uCalc API Version: 5.7.0-preview.1 Released: 7/30/2026

Warning

uCalc API Preview Release Notice:This preview documentation describes the intended behavior of the API. It is not fully accurate or complete.The current preview build contains incomplete features, unoptimized performance, and is subject to breaking changes.Use of the preview version in your production code is not recommended.

Introduction

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Remarks

Variable Postfix Modifiers: Introduction

Description: An overview of the symbols appended to pattern variables to override default capture logic, ignore structural boundaries, or force immediate transformations.

While Directives (starting with {@) define structural engine commands, Variable Postfix Modifiers are specific symbols used within pattern variables (like {x}) to qualify how text is matched.

By default, uCalc is structurally aware: it respects bracket levels and treats quoted strings as atomic units. Postfix modifiers allow you to override these safe defaults when a specific transformation requires more "raw" or "aggressive" text handling.

Core Modifiers and Overrides

  • Nesting Override (^): By default, uCalc respects balanced brackets (nesting). Use ^ to ignore balance levels, allowing the capture to stop at a terminal character even if it is inside a nested structure.
  • Quote Override (`): By default, quoted strings are atomic and cannot be split. Use the backtick to ignore quote boundaries, allowing the capture to break or include partial contents of a quoted string.
  • Separator Override (+): Instructs the engine to ignore standard statement separators (like ; or specific line breaks) that would otherwise terminate a variable capture.
  • Verbatim Capture (~): Captures the text exactly as it appears and prevents the engine from scanning for nested matches inside the captured block. This ensures the content remains "opaque" to other rules.
  • Immediate Transform (%): The opposite of verbatim; it forces the engine to immediately search for and execute nested transformation rules within the captured text before finalizing the outer match.
  • Whitespace Retention: Determines whether the leading/trailing whitespace found around a token is included in the variable's final string value.
  • Boundary Extension: A proposed modifier (Topic 783) for extending the reach of a variable match beyond standard termination points.

Combining Modifiers

Multiple postfix modifiers can be combined within a single variable definition if their logic does not conflict. For example, {content^~} would capture a block of text while ignoring bracket levels and preventing internal nested matches.

Examples

Ignore quote directive `

ID: 210

See: Quote Override `, Introduction 
				
					using uCalcSoftware;

var uc = new uCalc();
var t = uc.NewTransformer();

t.FromTo("a {txt} c", "<{@Self}>"); // Quoted text treated as 1 token
t.FromTo("x {txt`} z", "<{@Self}>"); // Quotes treated as ordinary chars

Console.WriteLine(t.Transform("a 'b c' b c :: x 'y z' y z"));
				
			
<a 'b c' b c> :: <x 'y z>' y z
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					#include <iostream>
#include "uCalc.h"

using namespace std;
using namespace uCalcSoftware;

int main() {
   uCalc uc;
   auto t = uc.NewTransformer();

   t.FromTo("a {txt} c", "<{@Self}>"); // Quoted text treated as 1 token
   t.FromTo("x {txt`} z", "<{@Self}>"); // Quotes treated as ordinary chars

   cout << t.Transform("a 'b c' b c :: x 'y z' y z") << endl;
}
				
			
<a 'b c' b c> :: <x 'y z>' y z
Explore 600+ other examples
				
					Imports System
Imports uCalcSoftware
Public Module Program
   Public Sub Main()
      Dim uc As New uCalc()
      Dim t = uc.NewTransformer()
      
      t.FromTo("a {txt} c", "<{@Self}>") '// Quoted text treated as 1 token
      t.FromTo("x {txt`} z", "<{@Self}>") '// Quotes treated as ordinary chars
      
      Console.WriteLine(t.Transform("a 'b c' b c :: x 'y z' y z"))
   End Sub
End Module
				
			
<a 'b c' b c> :: <x 'y z>' y z
Explore 600+ other examples