--- id: parse-predictable-patterns-using-an-anchor title: Parse Predictable Patterns Using an Anchor description: Use the parse anchor operator to parse strings using specified start and stop anchors, labeling extracted values as fields for aggregation functions. slug: /help/docs/search/search-query-language/parse-operators/parse-predictable-patterns-using-an-anchor/ canonical: https://www.sumologic.com/help/docs/search/search-query-language/parse-operators/parse-predictable-patterns-using-an-anchor/ --- import useBaseUrl from '@docusaurus/useBaseUrl'; The parse operator (also called the parse anchor) parses strings according to specified start and stop anchors, and then labels them as fields for use in subsequent aggregation functions in the query such as sorting, grouping, or other functions. This topic describes how to use the parse anchor UI tool to add parsing to a query and provides details on the structure of the parse anchor operator. ## Syntax * `| parse "*" as ` * `| parse "*" as [nodrop]` * `| parse [field=] "*" as ` ## Options * The `nodrop` option forces results to also include messages that do not match any segment of the parse term. For details, see [Parse nodrop](parse-nodrop-option.md). * The `field=fieldname` option allows you to specify a field to parse other than the default message. For details, see [Parse field](parse-field-option.md). ## Rules * User-created fields, such as extracted or parsed fields, can be named using alphanumeric characters and underscores (`_`). Fields must start with an alphanumeric character. * If no field is specified, the entire text of incoming messages is used. * A wildcard is used as a placeholder for the extracted field. Wildcards must be separated by a space or other character. `**` is not valid. Use a different parse operator, like [parse regex](parse-variable-patterns-using-regex.md) instead. * The number of wildcards in the pattern string must match the number of variables. * Multiple extractions are allowed for a single parse operator. * Characters quoted with double quotes (not single quotes) are string literals. Use a backslash to escape double quotes in the string. For example: `| parse "\"tier\" : *," as tier` ## parse anchor UI tool You can use the parse anchor UI tool to highlight the message text to parse, identify parsing fields, and perform the parsing action. **To parse using the parse anchor tool:** 1. Run a search. 1. In the search results, find a message with the text you want to parse. 1. Highlight the text, right-click, and select **Parse the selected text**.

Screenshot of a log entry in Sumo Logic, showing a request with the details 'HttpRequest(HttpMethod(GET), http://10.4.87.223:8080/...' followed by a context menu with options including 'Copy Selected Text,' 'Parse Selected Text' (highlighted), and additional filtering options.

The **Parse Text** dialog box opens and displays the text you highlighted.

Screenshot of the 'Parse Text' dialog box in Sumo Logic

1. Select the text for the first parsing field, and click **Click to extract this value**. The text you highlighted is replaced by an asterisk (\*).

1. Enter a name (no spaces) for the parsing field in the **Fields** area.

1. If you want to parse additional fields, add a comma after the field name, and repeat the parsing action. The following screenshot shows three parsed fields: **method**, **ip**, and **port** (in that order). Notice that the three fields correspond to the three asterisks in the parse text.

n the 'Fields' input box, the text 'method, ip, port' is entered.

1. Click **Submit**. The query is updated with the parse operation you constructed.

Screenshot of a query parsing the log entry with the commandas method,ip,port.

1. Click **Start** to display the search results, which now show the parsed message.

## Examples Sample log message: ``` Aug 2 04:06:08: host=10.1.1.124: local/ssl2 notice mcpd[3772]: User=jsmith@demo.com: severity=warning: 01070638:5: Pool member 172.31.51.22:0 monitor status down. ``` In the following examples, the start_anchor is **"user="** and the stop_anchor is **":"**, which ends the email address. The asterisk (`*`) is the glob representing the parsed term. The examples create a new field for each message named **"user"** and that field will contain the value of the email address, in this case `jsmith@demo.com`. ```sumo ... | parse "user=*:" as user ``` The parse operator also allows you to extract multiple fields in one command: ```sumo ... | parse "user=*: severity=*:" as user, severity | ... ``` This example creates two fields from the sample log message: `user=jsmith@demo.com` and `severity``=warning`. ### Name Fields with Special Characters You can create field names that contain special characters, for example, spaces, dashes, and backslashes or forward slashes, using the following syntax: ```sumo ... | parse \" as %\" ``` For example, this query will allow you to parse the phrase "Class ID", including the space: ```sumo ... | parse "[Classification:*]" as %"Class ID" ``` Special characters in field names are not permitted with Regex parsing. You must rename the field after parsing. Example: `extract "\[Classification:(?.*)\]" | class_id as %"Class ID"` ### Use Line Breaks as an Anchor If your logs are delivered in a multi-line format, you may want to parse up until a line break in the message. In order to do so, use the following regular expressions as a stop anchor on the line break: Linux logs: `\n ` Windows logs: `\r` For example, if we have the following message in our logs: ``` 12:08:10,651 INFO sample_server ReportEmailer:178 - DEBUG SENDING MESSAGE: To: example@sumologic.com Subject: New line Breaks in Message ``` to get the "To:" address, you can use the following queries: `... | parse "To: *\n" as toAddress` or `... | parse "To: *\r" as toAddress` which returns example@sumologic.com in the `toAddress` column.