add -k<name> and sort by multiple columns support, fixes #34

.github/workflows/release.yaml

@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-name: build-and-test
-on:
-  push:
-    tags:
-      - "*"
-
-jobs:
-  release:
-    name: Build Release Assets
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout code
-        uses: actions/checkout@v2
-
-      - name: Set up Go
-        uses: actions/setup-go@v1
-        with:
-          go-version: 1.22.11
-
-      - name: Build the executables
-        run: ./mkrel.sh tablizer ${{ github.ref_name}}
-
-      - name: List the executables
-        run: ls -l ./releases
-
-      - name: Upload the binaries
-        uses: svenstaro/upload-release-action@v2
-        with:
-          repo_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          tag: ${{ github.ref_name }}
-          file: ./releases/*
-          file_glob: true

Makefile

@@ -53,7 +53,8 @@ buildlocal:
 	go build -ldflags "-X 'github.com/tlinden/tablizer/cfg.VERSION=$(VERSION)'"
 
 release:
-	gh release create $(version) --generate-notes
+	./mkrel.sh $(tool) $(version)
+	gh release create $(version) --generate-notes releases/*
 
 install: buildlocal
 	install -d -o $(UID) -g $(GID) $(PREFIX)/bin

README.md

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ Operational Flags:
   -s, --separator string            Custom field separator
   -k, --sort-by int                 Sort by column (default: 1)
   -z, --fuzzy                       Use fuzzy search [experimental]
-  -F, --filter field[!]=reg         Filter given field with regex, can be used multiple times
+  -F, --filter field=reg            Filter given field with regex, can be used multiple times
   -T, --transpose-columns string    Transpose the speficied columns (separated by ,)
   -R, --regex-transposer /from/to/  Apply /search/replace/ regexp to fields given in -T
 

cfg/config.go

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
-Copyright © 2022-2025 Thomas von Dein
+Copyright © 2022-2024 Thomas von Dein
 
 This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
@@ -52,17 +52,6 @@ type Transposer struct {
 	Replace string
 }
 
-type Pattern struct {
-	Pattern   string
-	PatternRe *regexp.Regexp
-	Negate    bool
-}
-
-type Filter struct {
-	Regex  *regexp.Regexp
-	Negate bool
-}
-
 // internal config
 type Config struct {
 	Debug          bool
@@ -73,7 +62,8 @@ type Config struct {
 	Separator      string
 	OutputMode     int
 	InvertMatch    bool
-	Patterns       []*Pattern
+	Pattern        string
+	PatternR       *regexp.Regexp
 	UseFuzzySearch bool
 	UseHighlight   bool
 
@@ -105,7 +95,7 @@ type Config struct {
 
 	// used for field filtering
 	Rawfilters []string
-	Filters    map[string]Filter //map[string]*regexp.Regexp
+	Filters    map[string]*regexp.Regexp
 
 	// -r <file>
 	InputFile string
@@ -275,20 +265,12 @@ func (conf *Config) PrepareModeFlags(flag Modeflag) {
 }
 
 func (conf *Config) PrepareFilters() error {
-	conf.Filters = make(map[string]Filter, len(conf.Rawfilters))
+	conf.Filters = make(map[string]*regexp.Regexp, len(conf.Rawfilters))
 
-	for _, rawfilter := range conf.Rawfilters {
-		filter := Filter{}
-
-		parts := strings.Split(rawfilter, "!=")
+	for _, filter := range conf.Rawfilters {
+		parts := strings.Split(filter, "=")
 		if len(parts) != MAXPARTS {
-			parts = strings.Split(rawfilter, "=")
-
-			if len(parts) != MAXPARTS {
-				return errors.New("filter field and value must be separated by '=' or '!='")
-			}
-		} else {
-			filter.Negate = true
+			return errors.New("filter field and value must be separated by =")
 		}
 
 		reg, err := regexp.Compile(parts[1])
@@ -297,8 +279,7 @@ func (conf *Config) PrepareFilters() error {
 				parts[0], err)
 		}
 
