Table 1 Common regular expressions and the n-of-m pattern type in the 3of5 application Individual common RegEx terms are displayed as they can be applied in 3of5. Types of allowed ambiguities in the individual RegEx terms are listed. "no" no ambiguity; "yes" ambiguity can be expressed with that particular term; "any" ambiguity with any residue allowed. Notes: (1) The general term "ambiguity" used in the text is extended here to "content-ambiguity" to distinguish this from the "length ambiguity"

Discrete character in one position

K

Subset of characters for one position

[KRH]

Arbitrary character in one position

.

Stretch of identical characters, with fixed length

K {3}

Stretch composed of a subset of characters, with fixed length

[KRH] {3}

Stretch of identical characters, with variable length

K {1,3}

Stretch composed of a subset of characters, with variable length

[KRH] {1,3}

Stretch with arbitrary characters, with variable length

. {1,3}

Stretch composed of a subset of characters that need to be present with a defined number of matches within sequence of otherwise arbitrary composition, with fixed length

(3of5) (KRH)

Stretch composed of different subsets of characters that need to be present with defined numbers of matches within sequence of otherwise arbitrary composition, with fixed length

(nof5) ((min3) (KRH) (max1) (P))

Any stretch describable by a pattern which should not contain the characters defined in the [^ ] brackets

[AGC] {2,5} [^KRH]

Pattern begins at sequence start

^ KKK

Pattern ends at sequence end

KKK $