Would there be interest in a SERIOUS compile-time regex parser?

[Don Clugston]

Bruno Medeiros wrote:
> Don Clugston wrote:
>>
>> It would behave *exactly* like the existing std.regexp, except that 
>> compilation into the internal form would happen via template 
>> metaprogramming, so that
>> (1) all errors would be caught at compile time, and
>> (2) there'd be a minor speedup because the compilation step would not 
>> happen at runtime, and
>> (3) otherwise it wouldn't be any faster than the existing regexp. 
>> However, there'd be no template code bloat, either.
>>
> 
> Whoa, "internal form" and "bytecoded program"? Out of curiosity, for 
> those ignorant on the matter, like me, what kind of processing is done 
> when creating a regexp, in terms of this internal form you speak of? Is 
> it converted to a simple internal form, or something more complex? 
> Bytecoded program seems pretty complex stuff, especially for a regexp 
> (isn't the translation direct) ?

It's *nowhere near* as complicated as it sounds. If you look into the 
source of std.regexp, you'll see what I mean -- there's a function 
called 'compile'.