Regular Expressions 101

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An explanation of your regex will be automatically generated as you type.
Detailed match information will be displayed here automatically.
  • All Tokens
  • Common Tokens
  • General Tokens
  • Anchors
  • Meta Sequences
  • Quantifiers
  • Group Constructs
  • Character Classes
  • Flags/Modifiers
  • Substitution
  • A single character of: a, b or c
    [abc]
  • A character except: a, b or c
    [^abc]
  • A character in the range: a-z
    [a-z]
  • A character not in the range: a-z
    [^a-z]
  • A character in the range: a-z or A-Z
    [a-zA-Z]
  • Any single character
    .
  • Alternate - match either a or b
    a|b
  • Any whitespace character
    \s
  • Any non-whitespace character
    \S
  • Any digit
    \d
  • Any non-digit
    \D
  • Any word character
    \w
  • Any non-word character
    \W
  • Non-capturing group
    (?:...)
  • Capturing group
    (...)
  • Zero or one of a
    a?
  • Zero or more of a
    a*
  • One or more of a
    a+
  • Exactly 3 of a
    a{3}
  • 3 or more of a
    a{3,}
  • Between 3 and 6 of a
    a{3,6}
  • Start of string
    ^
  • End of string
    $
  • A word boundary
    \b
  • Non-word boundary
    \B

