Elements and Performance Criteria

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Languages may include:
.NET languages
C++
Java
JavaScript
MySQL
Perl
PHP
PowerShell
Python
Ruby on Rails
XML Schema
XQuery and XPath.
Regular expression engine types may include:
deterministic finite automaton (DFA)
non-deterministic finite automaton (NFA)
portable operating system interface for Unix NFA (POSIX NFA).
Patterns may include:
alternatives
character classes
grouping
repeating sequences
sub-patterns.
Test tools may include:
Grep
java.util.regex
PowerGREP
RegexBuddy
RegexMagic
RegexPal
Regular Expression Checker
Rubular.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the ability to:
build and test regular expressions
match, replace or split text within a document or input field.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure access to:
internet in order to use online tools available for regular expressions
IDE
specific tools and licences, depending on particular platform
appropriate learning and assessment support when required
modified equipment for people with special needs.
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
verbal or written questioning to assess knowledge of writing regular expressions to solve common text-processing problems
evaluation of ability to:
create code to search files and input fields
handle data validation
manipulate text based on patterns.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate.
Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and suitable to the communication skill level, language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.
Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support.
In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge.