. 		Last updated: Fri Oct 31 20:00:01 2025 UTC