---
name: "Perl::Critic::Policy::RegularExpressions::RequireBracesForMultiline"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "perl-perl-critic"
version: "1.156-3"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Perl::Critic::Policy::RegularExpressions::RequireBracesForMultiline"
---

# Perl::Critic::Policy::RegularExpressions::RequireBracesForMultiline(3pm)

Use "{" and "}" to delimit multi-line regexps.

## NAME

Perl::Critic::Policy::RegularExpressions::RequireBracesForMultiline - Use "{" and "}" to delimit multi-line regexps.

## AFFILIATION

This Policy is part of the core Perl::Critic distribution.

## DESCRIPTION

Long regular expressions are hard to read.  A good practice is to use the `"x"` modifier and break the regex into multiple lines with comments explaining the parts.  But, with the usual `"//"` delimiters, the beginning and end can be hard to match, especially in a `"s///"` regexp.  Instead, try using `"{}"` characters to delimit your expressions.

Compare these:

```
    s/
       <a \s+ href="([^"]+)">
        (.*?)
       </a>
     /link=$1, text=$2/xms;
```

vs.

```
    s{
       <a \s+ href="([^"]+)">
        (.*?)
       </a>
     }
     {link=$1, text=$2}xms;
```

Is that an improvement?  Marginally, but yes.  The curly braces lead the eye better.

## CONFIGURATION

There is one option for this policy, `"allow_all_brackets"`.  If this is true, then, in addition to allowing `"{}"`, the other matched pairs of `"()"`, `"[]"`, and `"<>"` are allowed.

## CREDITS

Initial development of this policy was supported by a grant from the Perl Foundation.

## AUTHOR

Chris Dolan \<cdolan@cpan.org\>

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright (c) 2007-2023 Chris Dolan

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.  The full text of this license can be found in the LICENSE file included with this module