---
name: "pcre2_set_max_pattern_length"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "pcre2"
version: "10.49-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pcre2_set_max_pattern_length"
---

# pcre2\_set\_max\_pattern\_length(3)

Perl-compatible regular expressions (revised API)

## NAME

PCRE2 - Perl-compatible regular expressions (revised API)

## SYNOPSIS

**#include \<pcre2.h\>**

```
int pcre2_set_max_pattern_length(pcre2_compile_context *ccontext,
  PCRE2_SIZE value);
```

## DESCRIPTION

This function sets, in a compile context, the maximum text length (in code units) of the pattern that can be compiled. The result is always zero. If a longer pattern is passed to **pcre2\_compile()** there is an immediate error return. The default is effectively unlimited, being the largest value a PCRE2\_SIZE variable can hold.

There is a complete description of the PCRE2 native API in the **pcre2api** page and a description of the POSIX API in the **pcre2posix** page.