From 87bf725ea96fb3b0e6fb36fedbeb9257914525c4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Richard M. Stallman" Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 19:27:40 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Clarify that match data is unpredictable after failing searches. --- lispref/searching.texi | 5 +++-- 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/lispref/searching.texi b/lispref/searching.texi index a172332e3a3..59c5a7fb16a 100644 --- a/lispref/searching.texi +++ b/lispref/searching.texi @@ -1255,7 +1255,7 @@ just the text that matched @samp{\(ba*r\)}. @subsection Simple Match Data Access This section explains how to use the match data to find out what was -matched by the last search or match operation. +matched by the last search or match operation, if it succeeded. You can ask about the entire matching text, or about a particular parenthetical subexpression of a regular expression. The @var{count} @@ -1273,7 +1273,8 @@ only information available is about the entire match. A search which fails may or may not alter the match data. In the past, a failing search did not do this, but we may change it in the -future. +future. So don't try to rely on the value of the match data after +a failing search. @defun match-string count &optional in-string This function returns, as a string, the text matched in the last search -- 2.39.2