-		filter.Regex = reg
-		conf.Filters[strings.ToLower(parts[0])] = filter
+		conf.Filters[strings.ToLower(strings.ToLower(parts[0]))] = reg
 	}
 
 	return nil
@@ -352,37 +333,15 @@ func (conf *Config) ApplyDefaults() {
 	}
 }
 
-func (conf *Config) PreparePattern(patterns []*Pattern) error {
-	// regex checks if a pattern looks like /$pattern/[i!]
-	flagre := regexp.MustCompile(`^/(.*)/([i!]*)$`)
+func (conf *Config) PreparePattern(pattern string) error {
+	PatternR, err := regexp.Compile(pattern)
 
-	for _, pattern := range patterns {
-		matches := flagre.FindAllStringSubmatch(pattern.Pattern, -1)
-
-		// we have a regex with flags
-		for _, match := range matches {
-			pattern.Pattern = match[1] // the inner part is our actual pattern
-			flags := match[2]          // the flags
-
-			for _, flag := range flags {
-				switch flag {
-				case 'i':
-					pattern.Pattern = `(?i)` + pattern.Pattern
-				case '!':
-					pattern.Negate = true
-				}
-			}
-		}
-
-		PatternRe, err := regexp.Compile(pattern.Pattern)
-		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("regexp pattern %s is invalid: %w", pattern.Pattern, err)
-		}
-
-		pattern.PatternRe = PatternRe
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("regexp pattern %s is invalid: %w", conf.Pattern, err)
 	}
 
-	conf.Patterns = patterns
+	conf.PatternR = PatternR
+	conf.Pattern = pattern
 
 	return nil
 }

cfg/config_test.go

@@ -79,55 +79,20 @@ func TestPrepareSortFlags(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestPreparePattern(t *testing.T) {
 	var tests = []struct {
-		patterns  []*Pattern
-		name      string
-		wanterr   bool
-		wanticase bool
-		wantneg   bool
+		pattern string
+		wanterr bool
 	}{
-		{
-			[]*Pattern{{Pattern: "[A-Z]+"}},
-			"simple",
-			false,
-			false,
-			false,
-		},
-		{
-			[]*Pattern{{Pattern: "[a-z"}},
-			"regfail",
-			true,
-			false,
-			false,
-		},
-		{
-			[]*Pattern{{Pattern: "/[A-Z]+/i"}},
-			"icase",
-			false,
-			true,
-			false,
-		},
-		{
-			[]*Pattern{{Pattern: "/[A-Z]+/!"}},
-			"negate",
-			false,
-			false,
-			true,
-		},
-		{
-			[]*Pattern{{Pattern: "/[A-Z]+/!i"}},
-			"negicase",
-			false,
-			true,
-			true,
-		},
+		{"[A-Z]+", false},
+		{"[a-z", true},
 	}
 
 	for _, testdata := range tests {
-		testname := fmt.Sprintf("PreparePattern-pattern-%s-wanterr-%t", testdata.name, testdata.wanterr)
+		testname := fmt.Sprintf("PreparePattern-pattern-%s-wanterr-%t",
+			testdata.pattern, testdata.wanterr)
 		t.Run(testname, func(t *testing.T) {
 			conf := Config{}
 
-			err := conf.PreparePattern(testdata.patterns)
+			err := conf.PreparePattern(testdata.pattern)
 
 			if err != nil {
 				if !testdata.wanterr {

cmd/root.go

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
-Copyright © 2022-2025 Thomas von Dein
+Copyright © 2022-2024 Thomas von Dein
 
 This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ func Execute() {
 
 	// filters
 	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringArrayVarP(&conf.Rawfilters,
-		"filter", "F", nil, "Filter by field (field=regexp || field!=regexp)")
+		"filter", "F", nil, "Filter by field (field=regexp)")
 	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringArrayVarP(&conf.Transposers,
 		"regex-transposer", "R", nil, "apply /search/replace/ regexp to fields given in -T")
 

cmd/tablizer.go

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ NAME
 
 SYNOPSIS
         Usage:
-          tablizer [regex,...] [file, ...] [flags]
+          tablizer [regex] [file, ...] [flags]
     
         Operational Flags:
           -c, --columns string              Only show the speficied columns (separated by ,)
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ SYNOPSIS
           -s, --separator string            Custom field separator
           -k, --sort-by int|name            Sort by column (default: 1)
           -z, --fuzzy                       Use fuzzy search [experimental]
-          -F, --filter field[!]=reg         Filter given field with regex, can be used multiple times
+          -F, --filter field=reg            Filter given field with regex, can be used multiple times
           -T, --transpose-columns string    Transpose the speficied columns (separated by ,)
           -R, --regex-transposer /from/to/  Apply /search/replace/ regexp to fields given in -T
 
@@ -130,43 +130,30 @@ DESCRIPTION
     for the developer.
 
