RegExp.prototype.toString()
The toString() method returns a string representing the
regular expression.
Syntax
toString()
Return value
A string representing the given object.
Description
The RegExp object overrides the toString() method of the
Object object; it does not inherit
Object.prototype.toString(). For RegExp objects, the
toString() method returns a string representation of the regular
expression.
Examples
Using toString()
The following example displays the string value of a RegExp object:
var myExp = new RegExp('a+b+c');
console.log(myExp.toString()); // logs '/a+b+c/'
var foo = new RegExp('bar', 'g');
console.log(foo.toString()); // logs '/bar/g'
Empty regular expressions and escaping
Starting with ECMAScript 5, an empty regular expression returns the string "/(?:)/" and line terminators such as "\n" are escaped:
new RegExp().toString(); // "/(?:)/"
new RegExp('\n').toString() === '/\n/'; // true, prior to ES5
new RegExp('\n').toString() === '/\\n/'; // true, starting with ES5
Specifications
| Specification |
|---|
| ECMAScript Language Specification # sec-regexp.prototype.tostring |
Browser compatibility
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