Applies To: Regular Expression Object
The compile method compiles a regular expression into an internal format.
Syntax
rgexp.compile(pattern)
The compile method syntax has these parts:
Part |
Description |
rgexp |
Required. A Regular Expression object. Can be a variable name or a literal. |
pattern |
Required. A string expression containing a regular expression pattern to be compiled. |
Return value
Returns no value.
Remarks
The compile method converts pattern into an internal format for faster execution. This allows for more efficient use of regular expressions in loops, for example.
The following example illustrates the use of the compile method:
function CompileDemo()
{
var s = "AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPp"
// Create regular expression for uppercase only.
var r = new RegExp("[A-Z]", "g");
var a = s.match(r) // Find matches.
document.write(a);
// Compile regular expression for lowercase only.
r.compile("[a-z]", "g");
var a = s.match(r) // Find matches.
document.write(a);
}
document.write(CompileDemo());
|
 To run the code, paste it into JavaScript Editor, and click the Execute button.
See Also: Regular Expression Object Methods, Regular Expression Object Properties, Regular Expression Syntax |