Regular Expression
No Match

/
/
gmi

Test String

Code Generator

Generated Code

using System; using System.Text.RegularExpressions; public class Example { public static void Main() { string pattern = @"(apple)+"; string input = @"<div class=""mw-parser-output""><div role=""note"" class=""hatnote navigation-not-searchable"">This article is about the fruit. For the technology company, see <a href=""/wiki/Apple_Inc."" title=""Apple Inc."">Apple Inc.</a> For other uses, see <a href=""/wiki/Apple_(disambiguation)"" class=""mw-disambig"" title=""Apple (disambiguation)"">Apple (disambiguation)</a>, <a href=""/wiki/Apple_Blossom_(disambiguation)"" class=""mw-redirect mw-disambig"" title=""Apple Blossom (disambiguation)"">Apple Blossom (disambiguation)</a>, and <a href=""/wiki/Apple_tree_(disambiguation)"" class=""mw-disambig"" title=""Apple tree (disambiguation)"">Apple tree (disambiguation)</a>.</div> <p class=""mw-empty-elt""> </p> <table class=""infobox biota"" style=""text-align: left; width: 200px; font-size: 100%""> <tbody><tr> <th colspan=""2"" style=""text-align: center; background-color: rgb(180,250,180)"">Apple </th></tr> <tr> <td colspan=""2"" style=""text-align: center""><a href=""/wiki/File:Honeycrisp.jpg"" class=""image""><img alt=""Honeycrisp.jpg"" src=""//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Honeycrisp.jpg/220px-Honeycrisp.jpg"" width=""220"" height=""220"" srcset=""//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Honeycrisp.jpg/330px-Honeycrisp.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Honeycrisp.jpg/440px-Honeycrisp.jpg 2x"" data-file-width=""2176"" data-file-height=""2176"" /></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td colspan=""2"" style=""text-align: center; font-size: 88%"">Fruit </td></tr> <tr> <td colspan=""2"" style=""text-align: center""><a href=""/wiki/File:Malus_domestica_a1.jpg"" class=""image""><img alt=""Malus domestica a1.jpg"" src=""//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Malus_domestica_a1.jpg/220px-Malus_domestica_a1.jpg"" width=""220"" height=""164"" srcset=""//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Malus_domestica_a1.jpg/330px-Malus_domestica_a1.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Malus_domestica_a1.jpg/440px-Malus_domestica_a1.jpg 2x"" data-file-width=""1280"" data-file-height=""956"" /></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td colspan=""2"" style=""text-align: center; font-size: 88%"">Flowers </td></tr> <tr> <th colspan=""2"" style=""min-width:15em; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(180,250,180)""><a href=""/wiki/Taxonomy_(biology)"" title=""Taxonomy (biology)"">Scientific classification</a> <span class=""plainlinks"" style=""font-size:smaller; float:right; padding-right:0.4em; margin-left:-3em;""><a href=""/wiki/Template:Taxonomy/Malus"" title=""e""><img alt=""e"" src=""//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Red_Pencil_Icon.png"" width=""16"" height=""16"" data-file-width=""16"" data-file-height=""16"" /></a></span> </th></tr> <tr> <td>Kingdom:</td> <td><a href=""/wiki/Plant"" title=""Plant"">Plantae</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td><i>Clade</i>:</td> <td><a href=""/wiki/Flowering_plant"" title=""Flowering plant"">Angiosperms</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td><i>Clade</i>:</td> <td><a href=""/wiki/Eudicots"" title=""Eudicots"">Eudicots</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td><i>Clade</i>:</td> <td><a href=""/wiki/Rosids"" title=""Rosids"">Rosids</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Order:</td> <td><a href=""/wiki/Rosales"" title=""Rosales"">Rosales</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Family:</td> <td><a href=""/wiki/Rosaceae"" title=""Rosaceae"">Rosaceae</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Genus:</td> <td><i><a href=""/wiki/Malus"" title=""Malus"">Malus</a></i> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Species: </td> <td><span class=""species""><i><b>M.