RegExp.prototype.source
The source
property returns a String
containing the source text of the regexp object, and it doesn't contain the two forward slashes on both sides and any flags.
Property attributes of RegExp.prototype.source |
|
---|---|
Writable | no |
Enumerable | no |
Configurable | yes |
Examples
Using source
JavaScript
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var regex = /fooBar/ig; console.log(regex.source); // "fooBar", doesn't contain /.../ and "ig".
Empty regular expressions and escaping
Starting with ECMAScript 5, the source
property no longer returns an empty string for empty regular expressions. Instead, the string "(?:)"
is returned. In addition, line terminators (such as "\n") are escaped now.
JavaScript
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new RegExp().source; // "(?:)" new RegExp('\n').source === "\n"; // true, prior to ES5 new RegExp('\n').source === "\\n"; // true, starting with ES5
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
ECMAScript 3rd Edition (ECMA-262) | Standard | Initial definition. Implemented in JavaScript 1.2. JavaScript 1.5: source is a property of a RegExp instance, not the RegExp object. |
ECMAScript 5.1 (ECMA-262) The definition of 'RegExp.prototype.source' in that specification. |
Standard | The source property for empty regular expressions now returns "(?:)" instead of an empty string. A definition for the escaping behavior has been added. |
ECMAScript 2015 (6th Edition, ECMA-262) The definition of 'RegExp.prototype.source' in that specification. |
Standard | source is now a prototype accessor property rather than an instance's own data property. |
ECMAScript 2017 Draft (ECMA-262) The definition of 'RegExp.prototype.source' in that specification. |
Draft |
Browser compatibility
Feature | Chrome | Firefox (Gecko) | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Basic support | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) |
"(?:)" for empty regexps | ? | 38 (38) | ? | ? | (Yes) |
Escaping | ? | 38 (38) | ? | ? | ? |
Prototype accessor property | ? | 41 (41) | ? | ? | ? |
Feature | Android | Chrome for Android | Firefox Mobile (Gecko) | IE Mobile | Opera Mobile | Safari Mobile |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Basic support | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) |
"(?:)" for empty regexps | ? | ? | 38.0 (38) | ? | ? | ? |
Escaping | ? | ? | 38.0 (38) | ? | ? | ? |
Prototype accessor property | ? | ? | 41.0 (41) | ? | ? | ? |
See also
License
© 2016 Mozilla Contributors
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-us/docs/web/javascript/reference/global_objects/regexp/source