#NAME

Perl::Critic::Policy::RegularExpressions::RequireDotMatchAnything - Always use the /s modifier with regular expressions.

#AFFILIATION

This Policy is part of the core Perl::Critic distribution.

#DESCRIPTION

When asked what . in a regular expression means, most people will say that it matches any character, which isn't true. It's actually shorthand for [^\n]. Using the s modifier makes . act like people expect it to.

my $match = m< foo.bar >xm;  # not ok
my $match = m< foo.bar >xms; # ok

#CONFIGURATION

This Policy is not configurable except for the standard options.

#NOTES

Be cautious about slapping modifier flags onto existing regular expressions, as they can drastically alter their meaning. See http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=484238 for an interesting discussion on the effects of blindly modifying regular expression flags.

#AUTHOR

Jeffrey Ryan Thalhammer <jeff@imaginative-software.com>

#COPYRIGHT

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. The full text of this license can be found in the LICENSE file included with this module.