detect many characters in a row - 3 approaches

samechars.py

#!/usr/bin/python3
import re
import timeit


def toomanyinarow1(term, maxreps):
    cnt = 1
    prev = None
    for char in term:
        if char == prev:
            cnt += 1
            if cnt > maxreps:
                return True
        else:
            cnt = 1
            prev = char
    return False


def toomanyinarow2(term, maxreps):
    maxreps = maxreps + 1
    for char in term:
        if re.search(
                r"{char}{{{times},}}".format(char=char, times=maxreps), term):
            return True
    return False


def toomanyinarow3(term, maxreps):
    maxreps = maxreps + 1
    return bool(
        re.search(r"(\w)\1{{{times},}}".format(times=maxreps - 1), term))


assert toomanyinarow1('aaaaaa', 5) is True
assert toomanyinarow2('aaaaaa', 5) is True
assert toomanyinarow3('aaaaaa', 5) is True
assert toomanyinarow1('baaaaaae', 5) is True
assert toomanyinarow2('baaaaaae', 5) is True
assert toomanyinarow3('baaaaaae', 5) is True
assert toomanyinarow1('waaaaat', 5) is False
assert toomanyinarow1('waaaaat', 5) is False
assert toomanyinarow2('waaaaat', 5) is False
assert toomanyinarow3('aaaaa', 5) is False
assert toomanyinarow2('aaaaa', 5) is False
assert toomanyinarow3('aaaaa', 5) is False

print(timeit.timeit('toomanyinarow1("b" + "a" * 48 + "z" + "a" * 50, 49)',
      setup='from __main__ import toomanyinarow1', number=1000))
print(timeit.timeit('toomanyinarow2("b" + "a" * 48 + "z" + "a" * 50, 49)',
      setup='from __main__ import toomanyinarow2', number=1000))
print(timeit.timeit('toomanyinarow3("b" + "a" * 48 + "z" + "a" * 50, 49)',
      setup='from __main__ import toomanyinarow3', number=1000))