   PATTERNS AND FILTERING
-    You can reduce the rows being displayed by using one or more regular
-    expression patterns. The regexp language being used is the one of
-    GOLANG, refer to the syntax cheat sheet here:
-    <https://pkg.go.dev/regexp/syntax>.
-
-    If you want to read a more comprehensive documentation about the topic
-    and have perl installed you can read it with:
+    You can reduce the rows being displayed by using a regular expression
+    pattern. The regexp is PCRE compatible, refer to the syntax cheat sheet
+    here: <https://github.com/google/re2/wiki/Syntax>. If you want to read a
+    more comprehensive documentation about the topic and have perl installed
+    you can read it with:
 
         perldoc perlre
 
-    Or read it online: <https://perldoc.perl.org/perlre>. But please note
-    that the GO regexp engine does NOT support all perl regex terms,
-    especially look-ahead and look-behind.
+    Or read it online: <https://perldoc.perl.org/perlre>.
 
-    If you want to supply flags to a regex, then surround it with slashes
-    and append the flag. The following flags are supported:
+    A note on modifiers: the regexp engine used in tablizer uses another
+    modifier syntax:
 
-        i => case insensitive
-        ! => negative match
+        (?MODIFIER)
+
+    The most important modifiers are:
+
+    "i" ignore case "m" multiline mode "s" single line mode
 
     Example for a case insensitive search:
 
-        kubectl get pods -A | tablizer "/account/i"
+        kubectl get pods -A | tablizer "(?i)account"
 
-    If you use the "!" flag, then the regex match will be negated, that is,
-    if a line in the input matches the given regex, but "!" is supplied,
-    tablizer will NOT include it in the output.
-
-    For example, here we want to get all lines matching "foo" but not "bar":
-
-        cat table | tablizer foo '/bar/!'
-
-    This would match a line "foo zorro" but not "foo bar".
-
-    The flags can also be combined.
-
-    You can also use the experimental fuzzy search feature by providing the
+    You can use the experimental fuzzy search feature by providing the
     option -z, in which case the pattern is regarded as a fuzzy search term,
     not a regexp.
 
@@ -181,10 +168,6 @@ DESCRIPTION
     If you specify more than one filter, both filters have to match (AND
     operation).
 
-    These field filters can also be negated:
-
-        fieldname!=regexp
-
     If the option -v is specified, the filtering is inverted.
 
   COLUMNS
@@ -409,7 +392,7 @@ AUTHORS
 var usage = `
 
 Usage:
-  tablizer [regex,...] [file, ...] [flags]
+  tablizer [regex] [file, ...] [flags]
 
 Operational Flags:
   -c, --columns string              Only show the speficied columns (separated by ,)
@@ -420,7 +403,7 @@ Operational Flags:
   -s, --separator string            Custom field separator
   -k, --sort-by int|name            Sort by column (default: 1)
   -z, --fuzzy                       Use fuzzy search [experimental]
-  -F, --filter field[!]=reg         Filter given field with regex, can be used multiple times
+  -F, --filter field=reg            Filter given field with regex, can be used multiple times
   -T, --transpose-columns string    Transpose the speficied columns (separated by ,)
   -R, --regex-transposer /from/to/  Apply /search/replace/ regexp to fields given in -T
 

lib/filter.go

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
-Copyright © 2022-2025 Thomas von Dein
+Copyright © 2022-2024 Thomas von Dein
 
 This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
@@ -27,46 +27,15 @@ import (
 )
 
