Optimize regex patterns

When using regular expressions, optimize for both performance and precision to ensure efficient and accurate pattern matching:

1. Use non-capturing groups when you don’t need to reference the matched content, reducing memory allocations:

   // Less efficient
   preg_replace('/0x[a-fA-F0-9]+$/', '', $string);
      
   // More efficient
   preg_replace('/(?:0x)[a-fA-F0-9]+$/', '', $string);
   

2. Use strict character classes for specific formats:

   // Too permissive for hex format
   preg_replace('/0x[a-zA-Z0-9]+$/', '', $string);
      
   // Correct for hex format
   preg_replace('/0x[a-fA-F0-9]+$/', '', $string);
   

3. Use anchors and escape special characters when matching exact patterns:

   // Without anchors - could match substrings
   expect($error)->toMatch('/The option "foo" does not exist./');
      
   // With anchors and escaped special characters - matches whole string precisely
   expect($error)->toMatch('/^The option "foo" does not exist\.$/')
   

These optimizations lead to more predictable pattern matching, fewer bugs in data processing, and better performance when dealing with large datasets.