Can one make 'in' ungreedy?

[Chris Green]

I have a strange/minor problem in a Python program I use for mail
filtering.

One of the ways it classifies messages is by searching for a specific
string in square brackets [] in the Subject:, the section of code that
does this is:-

    # 
    # 
    # copy the fields from the filter configuration file into better named variables  
    # 
    nm = fld[0]             # name/alias   
    dd = fld[1] + "/"       # destination directory 
    tocc = fld[2].lower()   # list address 
    sbstrip = '[' + fld[3] + ']'        # string to match in and/or strip out of subject 
    # 
    # 
    # see if the filter To/CC column matches the message To: or Cc: or if sbstrip is in Subject: 
    # 
    if (tocc in msgcc or tocc in msgto or sbstrip in msgsb):
        # 
        # 
        # set the destination directory 
        # 
        dest = mldir + dd + nm
        # 
        # 
        # Strip out list name (4th field) from subject if it's there 
        # 
        if sbstrip in msgsb:
            msg.replace_header("Subject", msgsb.replace(sbstrip, ''))
        # 
        # 
        # we've found a match so assume we won't get another 
        # 
        break


So in the particular case where I have a problem sbstrip is "[Ipswich
Recycle]" and the Subject: is "[SPAM] [Ipswich Recycle] OFFER:
Lawnmower (IP11)".  The match isn't found, presumably because 'in' is
greedy and sees "[SPAM] [Ipswich Recycle]" which isn't a match for
"[Ipswich Recycle]".

Other messages with "[Ipswich Recycle]" in the Subject: are being
found and filtered correctly, it seems that it's the presence of the
"[SPAM]" in the Subject: that's breaking things.

Is this how 'in' should work, it seems a little strange if so, not
intuitively how one would expect 'in' to work.  ... and is there any
way round the issue except by recoding a separate test for the
particular string search where this can happen?


-- 
Chris Green
·