 /*
-* [!]Match a  line, use fuzzy  search for normal pattern  strings and
-* regexp otherwise.
-
-		'foo bar'  foo, /bar/!  => false => line contains foo and not (not bar)
-	    'foo nix'  foo, /bar/!  => ture  => line contains foo and (not bar)
-		'foo bar'  foo, /bar/   => true  => line contains both foo and bar
-		'foo nix'  foo, /bar/   => false => line does not contain bar
-		'foo bar'  foo, /nix/   => false => line does not contain nix
-*/
+ * [!]Match a  line, use fuzzy  search for normal pattern  strings and
+ * regexp otherwise.
+ */
 func matchPattern(conf cfg.Config, line string) bool {
-	if len(conf.Patterns) == 0 {
-		// any line always matches ""
-		return true
-	}
-
 	if conf.UseFuzzySearch {
-		// fuzzy search only considers the 1st pattern
-		return fuzzy.MatchFold(conf.Patterns[0].Pattern, line)
+		return fuzzy.MatchFold(conf.Pattern, line)
 	}
 
-	var match int
-
-	//fmt.Printf("<%s>\n", line)
-	for _, re := range conf.Patterns {
-		patmatch := re.PatternRe.MatchString(line)
-		if re.Negate {
-			// toggle the meaning of match
-			patmatch = !patmatch
-		}
-
-		if patmatch {
-			match++
-		}
-
-		//fmt.Printf("patmatch: %t, match: %d, pattern: %s, negate: %t\n", patmatch, match, re.Pattern, re.Negate)
-	}
-
-	// fmt.Printf("result: %t\n", match == len(conf.Patterns))
-	//fmt.Println()
-	return match == len(conf.Patterns)
+	return conf.PatternR.MatchString(line)
 }
 
 /*
@@ -86,19 +55,15 @@ func FilterByFields(conf cfg.Config, data *Tabdata) (*Tabdata, bool, error) {
 		keep := true
 
 		for idx, header := range data.headers {
-			lcheader := strings.ToLower(header)
-			if !Exists(conf.Filters, lcheader) {
+			if !Exists(conf.Filters, strings.ToLower(header)) {
 				// do not filter by unspecified field
 				continue
 			}
 
-			match := conf.Filters[lcheader].Regex.MatchString(row[idx])
-			if conf.Filters[lcheader].Negate {
-				match = !match
-			}
-
-			if !match {
+			if !conf.Filters[strings.ToLower(header)].MatchString(row[idx]) {
+				// there IS a filter, but it doesn't match
 				keep = false
+
 				break
 			}
 		}
@@ -158,11 +123,8 @@ func Exists[K comparable, V any](m map[K]V, v K) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
-/*
- * Filters the whole input lines, returns filtered lines
- */
 func FilterByPattern(conf cfg.Config, input io.Reader) (io.Reader, error) {
-	if len(conf.Patterns) == 0 {
+	if conf.Pattern == "" {
 		return input, nil
 	}
 
@@ -174,7 +136,7 @@ func FilterByPattern(conf cfg.Config, input io.Reader) (io.Reader, error) {
 		line := strings.TrimSpace(scanner.Text())
 		if hadFirst {
 			// don't match 1st line, it's the header
-			if matchPattern(conf, line) == conf.InvertMatch {
+			if conf.Pattern != "" && matchPattern(conf, line) == conf.InvertMatch {
 				// by default  -v is false, so if a  line does NOT
 				// match the pattern, we will ignore it. However,
 				// if the user specified -v, the matching is inverted,

lib/filter_test.go

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
-Copyright © 2024-2025 Thomas von Dein
+Copyright © 2024 Thomas von Dein
 
 This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
@@ -27,21 +27,21 @@ import (
 
 func TestMatchPattern(t *testing.T) {
 	var input = []struct {
-		name     string
-		fuzzy    bool
-		patterns []*cfg.Pattern
-		line     string
+		name    string
+		fuzzy   bool
+		pattern string
+		line    string
 	}{
 		{
-			name:     "normal",
-			patterns: []*cfg.Pattern{{Pattern: "haus"}},
-			line:     "hausparty",
+			name:    "normal",
+			pattern: "haus",
+			line:    "hausparty",
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "fuzzy",
-			patterns: []*cfg.Pattern{{Pattern: "hpt"}},
-			line:     "haus-party-termin",
-			fuzzy:    true,
+			name:    "fuzzy",
+			pattern: "hpt",
+			line:    "haus-party-termin",
+			fuzzy:   true,
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ func TestMatchPattern(t *testing.T) {
 				conf.UseFuzzySearch = true
 			}
 