&#160;pumila</b></i></span> </td></tr> <tr> <th colspan=""2"" style=""text-align: center; background-color: rgb(180,250,180)""><a href=""/wiki/Binomial_nomenclature"" title=""Binomial nomenclature"">Binomial name</a> </th></tr> <tr> <td colspan=""2"" style=""text-align: center""><b><span class=""binomial""><i>Malus pumila</i></span></b><br /><small><a href=""/wiki/Philip_Miller"" title=""Philip Miller"">Miller</a>, 1768</small> </td></tr> <tr> <th colspan=""2"" style=""text-align: center; background-color: rgb(180,250,180)""><a href=""/wiki/Synonym_(taxonomy)"" title=""Synonym (taxonomy)"">Synonyms</a><sup id=""cite_ref-1"" class=""reference""><a href=""#cite_note-1"">&#91;1&#93;</a></sup><sup id=""cite_ref-2"" class=""reference""><a href=""#cite_note-2"">&#91;2&#93;</a></sup> </th></tr> <tr> <td colspan=""2"" style=""text-align: left""> <ul><li><i>Malus communis</i> <small>Desf.</small></li> <li><i>Malus domestica</i> <small>Borkh. nom. illeg.</small></li> <li><i>M. frutescens</i> <small>Medik.</small></li> <li><i>M. paradisiaca</i> <small>(L.) Medikus</small></li> <li><i>M. sylvestris</i> <small>Mil.</small></li> <li><i>Pyrus malus</i> <small>L.</small></li> <li><i>Pyrus malus</i> var. <i>paradisiaca</i> <small>L.</small></li> <li><i>Pyrus dioica</i> <small>Moench</small></li></ul> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <p>An <b>apple</b> is a sweet, edible <a href=""/wiki/Fruit"" title=""Fruit"">fruit</a> produced by an <b>apple tree</b> (<i><b>Malus pumila</b></i>). Apple <a href=""/wiki/Fruit_tree"" title=""Fruit tree"">trees</a> are <a href=""/wiki/Agriculture"" title=""Agriculture"">cultivated</a> worldwide, and are the most widely grown species in the <a href=""/wiki/Genus"" title=""Genus"">genus</a> <i><a href=""/wiki/Malus"" title=""Malus"">Malus</a></i>. The tree originated in <a href=""/wiki/Central_Asia"" title=""Central Asia"">Central Asia</a>, where its wild ancestor, <i><a href=""/wiki/Malus_sieversii"" title=""Malus sieversii"">Malus sieversii</a></i>, is still found today. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in <a href=""/wiki/Asia"" title=""Asia"">Asia</a> and <a href=""/wiki/Europe"" title=""Europe"">Europe</a>, and were brought to North America by <a href=""/wiki/European_colonization_of_the_Americas"" title=""European colonization of the Americas"">European colonists</a>. Apples have religious and <a href=""/wiki/Mythology"" title=""Mythology"">mythological</a> significance in many cultures, including <a href=""/wiki/Norse_mythology"" title=""Norse mythology"">Norse</a>, <a href=""/wiki/Greek_mythology"" title=""Greek mythology"">Greek</a> and <a href=""/wiki/Christianity_in_Europe"" title=""Christianity in Europe"">European Christian traditions</a>. </p><p>Apple trees are large if grown from seed. Generally apple <a href=""/wiki/Cultivar"" title=""Cultivar"">cultivars</a> are propagated by <a href=""/wiki/Grafting"" title=""Grafting"">grafting</a> onto rootstocks, which control the size of the resulting tree. There are more than 7,500 known <a href=""/wiki/List_of_apple_cultivars"" title=""List of apple cultivars"">cultivars of apples</a>, resulting in a range of desired characteristics. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and uses, including <a href=""/wiki/Cooking_apple"" title=""Cooking apple"">cooking</a>, eating raw and <a href=""/wiki/Apple_cider"" title=""Apple cider"">cider</a> production. Trees and fruit are prone to a number of <a href=""/wiki/Fungus"" title=""Fungus"">fungal</a>, bacterial and pest problems, which can be controlled by a number of <a href=""/wiki/Organic_farming"" title=""Organic farming"">organic</a> and non-organic means. In 2010, the fruit's <a href=""/wiki/Genome"" title=""Genome"">genome</a> was <a href=""/wiki/DNA_sequencing"" title=""DNA sequencing"">sequenced</a> as part of research on disease control and selective breeding in apple production. </p><p> Worldwide production of apples in 2014 was 84.6&#160;million <a href=""/wiki/Tonnes"" class=""mw-redirect"" title=""Tonnes"">tonnes</a>, with China accounting for 48% of the total.<sup id=""cite_ref-faostat_3-0"" class=""reference""><a href=""#cite_note-faostat-3"">&#91;3&#93;</a></sup></p><div class=""mw-references-wrap""><ol class=""references""> <li id=""cite_note-1""><span class=""mw-cite-backlink""><b><a href=""#cite_ref-1"">^</a></b></span> <span class=""reference-text""><cite id=""CITEREFElizabeth_E._Dickson2015"" class=""citation"">Elizabeth E. Dickson (2015), <a rel=""nofollow"" class=""external text"" href=""http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&amp;taxon_id=200010913"">""<i>Malus pumila</i> Miller, Gard. Dict. ed. 8. Malus no. 3. 