Re: regex help required

[locked_user sundialsvc4]

Indeed.   You must not only determine what it is you do want to match (hence the reply #1:   “what are the relevant parts?”), but also what rules will filter out what you do not want.

Seriously consider using a subroutine to allow for some conditional logic to be used ... (pseudocode follows)

sub my_filter {
  my $str = shift;
  my $TRUE = 1; my $FALSE = 0;   # FOR CLARITY

  return $FALSE if ($str =~ /reject_pattern_#1/);
  return $FALSE if ($str =~ /reject_pattern_#2/);

  return $TRUE if ($str =~ /accept_pattern_#1/);
  return $TRUE if ($str =~ /accept_pattern_#2/);

  return $FALSE;  // DOESN'T MATCH ANYTHING
}

Then, write a test-program using Test::More which puts your subroutine through many dozens of tests, using a carefully-chosen set of “correct,” “almost correct,” “barely incorrect” and “outright bogus” strings, to prove that your logic is actually trustworthy and reliable.   (Tip:   you will spend a lot more time ferreting-out the little bugs that were lurking in your original version, hoping to remain un-detected, than you originally thought possible.)