-			err := conf.PreparePattern(inputdata.patterns)
+			err := conf.PreparePattern(inputdata.pattern)
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Errorf("PreparePattern returned error: %s", err)
 			}
@@ -98,20 +98,6 @@ func TestFilterByFields(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 
-		{
-			name:   "one-field-negative",
-			filter: []string{"one!=asd"},
-			expect: Tabdata{
-				headers: []string{
-					"ONE", "TWO", "THREE",
-				},
-				entries: [][]string{
-					{"19191", "EDD 1", "x"},
-					{"8d8", "AN 1", "y"},
-				},
-			},
-		},
-
 		{
 			name:   "one-field-inverted",
 			filter: []string{"one=19"},

lib/helpers.go

@@ -293,20 +293,12 @@ func colorizeData(conf cfg.Config, output string) string {
 
 		return colorized
 
-	case len(conf.Patterns) > 0 && !conf.NoColor && color.IsConsole(os.Stdout):
-		out := output
+	case len(conf.Pattern) > 0 && !conf.NoColor && color.IsConsole(os.Stdout):
+		r := regexp.MustCompile("(" + conf.Pattern + ")")
 
-		for _, re := range conf.Patterns {
-			if !re.Negate {
-				r := regexp.MustCompile("(" + re.Pattern + ")")
-
-				out = r.ReplaceAllStringFunc(out, func(in string) string {
-					return conf.ColorStyle.Sprint(in)
-				})
-			}
-		}
-
-		return out
+		return r.ReplaceAllStringFunc(output, func(in string) string {
+			return conf.ColorStyle.Sprint(in)
+		})
 
 	default:
 		return output

lib/io.go

@@ -29,13 +29,13 @@ import (
 const RWRR = 0755
 
 func ProcessFiles(conf *cfg.Config, args []string) error {
-	fd, patterns, err := determineIO(conf, args)
+	fd, pattern, err := determineIO(conf, args)
 
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if err := conf.PreparePattern(patterns); err != nil {
+	if err := conf.PreparePattern(pattern); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ func ProcessFiles(conf *cfg.Config, args []string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func determineIO(conf *cfg.Config, args []string) (io.Reader, []*cfg.Pattern, error) {
+func determineIO(conf *cfg.Config, args []string) (io.Reader, string, error) {
 	var filehandle io.Reader
-	var patterns []*cfg.Pattern
+	var pattern string
 	var haveio bool
 
 	switch {
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ func determineIO(conf *cfg.Config, args []string) (io.Reader, []*cfg.Pattern, er
 		fd, err := os.OpenFile(conf.InputFile, os.O_RDONLY, RWRR)
 
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to read input file %s: %w", conf.InputFile, err)
+			return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("failed to read input file %s: %w", conf.InputFile, err)
 		}
 
 		filehandle = fd
@@ -93,15 +93,13 @@ func determineIO(conf *cfg.Config, args []string) (io.Reader, []*cfg.Pattern, er
 	}
 
 	if len(args) > 0 {
-		patterns = make([]*cfg.Pattern, len(args))
-		for i, arg := range args {
-			patterns[i] = &cfg.Pattern{Pattern: arg}
-		}
+		pattern = args[0]
+		conf.Pattern = args[0]
 	}
 
 	if !haveio {
-		return nil, nil, errors.New("no file specified and nothing to read on stdin")
+		return nil, "", errors.New("no file specified and nothing to read on stdin")
 	}
 
-	return filehandle, patterns, nil
+	return filehandle, pattern, nil
 }

lib/parser.go

@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ func parseTabular(conf cfg.Config, input io.Reader) (Tabdata, error) {
 			}
 		} else {
 			// data processing
-			if matchPattern(conf, line) == conf.InvertMatch {
+			if conf.Pattern != "" && matchPattern(conf, line) == conf.InvertMatch {
 				// by default  -v is false, so if a  line does NOT
 				// match the pattern, we will ignore it. However,
 				// if the user specified -v, the matching is inverted,

