VerbalExpressions.js

/*!
 * VerbalExpressions JavaScript Library v0.1
 * https://github.com/jehna/VerbalExpressions
 *
 *
 * Released under the MIT license
 * http://jquery.org/license
 *
 * Date: 2013-07-19
 * 
 */

// Define the collection class.
window.VerbalExpression = (function(){

    // I am the constructor function.
    function VerbalExpression(){
        var verbalExpression = Object.create( RegExp.prototype );
        
        // Initialize 
        verbalExpression = (RegExp.apply( verbalExpression, arguments ) || verbalExpression);
     
        // Add all the class methods
        VerbalExpression.injectClassMethods( verbalExpression );

        // Return the new object.
        return( verbalExpression );
    }
 
 
    // Define the static methods.
    VerbalExpression.injectClassMethods = function( verbalExpression ){
 
        // Loop over all the prototype methods
        for (var method in VerbalExpression.prototype){
 
            // Make sure this is a local method.
            if (VerbalExpression.prototype.hasOwnProperty( method )){
 
                // Add the method
                verbalExpression[ method ] = VerbalExpression.prototype[ method ];
 
            }
 
        }
        
        return( verbalExpression );
 
    };
 
 
    // Define the class methods.
    VerbalExpression.prototype = {
        
        // Variables to hold the whole
        // expression construction in order
        _prefixes : "",
        _source : "",
        _suffixes : "",
        _modifiers : "gm", // default to global multiline matching
        
        
        // Sanitation function for adding
        // anything safely to the expression
        sanitize : function( value ) {
            if(value.source) return value.source;
            return value.replace(/[^\w]/g, function(character) { return "\\" + character; });
        },
        
        // Function to add stuff to the
        // expression. Also compiles the
        // new expression so it's ready to
        // be used.
        add: function( value ) {
            this._source += value || "";
            this.compile(this._prefixes + this._source + this._suffixes, this._modifiers);
            return( this );
        },
        
        // Start and end of line functions
        startOfLine: function( enable ) {
            enable = ( enable != false );
            this._prefixes = enable ? "^" : "";
            this.add( "" );
            return( this );
        },
        
        endOfLine : function( enable ) {
            enable = ( enable != false );
            this._suffixes = enable ? "$" : "";
            this.add( "" );
            return( this );
        },
        
        // We try to keep the syntax as
        // user-friendly as possible.
        // So we can use the "normal"
        // behaviour to split the "sentences"
        // naturally.
        then : function( value ) {
            value = this.sanitize( value );
            this.add( "(" + value + ")" );
            return( this );
        },
        
        // And because we can't start with
        // "then" function, we create an alias
        // to be used as the first function
        // of the chain.
        find : function( value ) {
            return( this.then( value ) );
        },
        
        // Maybe is used to add values with ?
        maybe : function( value ) {
            value = this.sanitize(value);
            this.add( "(" + value + ")?" );
            return( this );
        },
        
        // Any character any number of times
        anything : function() {
            this.add( "(.*)" );
            return( this );
        },
        
        // Anything but these characters
        anythingBut : function( value ) {
            value = this.sanitize( value );
            this.add( "([^" + value + "]*)" );
            return( this );
        },
        
        // Shorthand function for the
        // String.replace function to
        // give more logical flow if, for
        // example, we're doing multiple
        // replacements on one regexp.
        replace : function( source, value ) {
            source = source.toString();
            return source.replace( this, value );
        },
        
        
        /// Add regular expression special ///
        /// characters                     ///
        
        // Line break
        lineBreak : function() {
            this.add( "(\\n|(\\r\\n))" ); // Unix + windows CLRF
            return( this );
        },
        // And a shorthand for html-minded
        br : function() {
            return this.lineBreak();
        },
        
        // Tab (duh?)
        tab : function() {
            this.add( "\\t" );
            return( this );
        },
        
        // Any alphanumeric
        word : function() {
            this.add( "\\w+" );
            return( this );
        },
        
        // Any given character
        anyOf : function( value ) {
            value = this.sanitize(value);
            this.add( "["+ value +"]" );
            return( this );
        },
        
        // Shorthand
        any : function( value ) {
            return( this.anyOf( value ) );
        },
        
        // Usage: .range( from, to [, from, to ... ] )
        range : function() {
            
            var value = "[";
            console.log(arguments);
            
            for(var _from = 0; _from < arguments.length; _from += 2) {
                var _to = _from+1;
                if(arguments.length <= to) break;
                
                var from = this.sanitize( arguments[_from] );
                var to = this.sanitize( arguments[_to] );
                
                value += from + "-" + to;
            }
            
            value += "]";
            
            this.add( value );
            return( this );
        },
        
        
        /// Modifiers      ///
        
        // Modifier abstraction
        addModifier : function( modifier ) {
            if( this._modifiers.indesxOf( modifier ) == -1 ) {
                this._modifiers += modifier;
            }
            this.add("");
            return( this );
        },
        removeModifier : function( modifier ) {
            this._modifiers = this._modifiers.replace( modifier, "" );
            this.add("");
            return( this );
        },
        
        // Case-insensitivity modifier
        withAnyCase : function( enable ) {
            
            if(enable != false) this.addModifier( "i" );
            else this.removeModifier( "i" );
            
            this.add( "" );
            return( this );
            
        },
        
        // Default behaviour is with "g" modifier,
        // so we can turn this another way around
        // than other modifiers
        stopAtFirst : function( enable ) {
            
            if(enable != false) this.removeModifier( "g" );
            else this.addModifier( "g" );
            
            this.add( "" );
            return( this );
            
        },
        
        // Multiline, also reversed
        searchOneLine : function( enable ) {
            
            if(enable != false) this.removeModifier( "m" );
            else this.addModifier( "m" );
            
            this.add( "" );
            return( this );
            
        },
        
        
        
        /// Loops  ///
        
        multiple : function( value ) {
            // Use expression or string
            value = value.source ? value.source : this.sanitize(value);
            switch(value.substr(-1)) {
                case "*":
                case "+":
                    break;
                default:
                    value += "+";
            }
            this.add( value );
            return( this );
        },
        
        // Adds alternative expressions
        or : function( value ) {
            
            if(this._prefixes.indexOf("(") == -1) this._prefixes += "(";
            if(this._suffixes.indexOf(")") == -1) this._suffixes = ")" + this._suffixes;
            
            this.add( ")|(" );
            if(value) this.then( value );
            
            return( this );
        }
        
    };
 
 
    // Return the constructor.
    return( VerbalExpression );
 
 
}).call( {} );

// Create shorthand
(function(w) { 
    w.VerEx = function() {
        return new VerbalExpression();
    };
})(window);