RegExp Alteration a|b (OR)
A global search for any of the alternatives red or green:
let text = "Black, white, red, green, blue, yellow";
let pattern= /red|green|blue/g;
let result = text.match(pattern);
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Description
The /a|b/ expression matches a or b.
The | acts as an OR operator.
The alternatives can be any character(s).
Syntax
new RegExp("a|b")
or simply:
/a|b/
Syntax with modifiers
new RegExp("a|b", "g")
or simply:
/a|b/g
More Examples
Example
Do a global search to find any of the specified alternatives (0|5|7):
let text = "01234567890123456789";
let pattern = /(0|5|7)/g;
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Regular Expression Methods
Regular Expression Search and Replace can be done with different methods.
These are the most common:
String Methods
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| match(regex) | Returns an Array of results |
| matchAll(regex) | Returns an Iterator of results |
| replace(regex) | Returns a new String |
| replaceAll(regex) | Returns a new String |
| search(regex) | Returns the index of the first match |
| split(regex) | Returns an Array of results |
RegExp Methods
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| regex.exec() | Returns an Iterator of results |
| regex.test() | Returns true or false |
Browser Support
/a|b/ is an ECMAScript1 (JavaScript 1997) feature.
It is supported in all browsers:
| Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Safari | Opera | IE |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