lib/parser_test.go

@@ -83,42 +83,36 @@ func TestParser(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestParserPatternmatching(t *testing.T) {
 	var tests = []struct {
-		name     string
-		entries  [][]string
-		patterns []*cfg.Pattern
-		invert   bool
-		want     bool
+		entries [][]string
+		pattern string
+		invert  bool
+		want    bool
 	}{
 		{
-			name: "match",
 			entries: [][]string{
 				{"asd", "igig", "cxxxncnc"},
 			},
-			patterns: []*cfg.Pattern{{Pattern: "ig"}},
-			invert:   false,
+			pattern: "ig",
+			invert:  false,
 		},
 		{
-			name: "invert",
 			entries: [][]string{
 				{"19191", "EDD 1", "X"},
 			},
-			patterns: []*cfg.Pattern{{Pattern: "ig"}},
-			invert:   true,
+			pattern: "ig",
+			invert:  true,
 		},
 	}
 
 	for _, inputdata := range input {
 		for _, testdata := range tests {
 			testname := fmt.Sprintf("parse-%s-with-pattern-%s-inverted-%t",
-				inputdata.name, testdata.name, testdata.invert)
+				inputdata.name, testdata.pattern, testdata.invert)
 			t.Run(testname, func(t *testing.T) {
-				conf := cfg.Config{
-					InvertMatch: testdata.invert,
-					Patterns:    testdata.patterns,
-					Separator:   inputdata.separator,
-				}
+				conf := cfg.Config{InvertMatch: testdata.invert, Pattern: testdata.pattern,
+					Separator: inputdata.separator}
 
-				_ = conf.PreparePattern(testdata.patterns)
+				_ = conf.PreparePattern(testdata.pattern)
 
 				readFd := strings.NewReader(strings.TrimSpace(inputdata.text))
 				gotdata, err := Parse(conf, readFd)
@@ -131,7 +125,7 @@ func TestParserPatternmatching(t *testing.T) {
 				} else {
 					if !reflect.DeepEqual(testdata.entries, gotdata.entries) {
 						t.Errorf("Parser returned invalid data (pattern: %s, invert: %t)\nExp: %+v\nGot: %+v\n",
-							testdata.name, testdata.invert, testdata.entries, gotdata.entries)
+							testdata.pattern, testdata.invert, testdata.entries, gotdata.entries)
 					}
 				}
 			})

t/test-multipatterns.txtar

@@ -1,46 +0,0 @@
-# filtering
-
-# a AND b
-exec tablizer -r testtable.txt -H -cspecies invasive imperium
-stdout 'namak'
-! stdout human
-
-# a AND !b
-exec tablizer -r testtable.txt -H -cspecies invasive '/imperium/!'
-stdout 'human'
-! stdout namak
-
-# a AND !b AND c
-exec tablizer -r testtable.txt -H -cspecies peaceful '/imperium/!' planetary
-stdout 'kenaha'
-! stdout 'namak|heduu|riedl'
-
-# case insensitive
-exec tablizer -r testtable.txt -H -cspecies '/REGIONAL/i'
-stdout namak
-! stdout 'human|riedl|heduu|kenaa'
-
-# case insensitive negated
-exec tablizer -r testtable.txt -H -cspecies '/REGIONAL/!i'
-stdout 'human|riedl|heduu|kenaa'
-! stdout namak
-
-# !a AND !b
-exec tablizer -r testtable.txt -H -cspecies '/galactic/!' '/planetary/!'
-stdout namak
-! stdout 'human|riedl|heduu|kenaa'
-
-# same case insensitive
-exec tablizer -r testtable.txt -H -cspecies '/GALACTIC/i!' '/PLANETARY/!i'
-stdout namak
-! stdout 'human|riedl|heduu|kenaa'
-
-# will be automatically created in work dir
--- testtable.txt --
-SPECIES   TYPE         HOME     STAGE             SPREAD
-human     invasive     earth    brink             planetary
-riedl     peaceful     keauna   civilized         pangalactic
-namak     invasive     namak    imperium          regional
-heduu     peaceful     iu       imperium          galactic
-kenaha    peaceful     kohi     hunter-gatherer   planetary
-

t/testtable5

@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-SPECIES   TYPE         HOME     STAGE
-human     invasive     earth    brink
-riedl     peaceful     keauna   civilized
-namak     invasive     namak    imperium
-heduu     peaceful     iu       imperium
-kenaha    peaceful     kohi     hunter-gatherer

