# Regular expression problem

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regular-expression-problem/140380>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [June 13, 2008, 12:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regular-expression-problem/140380 "2008-06-13T12:32:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mokkai](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mokkai](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mokkai)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 12:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regular-expression-problem/140380/1 "2008-06-13T12:32:38Z")

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string=“something somethig something”

now i want to change /\<a.\*a\>/ to “tag”  
i want result like this

string=“something tag somethig tag something”

but when i try

string =~ /\<a.\*a\>/ # here $& —\>" somethig "  
$`+‘tag’+$’ # ‘something tag something’

how can i change each tag ?

any idea ?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mokkai](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mokkai](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mokkai)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 12:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regular-expression-problem/140380/2 "2008-06-13T12:39:12Z")

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From: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid [[mailto:removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)]

# string=“something somethig something”
 
# now i want to change /\<a.\*a\>/ to “tag”

# i want result like this

# string=“something tag somethig tag something”

:008:0\> string=“something somethig something”  
=\> “something somethig something”  
:009:0\> string.gsub(/\<a.\*?a\>/,‘tag’)  
=\> “something tag somethig tag something”

 

kind regards -botp

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mokkai](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mokkai](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mokkai)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 1:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regular-expression-problem/140380/3 "2008-06-13T13:15:51Z")

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Peña, Botp wrote:

> :009:0\> string.gsub(/\<a.\*?a\>/,‘tag’)  
> =\> “something tag somethig tag something”
> 
> kind regards -botp

thanks