regexes doc doesn't mention $/ backreferences inside regex

[timo]

Not only is it important to know how exactly to refer back to already-matched things (though it's very simple in perl6), but it's very important to know that $/ only updates whenever a { } is encountered or when a regex { } or similar is finished

[lefth]

In particular, the docs don't say that you can't refer to an already-matched thing that has just been matched unless you force the named matches to update with { }. But numbered matches do seem to work immediately.

[timo]

not only numbered matches, but also named matches. probably only references to $/ that are part of pieces of code, like <subrule(Bool.pick ?? $0 !! "yo")>

[JJ]

Let me see if I can come up with an example for this, as well as a reasonable use case.

[JJ]

I don't think I really understand what you propose.

say "zipi zape" ~~ /(\w)\w» \s+ \w+({$/})/;

This matches, but returns an empty match in the second case. Same if you use $0. Adding an empty block behind the first match:

say "zipi zape" ~~ /(\w){}\w» \s+ \w+({$/})/;

Does not make any difference. This does not either

say "zipi zape" ~~ /(\w){ $/ = $0 }\w» \s+ \w+({$/})/;

So what are you exactly proposing here?

[JJ]

We need to fix #2887 before this one.