http://www.perlmonks.org?node_id=545447


in reply to Brute Force Algorithm with Perl reg exprs?

So, to restate your problem, you are looking to match between zero and length - hint_length arbitrary characters, the hint and between zero and length - hint_length arbitrary characters. The perlre sign for "between zero and infinity" is *, though you can be more specific (hint: look for the bit about curly braces in the doc link). Good luck -- old-hand at semester end cramming recommends starting earlier next time ;-).


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