Updated: August 2009
These topics introduce the concept of regular expressions and explain how to create and use them.
A regular expression describes one or more strings to match when you search a body of text. The expression serves as character pattern to compare with the text being searched. You can use regular expressions to search for patterns in a string, replace text, and extract substrings.
- Uses for Regular Expressions
Illustrates circumstances that would benefit from the use of regular expressions.
- Creating a Regular Expression
Explains how to construct a regular expression.
- Regular Expression Programming
Provides code examples that show how to search for patterns in a string, replace text, and extract substrings.
- Regular Expression Syntax
Summarizes the elements that make up the regular expression syntax and provides examples.
- Lists of Matching Characters
Describes how to match a single character from a list of characters or range of characters.
- Quantifiers
Explains how to search for a character or set of characters that is repeated a specific number of times.
- Anchors
Explains how to specify that a pattern that you are searching for has to appear either at the start or end of the searched string, or the start or end of a line or word in the searched string.
- Alternation and Grouping
Explains how to specify that two or more alternatives both represent a pattern match, and how grouping affects the outcome of an expression.
- Backreferences
Explains how to reference a stored matched pattern that is enclosed in the regular expression itself. Also explains how to reference a stored matched pattern when replacing text.
- JScript User's Guide (Windows Scripting - JScript)
Provides information about how to use JScript and includes a guide to regular expressions.
- VBScript User's Guide
Provides information about how to use VBScript and includes a guide to regular expressions.
Date | History | Reason |
|---|
August 2009
| Modified topic descriptions. |
Information enhancement.
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