Merge pull request #5767 from MaryamZi/update-regexp-type-bbe

Update the RegExp type BBE

examples/regexp-type/regexp_type.bal

@@ -3,10 +3,16 @@ import ballerina/lang.regexp;
 
 public function main() returns error? {
 
-    // Declare a RegExp using regular expression literal.
-    string:RegExp _ = re `[a-zA-Z0-9]`;
+    // Declare a `RegExp` value using a regular expression literal.
+    regexp:RegExp alphanumericPattern = re `[a-zA-Z0-9]`;
+    // Matches any string that is a single alphanumeric character.
+    io:println("Pattern `[a-zA-Z0-9]` matches `a`: ", alphanumericPattern.isFullMatch("a"));
 
-    // Declare a RegExp using the `fromString` constructor method.
+    // `string:RegExp` is an alias for `regexp:RegExp`.
+    string:RegExp alphanumericPattern2 = re `[a-zA-Z0-9]`;
+    io:println("Pattern `[a-zA-Z0-9]` matches `a1`: ", alphanumericPattern2.isFullMatch("a1"));
+
+    // Construct a `RegExp` value from a string using the `fromString` langlib function.
     string:RegExp pattern = check regexp:fromString("HELLO*");
     // Matches any string that starts with "HELLO" and ends with zero or more characters.
     io:println("Pattern `HELLO*` matches `HELLO`: ", pattern.isFullMatch("HELLO"));
@@ -15,13 +21,13 @@ public function main() returns error? {
     boolean result = re `a+`.isFullMatch("aaa");
     io:println("Pattern `a+` matches `aaa`: ", result);
 
-    // Interpolation can be used to change the pattern dynamically.
+    // Interpolations can be used to construct the pattern dynamically.
     string literal = "xyz";
     string:RegExp pattern2 = re `abc|${literal}`;
     // Matches any string that starts with "abc" or "XYZ".
     io:println("Pattern `abc|${\"xyz\"}` matches `xyz`: ", pattern2.isFullMatch("xyz"));
 
-    // RegExp supports writing Unicode general category patterns. 
+    // The `RegExp` type supports Unicode general category patterns.
     // Characters are matched based on their Unicode properties.
     string:RegExp pattern3 = re `\p{Ll}`;
     io:println("Pattern `\\p{Ll}` matches `a`: ", "a".matches(pattern3));
@@ -31,12 +37,15 @@ public function main() returns error? {
     string:RegExp pattern4 = re `\P{P}`;
     io:println("Pattern `\\p{P}` matches `0`: ", "0".matches(pattern4));
 
-    // RegExp supports matching characters according to the script using Unicode script patterns.
+    // The `RegExp` type supports matching characters according to the script using Unicode script patterns.
     string:RegExp pattern5 = re `\p{sc=Latin}`;
-    regexp:Span? latinValue = pattern5.find("aεЛ");
-    io:println("Pattern `\\p{sc=Latin}` matches `aεЛ`: ", (<regexp:Span>latinValue).substring());
+    regexp:Span? findResult = pattern5.find("aεЛ");
+    // The `find` function returns nil if no match is found. Since we know a 
+    // match is found here, use the `ensureType` function to narrow the type down to `regexp:Span`.
+    regexp:Span latinValue = check findResult.ensureType();
+    io:println("Pattern `\\p{sc=Latin}` matches `aεЛ`: ", latinValue.substring());
 
-    // RegExp supports non-capturing groups to control the behavior of regular expression patterns.
+    // The `RegExp` type supports non-capturing groups to control the behavior of regular expression patterns.
     // The `i` flag will ignore the case of the pattern.
     string:RegExp pattern6 = re `(?i:BalleRINA)`;
     io:println("Pattern `(?i:BalleRINA)` matches `Ballerina`: ", "Ballerina".matches(pattern6));

examples/regexp-type/regexp_type.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 The `RegExp` type is defined in the `lang.regexp` module, and can also be referenced using the type alias named the same in the `lang.string` module. The `RegExp` type conforms to a subset of the ECMAScript specification for regular expressions.
 
-A `RegExp` value can be created by using the regexp template expression or calling the `fromString` method of the [lang.regexp](https://lib.ballerina.io/ballerina/lang.regexp/latest#fromString) module. 
+A `RegExp` value can be created by using the regexp template expression or calling the [`fromString` method of the lang.regexp](https://lib.ballerina.io/ballerina/lang.regexp/latest#fromString) module. 
 
 ::: code regexp_type.bal :::
 
@@ -13,5 +13,6 @@ A `RegExp` value can be created by using the regexp template expression or calli
 ## Related links
 - [Ballerina regular expression grammar](https://ballerina.io/spec/lang/master/#section_10.1)
 - [RegExp langlib functions](/learn/by-example/regexp-operations)
-- [RegExp API Docs](https://lib.ballerina.io/ballerina/lang.regexp)
-- [string API Docs](https://lib.ballerina.io/ballerina/lang.string)
+- [`regexp` langlib API Docs](https://lib.ballerina.io/ballerina/lang.regexp)
+- [`string` langlib API Docs](https://lib.ballerina.io/ballerina/lang.string)
+- [The `ensureType` function](/learn/by-example/ensureType-function/)

examples/regexp-type/regexp_type.out

@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 $ bal run regexp_type.bal
+Pattern `[a-zA-Z0-9]` matches `a`: true
+Pattern `[a-zA-Z0-9]` matches `a1`: false
 Pattern `HELLO*` matches `HELLO`: true
 Pattern `a+` matches `aaa`: true
 Pattern `abc|${"xyz"}` matches `xyz`: true