Insert a Unicode Age

A Unicode age is on of the many Unicode properties that you can insert via the Insert Token button on the Create panel.

The age of a Unicode code point is the first Unicode version to assign a character to that code point. Regex engines differ, however, in how they implement the Age property. Some implement it strictly, matching only characters that were newly assigned in the specific Unicode version you specify. Other applications define it more loosely, including all characters that were assigned in the specified Unicode version, including characters that were already assigned in older Unicode versions. If an application implements the Age property strictly then it may have an alternative property named Present_In include all characters that exist in the specified Unicode version, regardless of their actual age.

RegexBuddy cuts through this potential confusing by providing 4 clear options in the Unicode Age dialog box. If an application only supports one of the implementations of Age then the other pair of options is disabled.

• Match a character that is assigned in the selected Unicode version (it may be newly assigned in this version or an older version). This generates either the more inclusive implementation of Age, or it generates the Present_In property.
• Match a character that is unassigned in the selected Unicode version. It may or may not be assigned in a later version. This is the negated version of the preceding property.
• Match a character that is newly assigned in the selected Unicode version. This is the strict implementation of the Age property.
• Match a character that is not newly assigned in the selected Unicode version. It can be newly assigned in a older or a newer version or it can be unassigned. This is the negated version of the strict implementation of the Age property.

You can select the specific Unicode version for the Age or Present_In property. You can select any Unicode version from Unicode 1.1.0, which first introduced the Age property, up until the Unicode version that the application you’re targeting is built against, which is the highest value of the Age property that any code point could possibly have in that Unicode version.