search Method

Returns the position of the first substring match in a regular expression search.

function search(rgExp : RegExp) : Number

Arguments

• rgExp
  Required. An instance of a Regular Expression object containing the regular expression pattern and applicable flags.

Remarks

If a match is found, the search method returns an integer value that specifies the offset from the beginning of the string where the match occurred. If no match is found, it returns -1.

Example

The following example illustrates the use of the search method.

function SearchDemo()
{
   var s = "is but a dream within a dream";

// Create regular the expression pattern.
   var re = /dream/i;        

// Search the string.
   var r = s.search(re);     
   return(r);                

// Output: 9
}

Requirements

Version 3

Applies To:

String Object

See Also

Concepts

Regular Expression Syntax

Reference

exec Method

match Method

Regular Expression Object

replace Method

test Method

Change History

Date	History	Reason
March 2009	Modified example.	Information enhancement.