import re
regex = re.compile(r"""
(?| # two alternatives whose group numbers both begin at 1
\\autocites # match the command
(?|\{([^}]*)\}|\[([^]]*)\])
# and a parameter in group 1
| # OR
\G # anchor the match to the end of the last match
(?|\{([^}]*)\}|\[([^]]*)\])
# and match a parameter in group 1
)
""", flags=re.VERBOSE)
test_str = "\\autocites[a][b]{c}[d][e]{f}[a][a]{a}"
matches = regex.finditer(test_str)
for match_num, match in enumerate(matches, start=1):
print(f"Match {match_num} was found at {match.start()}-{match.end()}: {match.group()}")
for group_num, group in enumerate(match.groups(), start=1):
print(f"Group {group_num} found at {match.start(group_num)}-{match.end(group_num)}: {group}")
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 Python, please visit: https://docs.python.org/3/library/re.html