String.replaceAll problem processing "value { { {"

[Peebster_99]

I would like to use String.replaceAll() in order to replace substrings
that equal: "value { { {" with this string: "value { {".

When attempting to invoke replaceAll as follows:
String s = ("value[\\s]{\\s");
output.replaceAll(s ,"value { {");

The following error result below produced at runtime. Using \\s for
whitespace yields similar results. Can someone point out to me what
I'm doing wrong here?
Thanks,

java.util.regex.PatternSyntaxException: Illegal repetition near index
5
value { { {
^
java.util.regex.PatternSyntaxException: Illegal repetition near index
5
value { { {
^

 

[Tor Iver Wilhelmsen]

String s = ("value[\\s]{\\s");

{ is a special character in regular expressions, you need to escape
that too.

(It's used in POSIX character classes and quantifiers, e.g. (foo){1,2}
will match foo and foofoo but not foofoofoo.)

(Removed non-existing-on-proper-newsservers group.)

 

[hiwa]

I would like to use String.replaceAll() in order to replace substrings
that equal: "value { { {" with this string: "value { {".

When attempting to invoke replaceAll as follows:
String s = ("value[\\s]{\\s");
output.replaceAll(s ,"value { {");

The following error result below produced at runtime. Using \\s for
whitespace yields similar results. Can someone point out to me what
I'm doing wrong here?
Thanks,

java.util.regex.PatternSyntaxException: Illegal repetition near index
5
value { { {
^
java.util.regex.PatternSyntaxException: Illegal repetition near index
5
value { { {
^

'{' is a meta character for Java regexp engine. You have to escape
them with two backslashes prepending.

 

[Mladen Adamovic]

Don't forget also that String.replaceAll process its param
String twice, so if you want to to replace "\\" wth something instead of
replace "\\\\" you must write replace "\\\\\\\\\\". Don't ask me why thay
make it that way.

 

[hiwa]

Don't forget also that String.replaceAll process its param
String twice, so if you want to to replace "\\" wth something instead of
replace "\\\\" you must write replace "\\\\\\\\\\". Don't ask me why thay
make it that way.

String.replaceAll process its param String twice

Ugh! That was my heavy headache during a recent development. I'd like
to know where did you get that info? Sun javadoc doesn't have no
mention about it.

//from my working code ... after a muddy struggle:
preBody = preBody.replaceAll("\\\\", "\\\\\\\\");

 

[Mladen Adamovic]

Ugh! That was my heavy headache during a recent development. I'd like
to know where did you get that info? Sun javadoc doesn't have no
mention about it.

I have same headache and asked three months ago at the c.l.j.p and one man
help me, unfortunatly I don't know his name at the moment, but THANKS TO
HIM!!!

And it was same replaceAll statement as you mention here: