match

Returns the result of matching a string with the regular expression.

When the regular expression has the global (g) flag set, this function returns a list containing all matches; however, capture groups are ignored. If no matches are found in this mode, an empty list is returned. Conversely, if the global (g) flag is not set, only the first match is returned, and it will include any capture groups. In this non-global mode, the function returns nil if no match is found.

This function does not generate a change.

Function

regex.match(string)

Arguments

Return value

• Without the g flag: Returns a list containing the first match (including capture groups) if found; otherwise, nil.
• With the g flag: Returns a list of all matches if found; otherwise, an empty list.

Example

Examples using match() without the g flag:

r = /version ((\d+\.?)+)/;
r.match("This is version 3.5.1 of the program.");

Return value in JSON format

[
    "version 3.5.1",
    "3.5.1",
    "1"
]

Examples using match() with the g flag:

r = /\d+/g;
r.match("The numbers 123 and 456.");

Return value in JSON format

[
    "123",
    "456"
]