Subject: bug#51235: resolve old FIXME in PCRE implementation to allow more than 1 expression

From: Paul Eggert <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2021 09:46:37 -0700

On 10/16/21 1:58 AM, Carlo Arenas wrote:
> without the patch, the error isn't correct either:
> 
> $ grep -P '[
>> a]'
> grep: the -P option only supports a single pattern

I don't offhand see what's wrong with the diagnostic, as the PATTERNS 
operand is documented to be one that "contains one or more patterns 
separated by newlines".

> doing the one that compiles
> every line independently and that will catch that problem wouldn't be
> that difficult, but I would rather do it as a follow up, and is
> definitely going to be bigger.

Yes, that sounds better. Please keep the followup in this thread. Also, 
I hope you'd be willing to assign copyright to the FSF as I assume these 
changes will be nontrivial. I will send you paperwork info about that 
via separate mail offlist.