import re
regex = re.compile(r"(.* )?(son)\s+(is)\s+(21) .*")
test_str = ("my son is 21 now\n"
"son is 21 now")
subst = "%3d"
result = regex.sub(subst, test_str)
if result:
print(result)
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