tablizer.1

@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@
 .\" ========================================================================
 .\"
 .IX Title "TABLIZER 1"
-.TH TABLIZER 1 "2025-01-30" "1" "User Commands"
+.TH TABLIZER 1 "2025-01-15" "1" "User Commands"
 .\" For nroff, turn off justification.  Always turn off hyphenation; it makes
 .\" way too many mistakes in technical documents.
 .if n .ad l
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ tablizer \- Manipulate tabular output of other programs
 .IX Header "SYNOPSIS"
 .Vb 2
 \&    Usage:
-\&      tablizer [regex,...] [file, ...] [flags]
+\&      tablizer [regex] [file, ...] [flags]
 \&    
 \&    Operational Flags:
 \&      \-c, \-\-columns string              Only show the speficied columns (separated by ,)
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ tablizer \- Manipulate tabular output of other programs
 \&      \-s, \-\-separator string            Custom field separator
 \&      \-k, \-\-sort\-by int|name            Sort by column (default: 1)
 \&      \-z, \-\-fuzzy                       Use fuzzy search [experimental]
-\&      \-F, \-\-filter field[!]=reg         Filter given field with regex, can be used multiple times
+\&      \-F, \-\-filter field=reg            Filter given field with regex, can be used multiple times
 \&      \-T, \-\-transpose\-columns string    Transpose the speficied columns (separated by ,)
 \&      \-R, \-\-regex\-transposer /from/to/  Apply /search/replace/ regexp to fields given in \-T
 \&
@@ -278,52 +278,38 @@ Finally the  \fB\-d\fR option  enables debugging  output which  is mostly
 useful for the developer.
 .SS "\s-1PATTERNS AND FILTERING\s0"
 .IX Subsection "PATTERNS AND FILTERING"
-You can reduce  the rows being displayed by using  one or more regular
-expression patterns.   The regexp  language being used  is the  one of
-\&\s-1GOLANG,\s0     refer    to     the    syntax     cheat    sheet     here:
-<https://pkg.go.dev/regexp/syntax>.
-.PP
-If you  want to  read a more  comprehensive documentation  about the
-topic and have perl installed you can read it with:
+You can reduce the rows being  displayed by using a regular expression
+pattern.  The  regexp is  \s-1PCRE\s0 compatible, refer  to the  syntax cheat
+sheet here: <https://github.com/google/re2/wiki/Syntax>.  If you want
+to read  a more comprehensive  documentation about the topic  and have
+perl installed you can read it with:
 .PP
 .Vb 1
 \&    perldoc perlre
 .Ve
 .PP
-Or read it online: <https://perldoc.perl.org/perlre>. But please note
-that the \s-1GO\s0 regexp engine does \s-1NOT\s0 support all perl regex terms,
-especially look-ahead and look-behind.
+Or read it online: <https://perldoc.perl.org/perlre>.
 .PP
-If you want to supply flags to a regex, then surround it with slashes
-and append the flag. The following flags are supported:
+A note on  modifiers: the regexp engine used in  tablizer uses another
+modifier syntax:
 .PP
-.Vb 2
-\&    i => case insensitive
-\&    ! => negative match
+.Vb 1
+\&    (?MODIFIER)
 .Ve
 .PP
+The most important modifiers are:
+.PP
+\&\f(CW\*(C`i\*(C'\fR ignore case
+\&\f(CW\*(C`m\*(C'\fR multiline mode
+\&\f(CW\*(C`s\*(C'\fR single line mode
+.PP
 Example for a case insensitive search:
 .PP
 .Vb 1
-\&    kubectl get pods \-A | tablizer "/account/i"
+\&    kubectl get pods \-A | tablizer "(?i)account"
 .Ve
 .PP
-If you use the \f(CW\*(C`!\*(C'\fR flag, then the regex match will be negated, that
-is, if a line in the input matches the given regex, but \f(CW\*(C`!\*(C'\fR is
-supplied, tablizer will \s-1NOT\s0 include it in the output.
-.PP
-For example, here we want to get all lines matching \*(L"foo\*(R" but not
-\&\*(L"bar\*(R":
-.PP
-.Vb 1
-\&    cat table | tablizer foo \*(Aq/bar/!\*(Aq
-.Ve
-.PP
-This would match a line \*(L"foo zorro\*(R" but not \*(L"foo bar\*(R".
-.PP
-The flags can also be combined.
-.PP
-You  can also use  the experimental  fuzzy search  feature by  providing the
+You  can use  the experimental  fuzzy search  feature by  providing the
 option \fB\-z\fR, in which case the  pattern is regarded as a fuzzy search
 term, not a regexp.
 .PP
@@ -340,12 +326,6 @@ Fieldnames (== columns headers) are case insensitive.
 If you specify more than one filter, both filters have to match (\s-1AND\s0
 operation).
 .PP
-These field filters can also be negated:
-.PP
-.Vb 1
-\&    fieldname!=regexp
-.Ve
-.PP
 If the option \fB\-v\fR is specified, the filtering is inverted.
 .SS "\s-1COLUMNS\s0"
 .IX Subsection "COLUMNS"