1768""</a>, <a rel=""nofollow"" class=""external text"" href=""http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&amp;taxon_id=200010913""><i>Flora of North America</i></a>, <b>9</b>, <a rel=""nofollow"" class=""external text"" href=""https://web.archive.org/web/20150725131538/http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&amp;taxon_id=200010913"">archived</a> from the original on 25 July 2015</cite><span title=""ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=bookitem&amp;rft.atitle=Malus+pumila+Miller%2C+Gard.+Dict.+ed.+8.+Malus+no.+3.+1768&amp;rft.btitle=Flora+of+North+America&amp;rft.date=2015&amp;rft.au=Elizabeth+E.+Dickson&amp;rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.efloras.org%2Fflorataxon.aspx%3Fflora_id%3D1%26taxon_id%3D200010913&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AApple"" class=""Z3988""><span style=""display:none;"">&#160;</span></span></span> </li> <li id=""cite_note-2""><span class=""mw-cite-backlink""><b><a href=""#cite_ref-2"">^</a></b></span> <span class=""reference-text""><cite id=""CITEREFWendy_L._Applequist2014"" class=""citation"">Wendy L. Applequist (2014), ""Report of the Nomenclature Committee for Vascular Plants: 66: (1933). To conserve <i>Malus domestica</i> Borkh. against <i>M. pumila</i> Miller, <i>M. communis</i> Desf., <i>M. frutescens</i> Medik., and <i>Pyrus dioica</i> Moench (Rosaceae). Proposed by G.-Z. Qian, L.-F. Liu &amp; G.-G. Tang in Taxon 59(2): 650–652. 2010. Votes: 6–11–1 (not recommended)"", <i>Taxon</i>, <b>63</b> (6): 1358–1371, <a href=""/wiki/Digital_object_identifier"" title=""Digital object identifier"">doi</a>:<a rel=""nofollow"" class=""external text"" href=""//doi.org/10.12705/636.20"">10.12705/636.20</a></cite><span title=""ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=article&amp;rft.jtitle=Taxon&amp;rft.atitle=Report+of+the+Nomenclature+Committee+for+Vascular+Plants%3A+66%3A+%281933%29.+To+conserve+Malus+domestica+Borkh.+against+M.+pumila+Miller%2C+M.+communis+Desf.%2C+M.+frutescens+Medik.%2C+and+Pyrus+dioica+Moench+%28Rosaceae%29.+Proposed+by+G.-Z.+Qian%2C+L.-F.+Liu+%26+G.-G.+Tang+in+Taxon+59%282%29%3A+650%E2%80%93652.+2010.+Votes%3A+6%E2%80%9311%E2%80%931+%28not+recommended%29&amp;rft.volume=63&amp;rft.issue=6&amp;rft.pages=1358-1371&amp;rft.date=2014&amp;rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.12705%2F636.20&amp;rft.au=Wendy+L.+Applequist&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AApple"" class=""Z3988""><span style=""display:none;"">&#160;</span></span></span> </li> <li id=""cite_note-faostat-3""><span class=""mw-cite-backlink""><b><a href=""#cite_ref-faostat_3-0"">^</a></b></span> <span class=""error mw-ext-cite-error"" lang=""en"" dir=""ltr"">Cite error: The named reference <code>faostat</code> was invoked but never defined (see the <a href=""/wiki/Help:Cite_errors/Cite_error_references_no_text"" title=""Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no text"">help page</a>). </span></li> </ol></div> <!-- NewPP limit report Parsed by mw1227 Cached time: 20180711070656 Cache expiry: 1900800 Dynamic content: false CPU time usage: 0.484 seconds Real time usage: 0.605 seconds Preprocessor visited node count: 5917/1000000 Preprocessor generated node count: 0/1500000 Post‐expand include size: 23760/2097152 bytes Template argument size: 6939/2097152 bytes Highest expansion depth: 19/40 Expensive parser function count: 4/500 Unstrip recursion depth: 0/20 Unstrip post‐expand size: 267/5000000 bytes Number of Wikibase entities loaded: 0/400 Lua time usage: 0.310/10.000 seconds Lua memory usage: 4.01 MB/50 MB --> <!-- Transclusion expansion time report (%,ms,calls,template) 100.00% 570.551 1 -total 61.03% 348.232 1 Template:Speciesbox 59.06% 336.978 1 Template:Taxobox/core 28.16% 160.656 1 Template:Taxobox/taxonomy 16.99% 96.915 74 Template:Taxon_info 9.77% 55.733 2 Template:Citation 8.75% 49.901 7 Template:Taxon_link 7.68% 43.833 1 Template:About 6.99% 39.896 1 Template:Pp-semi-indef 6.65% 37.930 15 Template:Delink --> </div>"; RegexOptions options = RegexOptions.Multiline | RegexOptions.IgnoreCase; foreach (Match m in Regex.Matches(input, pattern, options)) { Console.WriteLine("'{0}' found at index {1}.", m.Value, m.Index); } } }

Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for C#, please visit: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.text.regularexpressions.regex(v=vs.110).aspx