RegExp ^ Metacharacter
Test if a text starts with W3Schools:
const pattern = /^W3Schools/;
let text = "W3Schools tutorial";
let result = pattern.test(text);
Try it Yourself »
let text = "W3Schools tutorial";
let result = pattern.test(text);
const pattern = /^W3Schools/;
let text = "Hello W3Schools";
let result = pattern.test(text);
Try it Yourself »
let text = "Hello W3Schools";
let result = pattern.test(text);
Description
The ^ metacharacter matches from the beginning of a string, or the beginning of a line if the m (multiline) flag is used.
Syntax
new RegExp("^regexp")
or simply:
/^regexp/
or simply:
/^regexp/
Syntax with modifiers
new RegExp("^regexp", "g")
or simply:
/^regexp/g
or simply:
/^regexp/g
Boundary Assertion:
The ^ Metacharacter (Boundary beginning)
The $ Metacharacter (Boundary end)
The \b Metacharacter (Word boundary)
The \B Metacharacter (Non-word boundary)
More Examples
Example
A global search for "Is" at the beginning of a string:
let text = "Is this his";
let pattern = /^Is/g;
Try it Yourself »
let pattern = /^Is/g;
Example
A global, case-insensitive, multiline search for "is" at the beginning of each line:
let text = `Is this
all there
is`
let pattern = /^is/gmi;
Try it Yourself »
all there
is`
let pattern = /^is/gmi;
Regular Expression Methods
Regular Expression Search and Replace can be done with different methods.
These are the most common:
String Methods
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| match(regex) | Returns an Array of results |
| matchAll(regex) | Returns an Iterator of results |
| replace(regex) | Returns a new String |
| replaceAll(regex) | Returns a new String |
| search(regex) | Returns the index of the first match |
| split(regex) | Returns an Array of results |
RegExp Methods
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| regex.exec() | Returns an Iterator of results |
| regex.test() | Returns true or false |
Browser Support
/^/ is an ECMAScript1 (JavaScript 1997) feature.
It is supported in all browsers:
| Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Safari | Opera | IE |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |