In JavaScript, we append /g to an unquoted string to denote a regular expression.
What if I have a string in a variable and want to use it as a regular expression?
Is this possible? If so, can anyone show me some example code?
Thanks.
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3 Answers
Use this:
new RegExp("your regex here", "modifiers");
And notice that /g is not the delimiter for a regex, it is global modifier. A regex looks like this: /your regex here/modifiers. modifiers can be a combination of g, i and m. They are all explained here: http://www.regular-expressions.info/javascript.html
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/g is a flag denoting global ( match all instances of the regex ), it doesn't denote a regular expression but is simply a flag.
If you want a dynamic regex use new RegExp. Usage here: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/RegExp
1 Comment
Marcel Korpel
In fact,
/g consists of a flag and the leading slash.Thanks, Gabi, you helpmed a lot. However, I had to put the regexp part (the variable part) without quotes to make it work:
new RegExp(yourRegExp, "modifiers").
I hope this helps someone.
