apt-file-x.diff

--- apt-file-2.0.3-5	2004-03-14 23:46:05.000000000 +0100
+++ apt-file	2004-03-14 12:23:20.000000000 +0100
@@ -179,7 +179,8 @@
     my ($pack, $file);
     debug "regexp: $pattern";
     $|=1;
-    my $regexp = $Conf->{ignore_case} ? qr/$pattern/i : qr/$pattern/;
+    my $regexp = eval { $Conf->{ignore_case} ? qr/$pattern/i : qr/$pattern/ };
+    error($@) if $@;
     foreach(@$data) {
 	my $file = "$Conf->{cache}/$_->{dest}";
 	next if (! -f $file);
@@ -271,6 +272,7 @@
     --package-only	-l		Only display packages name
     --fixed-string	-F		Do not expand pattern
     --ignore-case	-i		Ignore case distinctions
+    --regexp		-x		pattern is a regular expression
     --verbose		-v		run in verbose mode
     --dummy		-y		run in dummy mode (no action)
     --help		-h		Show this help.
@@ -294,6 +296,7 @@
 		   "cdrom-mount|d=s" => \$Conf->{cdrom_mount},
 		   "verbose|v" => \$Conf->{verbose},
 		   "ignore-case|i" => \$Conf->{ignore_case},
+		   "regexp|x" => \$Conf->{is_regexp},
 		   "dummy|y" => \$Conf->{dummy},
 		   "package-only|l" => \$Conf->{package_only},
 		   "fixed-string|F" => \$Conf->{fixed_strings},
@@ -332,7 +335,7 @@
     $Conf->{pattern} = shift @ARGV;
     if(defined $Conf->{pattern}) {
 	$Conf->{pattern} =~ s/^\///;
-	$Conf->{pattern} = quotemeta($Conf->{pattern});
+	$Conf->{pattern} = quotemeta($Conf->{pattern}) unless $Conf->{is_regexp};
     }
     undef $!;