Gotoken wrote: # Ruby's regexp is extended rather than the theoretical one. So, this # problem is solvable in Ruby perhaps. Indeed, a Perl's regexp for a # kind of balanced parens, i.e. email address, is known (e.g. appears # in Jeffrey E. F. Friedl's book). For the benefit of the uninitiated following this thread, the preceding reference to Friedl's book (and references in subsequent posts) are references to the Owl book, which is referenced in the back of the Thomas-Hunt book. . . . . (aka "Mastering Regular Expressions: Powerful techniques for Perl and Other Tools") Conrad Schneiker (This note is unofficial and subject to improvement without notice.)