Regex
Regex; also known as Regular Expression, meaning "Regular Expression", is an extremely useful search structure for developers, saving developers time, used for finding repeating structures in the text.
In short, Regex is a valuable and powerful structure used for querying strings. Learning Regex may take time. However, once learned, it makes it easier to quickly handle tasks in various tools like Analytics, Google Tag Manager.
It is supported by almost every programming language. Generally used in PHP, JavaScript, SQL, R languages.
What are the Uses of Regex?
Regex has a wide range of use cases. Regex is used for validating information like Email addresses, dates and phone numbers .
Regex helps to complete complex code operations and to find the text or code to be searched within the text. Regex is used to make rapid changes in a large number of files and texts.
Who Uses Regex?
Regex, which helps to match, exclude, find, and manage text, is used by developers and professionals working on data.
Regex is not just for developers. Even if you're not involved with software, normal expressions can be used in many different situations. It becomes much easier to find the information you're looking for with Regex.
Regex is also frequently used by SEO experts. Tools like Search Console easily use Regex. Instead of searching for all keywords individually, searching can be done easily with Regex.
What is the Purpose of Using Regex?
- To save time in repetitive tasks,
- To bulk rename file names,
- To check user inputs,
- To quickly reach the desired information from many and complex data,
- To make database usage easier, searching the text, getting quick results from data sets,
- To easily find the desired array and make the desired corrections on it,
- Regex is used to write easier, faster, and more regular codes.
Why is Regex Important?
To save time in repetitive tasks, to quickly reach the desired information from complex data, Regex is an important tool. Regex allows expressions to be controlled according to a predetermined pattern. These expressions can be a single expression or more complex searches.
Thanks to the search structure that can be used in software languages and has many advantages, it is possible to be more practical. During the software development process, it allows the operation to be completed in a short time without code clutter. Especially those who deal with log work use these expressions to reach values they will parse.
How Does Regex Work?
The desired results are found through the Regex search structure. Regex works on strings (text) structures. The first string to be searched is found.
In some cases, it can also be used to Replace. That is, the found string is replaced with another string. At the end of the operations, time-consuming search results are avoided. The user uses Regex to find the desired structure (Search) or make a replacement (Replace).
Regex Meta Characters (Escaped Characters)
You can search using Regex with meta characters. Meta characters shape the search to be made, the query character is selected and the search is made accordingly. Each has a different purpose. Therefore, knowing these characters is necessary. At first glance, using these characters which seem complicated is extremely simple and functional. The basic meta characters are: “.“, “$“, “^“, “*“, “[ ]“, “[c1-c2]“, “[^c1-c2]“, “( )“, “|“, “+“, “?“, “{ }“, “{i,j}“
What are the Online Regex Tools?
There are websites to test, edit, and process Regex software. The most widely used online Regex sites are;
- RegeXPal
- RegExr
- RegeX101
- Rubular
