What's the best SQL software for writing queries?

[timns]

Can anyone compare EditPlus with EditPadPro please?

The features seem almost identical.

[Renegade]

 I tried doing a regex thing yesterday...I don't get it at all.

-superboyac (February 16, 2011, 07:16 PM)

RegEx is one of those things that this phrase desribes perfectly:

"It's nice to live there, but you wouldn't want to visit"

-timns (February 16, 2011, 07:22 PM)

ha ha.  I totally get that.  Yeah, people swear by it who use it all the time.  But to just dabble in it makes no sense.  I was saying what the fuck a lot...

-superboyac (February 16, 2011, 07:25 PM)

+1 * 10^10^10 timns~!

The thing with regular expressions is that the first time it saves you a kajillion hours of work, and you reflect on the few minutes that it took to get done, you realize that you are hooked, and you wonder how anyone could possibly live without them. Regular expressions are like crack^2.

[timns]

One of the few pieces of paper I still have out on my desk the whole time is my regex crib sheet. I mean, I use them a lot, but dangit there are some things I still cannot remember without looking them up.

[Renegade]

Can anyone compare EditPlus with EditPadPro please?

The features seem almost identical.

-timns (February 16, 2011, 07:31 PM)

I prefer EditPlus. I have an EditPad Pro license that Jan gave me, but I still like EditPlus. I think EditPad Pro is probably a bit more powerful in some areas though. I find EditPlus is cleaner though. Maybe I'm just used to it though.

Jan writes THE definitive regular expressions program though -- PowerGREP. Very expensive.

[Renegade]

One of the few pieces of paper I still have out on my desk the whole time is my regex crib sheet. I mean, I use them a lot, but dangit there are some things I still cannot remember without looking them up.

-timns (February 16, 2011, 07:39 PM)

Some things in regex are so complicated that it's simply easier to fire up your IDE and write a little piece of software to do it for you. Very few people ever truly master regular expressions. I'm damn good, but there's still a lot I don't know or can never remember. Crib sheets are pretty much necessary for regex for most people. That or going back to read a tutorial on back references or whatever.

Speaking of...

Expresso - http://www.ultrapico.com/Expresso.htm - Started out at the Code Project. Excellent piece of free software. Highly recommended.

[timns]

Can anyone compare EditPlus with EditPadPro please?

The features seem almost identical.

-timns (February 16, 2011, 07:31 PM)

I prefer EditPlus. I have an EditPad Pro license that Jan gave me, but I still like EditPlus. I think EditPad Pro is probably a bit more powerful in some areas though. I find EditPlus is cleaner though. Maybe I'm just used to it though.

Jan writes THE definitive regular expressions program though -- PowerGREP. Very expensive.

-Renegade (February 16, 2011, 07:40 PM)

Thanks! I have a powergrep license and it's paid for itself many times over. I'm tempted to go with his editor simply because he is Mr RegEx!

I'm getting too old and impatient to download all these trial versions of 10 different programs that purport to do the same thing. Thank goodness folks on here have such useful opinions... at least I can weed out the real pups in advance 

Oh, and sorry about going completely off-topic 

[wraith808]

This thing helps considerably:

Regex Buddy

-timns (February 16, 2011, 07:29 PM)

^ That's what *I* swear by... great app!

[superboyac]

I'm guessing that Regex Magic is more appropriate for a newbie like myself.

[timns]

Yes and no. Yes, to keep your life simple since you can easily put together a RegEx that works, but perhaps without really understanding what it is you've done.

If you'd like to really get into RegEx a bit, the Buddy is nice since you'll pick up a decent bit of knowledge due to the way it explains the component parts of the expression.

If you're interested in playing with some RegEx, please start a thread - sounds like there are some real experts on here, and I'd be interested in following along too