why is regular expression considered a programming language?

Question

"Regular expressions are essentially a highly specialised programming language embedded in Python" - how is Regular Expression considered a programming language when all we do is find a pattern with it..

Answer 1

A programming language is a means of expressing sets of operations that are to be executed by a machine.



A Regular Expression is a means of expressing how to match (or identify) strings.



How to Match (or identify) strings is a set of operations that are to be executed by a machine.



Therefore, the set of regular expressions is considered a programming language.

Answer 2

Regular expressions are used to find certain patterns in a string. Its not a programming language but a PART of a programming language..

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Its not a programming language; You can't use it to build programs.



"Regular expressions are a way to describe a set of strings based on common characteristics shared by each string in the set. They can be used to search, edit, or manipulate text and data. " ~ http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/essential/regex/intro.html

Answer 5

Because regular expressions fit the definition of a programming language.



First poster is wrong and doesn't know what a programming language actually is.