Which .NET online regex tester do you use?

Daniel Hug

I don't use online resources for this... prefer the old faithful RegexBuddy.

RegexHero (free) is also a good alternative to RegexBuddy.

Well, I'm replying three months later. There is http://regexstorm.net/, featuring a comprehensive .NET regex tester and complete .NET regex reference, as indicated in their home page. Other good tool is http://regextutorials.com/.

Hi Ozzie O, Paul and Anthony Rudd

Thanks for replying. I agree that RegexStorm is the best online .NET regex checker I've come across so far. However, I recently purchased RegexBuddy and PowerGREP as a bundle, and if you don't mind the 1990s-style UI they are really powerful regex tools.

Very cool feature in Regex Buddy is the analysis of your regex, also the comparison function between different flavors. You can build up libraries with regexes and test texts, which many online tools also allow.

Until now I used an AHK script to split XML files so that I could use the filename as DSI, which the embedded content processor unfortunately removes. (Vote here to improve this: https://community.sdl.com/ideas/translation-productivity-ideas/i/trados-studio-ideas/enable-more-document-structure-information-when-using-the-embedded-content-processor?CommentId=a00b59b8-899d-4e51-9b53-df529c2dbb5a)

That worked, but was clunky and a perpetual building site. PowerGREP is just the tool for that. Very neat.

Daniel

Although the analysis can be helpful and find "hidden" errors, it can become longwinded and provide only literal explanations for more complex regexes, it cannot surplant a detailed analytical knowledge of regex.
I find that the match-colouring is more useful than the textual analysis - it often indicates code errors.

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Anthony Rudd

I agree concerning the usefulness of match-coloring, and I would consider regex101.com exemplary here. (Almost) all these tools have it, including RegexBuddy, but this is not where RegexBuddy excels at all. The reason for mentioning the analysis function was that although all tools provide this, this is the first tool where I actually found it helpful.

There are other functions I did not use yet, like a regex creation tool ("Create"). Really good help function ("Explain token"). Just to make one thing clear - I am in no way affiliated with JGSoftware, I just like some features of the software. The UI, as said, is straight form the 1990s. You either find it cool and retro and remember the time when you were young... or you just llive with it. (Amazingly, PowerGREP has the same window manager that Studio uses.)

The reason why I mention this application in this thread is that I always struggled to find a regex tool that supports the flavor I need, the line break style etc. And in this respect, RegexBuddy is the cat's pyjamas, no kidding. You have control over everything.

Daniel

Based on your recommendation, I purchased RegexBuddy today. As you say, it has the advantage that it covers all regex flavours, but at the cost of having a less-than-intuitive UI. Again, I would agree that its analysis is more accurate than other debuggers I have tried. However, because I work exclusively in the .NET environment, I will remain with RegexHero with its better UI, except in special situations. 

Might as well get RegexBuddy. It seems like a tool worth adding to my programming toolbox: http://www.regexbuddy.com/. Thanks, Daniel.