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SCDan0624
SCDan0624

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Javascript Regex Part 2 Character Classes

Intro

In my part one of my previous post I displayed how to find literal pattern matches. If you need to search for a literal pattern with some flexibility you can use regex character classes.

Character Classes

Character classes allow you to define a set of characters you wish to match by using square brackets:

let myPet = "cat" let notMyPet = "cut" let myRegex = /c[au]t/ myPet.match(myRegex) // Returns ["cat"] notMyPet.match(myRegex) // Returns ["cut"]
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Match a Range

If you need to match a large set of letters you can also define a range using a hyphen:

let myPet = "cat" let notMyPet = "bat" let forMyFloor = "mat" let myRegex = /[b-m]at/ myPet.match(myRegex) // Returns ["cat"] notMyPet.match(myRegex) // Returns ["bat"] forMyFloor.match(myRegex) // Returns ["mat"]
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You can also a hyphen to match any number in a string:

let myName = "Dan061983" let myRegex = /[a-z0-9]/ig // Will match all letters and numbers in myName myName.match(myRegex)
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