A simple wrapper around the re module that supports multiple patterns, and reuse of patterns.
pip install nre
import nre
patterns = nre.from_string(r'''
number=\d+
decimal={{number}}\.{{number}}
lowercase=[a-z]+
''')
print(patterns.decimal.findall("123.22")) # returns ['123.22']
print(patterns.number.findall("123.22")) # returns ['123', '22']
print(patterns.decimal.findall("abc")) # returns []
print(patterns.lowercase.findall("abc")) # returns ['abc']
We recommend using external pattern files
import nre
patterns = nre.from_file("patterns.nre")
If you use external files, you can import them within other files
# contents of users.nre
valid_username=[a-zA-z_]+
# contents of emails.nre
import users
valid_email={{valid_username}}@gmail.com