import re
regex = re.compile(r"return([ \t]+([^\"\n;]+))?;")
test_str = ("//please {return\n"
"[self funcA];}\n\n"
"return true;")
subst = "{\\g<0>}"
result = regex.sub(subst, test_str, count=1)
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