# Auto-tag on string acts on \*string\*
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983
**Category:** Bug
**Tags:** watched-words
**Created:** [June 16, 2021, 1:24am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983 "2021-06-16T01:24:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@nhpackard](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nhpackard)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2021, 1:24am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/1 "2021-06-16T01:24:34Z")
This bug was discovered when I had an auto-tag specification on a short string, e.g. “art”. The result auto-tagged topics with “artificial”, etc.
FWIW: the “test” feature on the auto-tag spec page works fine (for auto-tag on “art”, “artificial” does not generate a tag in the test).
The bug has probably not been noticed because it is perhaps uncommon to auto-tag on a short watched word.
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2021, 1:42am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/2 "2021-06-16T01:42:25Z")
I think @codinghorror noticed this as well. It is on our list to sort out.
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### Author:  [@nbianca](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nbianca)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2021, 4:48pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/6 "2021-06-18T16:48:38Z")
I fixed this bug and replace, link and tag watched words will act on whole words.
There is an exception when `watched_words_regular_expressions` is enabled.
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### Author:  [@nhpackard](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nhpackard)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/7 "2021-06-19T16:13:04Z")
Thanks for your response Bianca.
I guess I had `watched_word_regular_expression` enabled by default, and didn’t realize this breaks ‘acting on whole words’. Is it necessary that acting on whole words is incompatible with regular expressions??
I.e., should I still think of this as a bug, or a necessary constraint caused by another feature?
So far, I’m still thinking of it as a bug. I don’t see any reason why non-reg-ex parsing of full words should be incompatible with reg-ex parsing when a reg-ex is specified.
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2021, 6:01pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/8 "2021-06-19T18:01:02Z")
Hey Norman,
If you’re using regex for some of your watched words, then it applies to all. As such, if regex is enabled and you have auto-tag configured for `art`, `artificial` is expected to be tagged. To look only for the word `art`, use word the boundary metacharacter `\b`. In the case of `art`, that would like like `\bart\b`
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2021, 7:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/9 "2021-06-19T19:46:26Z")
> [@nbianca](#):
>
> There is an exception when `watched_words_regular_expressions` is enabled.
We should make sure the UI tells us when this is enabled, since the meaning of the field is quite different when it is enabled.
Sort of like CAPS LOCK IS ON when entering your password, etc.
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### Author:  [@nhpackard](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nhpackard)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/10 "2021-06-20T16:10:20Z")
Thanks very much to all. I must apologize if my rather pedestrian understanding of regular expressions has been deficient and led to my misunderstanding of how they work for watched words. But… a couple of points:
- I guess I thought the regex context was taken to be something like “string within word boundaries”. What else makes sense? Surely not the entire topic document? In this case for artificial to be tagged, I would need to specify `art*` (or `art.*` or some such, as referred to in the title of this topic).
- Joshua: thanks for your word boundary metacharacter suggestion. Just tried it and it didn’t work. Neither in the Test function nor in actuality. So… currently there seems to be no work-around (or ‘correct way’ to get desired behavior).
- The Test function is very nice. It seems to behave exactly as I intuitively thought it should. `art` triggers only when “art” as a word appears (and does not trigger on artificial), `art*` triggers on “artificial”, as expected. Furthermore, `art* life` triggers on both “art life” and “artificial life”. I also thought maybe the Test function might not be using regex parsing if I only enter a single word, but no… `foo* art` triggers on “foobar art”, does not trigger on “foobar artificial”. So… whoever wrote the Test function was thinking the way I’m thinking (I think).
Bottom line,
- Jeff’s suggestion of a reminder that `watched_words_regular_expressions` is enabled is good.
- Test function behavior should match actual behavior.
- and FWIW, my preference is that actual behavior should match current Test function behavior.
- If one needs more regex knowledge than suggested by the current test function, would be good to have examples somewhere.
- If there is a work-around or ‘correct way’ (like “use `\bart\b` to get desired behavior”, I’m happy to use it.
Again, thanks for everyone’s attention to this rather minor issue for a great platform!
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 4:16am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/11 "2021-06-22T04:16:16Z")
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> We should make sure the UI tells us when this is enabled, since the meaning of the field is quite different when it is enabled.
Can we make sure this is assigned @zogstrip?
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### Author:  [@nbianca](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nbianca)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2021, 11:23am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/13 "2021-06-23T11:23:48Z")
I added a notice when watched words regular expressions site setting is enabled in this PR:
[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/13493](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/13493)
This is what it looks with regular expressions disabled and then enabled (see the notice and different input placeholder):
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### Author:  [@nhpackard](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nhpackard)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2021, 1:06am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/14 "2021-06-25T01:06:36Z")
But Bianca,
My try with’\bart\b’ did not trigger on art (or artificial, as it shouldn’t).
This try was for auto tagging.
Is there a reason why we couldn’t use exactly the existing Test function to parse topics (to do the auto tagging )?
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### Author:  [@nbianca](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nbianca)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2021, 3:43pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/15 "2021-06-25T15:43:43Z")
Hello Norman,
If you have `watched words regular expressions` site setting enabled, then you must use \bart\b, where \b represents the word boundary. If the site setting is disabled, then you do not have to use it as the word boundaries are automatically included.
I just tested this and it works fine for me, including the test modal:
> [@nhpackard](#):
>
> Is there a reason why we couldn’t use exactly the existing Test function to parse topics (to do the auto tagging )?
I implemented that and it should work on the latest version.
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### Author:  [@nhpackard](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nhpackard)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2021, 9:54am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/16 "2021-06-27T09:54:26Z")
Hi Bianca,
Thanks so much for looking into this.
1. I was confused about enabling of `watched words regular expressions`. I thought it became set automatically if I used a \* wildcard in my autotrigger spec. I see that is not the case, so no surprise that my `\bart\b` try failed.
2. I will check out ‘latest version’ to get your implementation of the test function. For me, `Test` always worked, as it also does for you.
Thanks again!
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### Author:  [@nbianca](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nbianca)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2021, 11:07am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-tag-on-string-acts-on-string/193983/17 "2021-07-05T11:07:13Z")