compile (JavaScript)

Recreates a RegExp object.

Defined in

RegExp (Standard - JavaScript)

Syntax

compile(expression:any, flags:string)
Parameters Description
expression The value of the regular expression, that is, the part that falls between the forward slashes when specified as a literal. The value is empty if not specified.
flags One or both of the following flags:
  • g to apply the expression globally
  • i to apply the expression case insensitive

This parameter is required. Use an empty string for no flags.

Usage

Remember to escape the backslash in a string literal. For example, where you would specify /\s*;\s*/ as a regular expression literal, you must specify "\\s*;\\s*" as a constructor parameter.

Examples

(1) This example creates a regular expression that finds the first occurrence of Moscow in a string.
var cities = new String("Paris; Moscow; Tokyo; Moscow");
var re = new RegExp("(foo)");
re.compile("(Moscow)", "");
return cities.replace(re, "Kiev")
(2) This example creates a regular expression that finds all occurrences of Moscow in a string.
var cities = new String("Paris; Moscow; Tokyo; Moscow");
var re = new RegExp("(foo)");
re.compile("(Moscow)", "g");
return cities.replace(re, "Kiev")