What Is tkREM?


Do you use tools like Grep, Sed, and Lex? Are you an Awk, Perl, Python, or Tcl programmer? Do you have trouble remember all the commands in the Perl API to regular expressions? Do you forget the Tcl syntax for regular expressions? If you answer yes to any of these questions, then tkREM is for you!

Feel like you are reading a commercial? Enough with the funny stuff, actually tkREM is a simple tool meant to provide help with these bizarre things called Regular Expressions (REs). Regular expressions match patterns in text searches based on a set of rules determined by the tool that you are using. The problem is that each tool has a different set of meta-characters you can use, and the rules governing them are different for each.

tkREM provides a simple GUI to help you remember the meta-characters, their rules, and construct REs easily. Just click on a few buttons, copy the expression to the clipboard, then paste it in the tool you are using. It is as simple as that. tkREM has modes for Grep, Perl, Tcl, Python, Lex, and Awk. Each mode provides you with the pieces which make up the RE syntax for that application. Finally, Wizard Help provides a nice interface to learning the syntax so you will get better at creating REs on your own.