Python-2.0 fails to correctly handle cases when greedy
and non-greedy regular expressions are present in the
same pattern. In some cases non-greedy are more
aggressive than greedy searches!!

Here is an example:

TESTB-BED system: San Solaris 2.6
Python 2.0 (#1, Dec  9 2000, 12:35:40) 
[GCC 2.95.2 19991024 (release)] on sunos5

Please, run the following code to see the bug:

import re
str='first_XXXX_last'
#                   \1  \2    \3
mo = re.search(r'^(.*?)(X*)(.*?)$', str)
# above, the groups \1 and \3 are NON-greedy regexp
# while group \2 is greedy.
# Unfortunately Python-2.0 demonstrates buggy behavior
# here:
print "BUGGY result:", mo.groups()
print "should be   : ('first_', 'XXXX', '_last')"
#EOF

When I run the code above it prints the following:

BUGGY result: ('', '', 'first_XXXX_last')
should be   : ('first_', 'XXXX', '_last')
>>> 

Thanks,
--Leo  <slonika@yahoo.com>

Logged In: YES 
user_id=38376

you forgot that X* and .*? may both match empty strings.

try changing one of them to a +, and the expression will 
work as you expected.

Cheers /F