Python regex - why does end of string ($ and \Z) not work with group expressions?

Question

In Python 2.6. it seems that markers of the end of string $ and \\Z are not compatible with group expressions. Fo example

import re         


        

Answer 1

Martijn Pieters' answer is correct. To elaborate a bit, if you use capturing groups

r"\w+(\s|$)"

you get:

>>> re.findall("\w+(\s|$)", "green pears")
[' ', '']

That's because re.findall() returns the captured group (\s|$) values.

Parentheses () are used for two purposes: character groups and captured groups. To disable captured groups but still act as character groups, use (?:...) syntax:

>>> re.findall("\w+(?:\s|$)", "green pears")
['green ', 'pears']