Change description and remarks on `Regex.Match()` methods with `startat` or `beginning` parameters

[gewarren]

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Issue moved from dotnet/docs#21425

• Please respond to @lauxjpn.

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From @lauxjpn on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 3:40:01 AM

Issue description

The Regex.Match() methods with a startat or beginning parameter state the following:

Searches the input string for the first occurrence of a regular expression, beginning at the specified starting position [...]

However, that does not seem to be the case. Instead, they seem to evaluate and search the whole string (basically ignoring the startat and beginning parameters at this stage), but will honor them when it comes to returning matches. This becomes apparent, when using a pattern that starts with a beginning-of-string anchor ^.

(From dotnet/runtime#44444 (comment))

But I guess the intention of the startat parameter then is not to start parsing and evaluating the input from that position, but to return the matches from that position (unless used with \G).
This would mean in my case, that my expression would be evaluated by the Regex engine from the beginning of the string and would result in a single match for the first foo. But since I called it with a startat parameter that points to a position after the first foo, this single match will not be returned.

So therefore, the short summary/description (and remarks) of those methods should be changed in a way, that properly describes the fact that the whole string will be evaluated, but only those matches from the position of the startat or beginning parameter will be returned (which could be none, if a single match will be returned and was matched before the startat or beginning parameter, even if it would also have matched something after the parameter).

I can provide a draft if you want me to.

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Thinking about this a bit more, its is also possible, that the startat parameter internally just gets translated to something like (.{startat})rest-of-my-pattern, which would also explaint why a ^ anchor would not work here.

I should probably just check the code, to see what actually happens.

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Target framework

• [1.0] .NET Core
• [1.1] .NET Framework
• [1.0] .NET Standard

dotnet --info output

.NET SDK (reflecting any global.json):
 Version:   5.0.100-rc.2.20479.15
 Commit:    da7dfa8840

Runtime Environment:
 OS Name:     Windows
 OS Version:  10.0.18363
 OS Platform: Windows
 RID:         win10-x64
 Base Path:   C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk\5.0.100-rc.2.20479.15\

Host (useful for support):
  Version: 5.0.0-rc.2.20475.5
  Commit:  c5a3f49c88

.NET SDKs installed:
  2.1.602 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
  2.1.801 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
  2.2.102 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
  2.2.207 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
  2.2.401 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
  3.0.101 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
  3.1.107 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
  3.1.201 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
  3.1.302 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
  3.1.402 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
  5.0.100-rc.1.20452.10 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
  5.0.100-rc.2.20479.15 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]

.NET runtimes installed:
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.1.4 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.1.9 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.1.12 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.1.21 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.1.22 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.2.1 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.2.6 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.All 2.2.8 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.All]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.4 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.9 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.12 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.21 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.22 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.2.1 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.2.6 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.2.8 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.0.1 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.3 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.6 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.7 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 3.1.8 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 5.0.0-rc.1.20451.17 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 5.0.0-rc.2.20475.17 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.1.9 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.1.12 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.1.21 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.1.22 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.2.1 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.2.6 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 2.2.8 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.0.1 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.3 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.6 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.7 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 3.1.8 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 5.0.0-rc.1.20451.14 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.NETCore.App 5.0.0-rc.2.20475.5 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
  Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.0.1 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App]
  Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.3 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App]
  Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.6 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App]
  Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.7 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App]
  Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 3.1.8 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App]
  Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 5.0.0-rc.1.20452.2 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App]
  Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 5.0.0-rc.2.20475.6 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App]

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[eiriktsarpalis]

Tagging @pgovind @tannergooding for triage.