Regex to check if string contains Alphanumeric Characters and Spaces only - javascript

Question

This is what I have so far:

function checkTitle(){
    reg = /^[\w ]+$/;
    a = reg.test($("#title").val());    
    console.log(a);
}

So far in my tests it catches all special characters except _. How do I catch all special characters including _ in the current function?

I need the string to only have Alphanumeric Characters and Spaces. Appreciate the help cause I am having a hard time understanding regex patterns.

Thanks!

Oops I deleted the comment right before your response, I thought the answers were sufficient! — Nasser Al-Shawwa
– Nasser Al-Shawwa, Commented Sep 9, 2013 at 5:59

Phil · Accepted Answer · 2013-09-09 06:02:41Z

13

Your problem is that \w matches all alphanumeric values and underscore.

Rather than parsing the entire string, I'd just look for any unwanted characters. For example

var reg = /[^A-Za-z0-9 ]/;

If the result of reg.test is true, then the string fails validation.

edited Sep 9, 2013 at 6:02

answered Sep 9, 2013 at 5:57

Phil

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5 Comments

Phil Over a year ago

@TimPietzcker Thanks. Been working with stronger regex libraries lately. Haven't had to deal with unicode in JS yet.

Tim Pietzcker Over a year ago

@Phil: If you ever have to, take a look at XRegExp with Unicode plugins.

Ajay Suwalka Over a year ago

@Phil what if I want to allow parentheses with this, Please Suggest

Phil Over a year ago

@AjaySuwalka wouldn't you just include parentheses in the character class then? [^A-Za-z0-9 ()]

Ajay Suwalka Over a year ago

@Phil Thanks, I added it, I was just a little skeptical about adding that whether it would work or not. :

Nasser Al-Shawwa · Accepted Answer · 2013-09-09 06:05:33Z

3

Since you are stating you are new to RegExp, I might as well include some tips with the answer. I suggest the following regexp:

/^[a-z\d ]+$/i

Here:

There is no need for the upper case A-Z because of the i flag in the end, which matches in a case-insensitive manner
\d special character represents digits

answered Sep 9, 2013 at 6:05

Nasser Al-Shawwa

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