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JavaScript exec() Method

< JavaScript RegExp Object

Example

Search a string for the character "e":

var str = "The best things in life are free";
var patt = new RegExp("e");
var res = patt.exec(str);

Since there is an "e" in the string, the result of res will be:

e
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Definition and Usage

The exec() method tests for a match in a string.

This method returns the matched text if it finds a match, otherwise it returns null.


Browser Support

Method
exec() Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Syntax

RegExpObject.exec(string)

Parameter Values

Parameter Description
string Required. The string to be searched

Return Value

Type Description
Array An array containing the matched text if it finds a match, otherwise it returns null

Technical Details

JavaScript Version: 1.2

More Examples

Example

Do a global search, and test for "Hello" and "w3ii" in a string:

// The string:
var str = "Hello world!";

// Look for "Hello"
var patt = /Hello/g;
var result = patt.exec(str);

// Look for "w3ii"
var patt2 = /w3ii/g;
result2 = patt2.exec(str);

The output of the code above will be:

Hello // match for "Hello"
null // no match for "w3ii"
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< JavaScript RegExp Object