re = /(?<=\\f[ ](?P<modifier>[-,+,?])[ ])(?P<string>.+)(?=\\f\*)/
str = '\\f + \\fr 1.1: \\ft Some manuscripts do not have \\fq the Son of God.\\f*
\\f + \\fr 1.4: \\fq John appeared in the desert, baptizing and preaching; \\ft some manuscripts have \\fqa John the Baptist appeared in the desert, preaching.\\f*'
# Print the match result
str.scan(re) do |match|
puts match.to_s
end
Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for Ruby, please visit: http://ruby-doc.org/core-2.2.0/Regexp.html