tablizer.pod

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ tablizer - Manipulate tabular output of other programs
 =head1 SYNOPSIS
 
     Usage:
-      tablizer [regex,...] [file, ...] [flags]
+      tablizer [regex] [file, ...] [flags]
     
     Operational Flags:
       -c, --columns string              Only show the speficied columns (separated by ,)
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ tablizer - Manipulate tabular output of other programs
       -s, --separator string            Custom field separator
       -k, --sort-by int|name            Sort by column (default: 1)
       -z, --fuzzy                       Use fuzzy search [experimental]
-      -F, --filter field[!]=reg         Filter given field with regex, can be used multiple times
+      -F, --filter field=reg            Filter given field with regex, can be used multiple times
       -T, --transpose-columns string    Transpose the speficied columns (separated by ,)
       -R, --regex-transposer /from/to/  Apply /search/replace/ regexp to fields given in -T
 
@@ -142,44 +142,32 @@ useful for the developer.
 
 =head2 PATTERNS AND FILTERING
 
-You can reduce  the rows being displayed by using  one or more regular
-expression patterns.   The regexp  language being used  is the  one of
-GOLANG,     refer    to     the    syntax     cheat    sheet     here:
-L<https://pkg.go.dev/regexp/syntax>.
-
-If you  want to  read a more  comprehensive documentation  about the
-topic and have perl installed you can read it with:
+You can reduce the rows being  displayed by using a regular expression
+pattern.  The  regexp is  PCRE compatible, refer  to the  syntax cheat
+sheet here: L<https://github.com/google/re2/wiki/Syntax>.  If you want
+to read  a more comprehensive  documentation about the topic  and have
+perl installed you can read it with:
 
     perldoc perlre
 
-Or read it online: L<https://perldoc.perl.org/perlre>. But please note
-that the GO regexp engine does NOT support all perl regex terms,
-especially look-ahead and look-behind.
+Or read it online: L<https://perldoc.perl.org/perlre>.
 
-If you want to supply flags to a regex, then surround it with slashes
-and append the flag. The following flags are supported:
+A note on  modifiers: the regexp engine used in  tablizer uses another
+modifier syntax:
 
-    i => case insensitive
-    ! => negative match
+    (?MODIFIER)
+
+The most important modifiers are:
+
+C<i> ignore case
+C<m> multiline mode
+C<s> single line mode
 
 Example for a case insensitive search:
 
-    kubectl get pods -A | tablizer "/account/i"
+    kubectl get pods -A | tablizer "(?i)account"
 
-If you use the C<!> flag, then the regex match will be negated, that
-is, if a line in the input matches the given regex, but C<!> is
-supplied, tablizer will NOT include it in the output.
-
-For example, here we want to get all lines matching "foo" but not
-"bar":
-
-    cat table | tablizer foo '/bar/!'
-
-This would match a line "foo zorro" but not "foo bar".
-
-The flags can also be combined.
-
-You  can also use  the experimental  fuzzy search  feature by  providing the
+You  can use  the experimental  fuzzy search  feature by  providing the
 option B<-z>, in which case the  pattern is regarded as a fuzzy search
 term, not a regexp.
 
@@ -194,10 +182,6 @@ Fieldnames (== columns headers) are case insensitive.
 If you specify more than one filter, both filters have to match (AND
 operation).
 
-These field filters can also be negated:
-
-    fieldname!=regexp
-
 If the option B<-v> is specified, the filtering is inverted.