Hyphen is represented by - and can be keyed in using the keyboard using the SHIFT + - in most computers. In this article let’s understand how we can create a regex for hyphen and how regex can be matched for hyphen values.
Regex (short for regular expression) is a powerful tool used for searching and manipulating text. It is composed of a sequence of characters that define a search pattern. Regex can be used to find patterns in large amounts of text, validate user input, and manipulate strings. It is widely used in programming languages, text editors, and command line tools.
Conditions to match a Hyphen value
The value - should be present in the string.
Regex for checking if its a valid Hyphen value
Regular Expression-
/[-]/gmTest string examples for the above regex-
| Input String | Match Output |
|---|---|
| zero | does not match |
| tik-tok | matches |
| 1 | does not match |
| It costs – $200 | matches |
| 4-2=2 | matches |
Here is a detailed explanation of the above regex-
/[-]/gm
Match a single character present in the list below [-]
- matches the character - with index 4510 (2D16 or 558) literally (case sensitive)
Global pattern flags
g modifier: global. All matches (don't return after first match)
m modifier: multi line. Causes ^ and $ to match the begin/end of each line (not only begin/end of string)
Hope this article was useful to check the validity of a hyphen value using regex. In conclusion, understanding how to create and utilize regular expressions (regex) for detecting hyphen values is an essential skill for text manipulation and validation tasks. Regex offers a powerful and versatile means to identify patterns in text, and in this article, we’ve explored how to construct a regex to match hyphen values within strings. By employing the presented techniques, developers can efficiently validate and manipulate textual data containing hyphens.
