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regExp.lastIndex

The lastIndex is a read/write integer property of regular expression instances that specifies the index at which to start the next match.

Property attributes of regexp.lastIndex
Writable yes
Enumerable no
Configurable no

Syntax

regExpObj.lastIndex

Description

This property is set only if the regular expression instance used the "g" flag to indicate a global search, or the "y" flag to indicate a sticky search. The following rules apply:

  • If lastIndex is greater than the length of the string, test() and exec() fail, then lastIndex is set to 0.
  • If lastIndex is equal to the length of the string and if the regular expression matches the empty string, then the regular expression matches input starting at lastIndex.
  • If lastIndex is equal to the length of the string and if the regular expression does not match the empty string, then the regular expression mismatches input, and lastIndex is reset to 0.
  • Otherwise, lastIndex is set to the next position following the most recent match.

Examples

Using lastIndex

Consider the following sequence of statements:

var re = /(hi)?/g;

Matches the empty string.

console.log(re.exec('hi'));
console.log(re.lastIndex);

Returns ["hi", "hi"] with lastIndex equal to 2.

console.log(re.exec('hi'));
console.log(re.lastIndex);

Returns ["", undefined], an empty array whose zeroth element is the match string. In this case, the empty string because lastIndex was 2 (and still is 2) and "hi" has length 2.

Specifications

Browser compatibilityUpdate compatibility data on GitHub

Desktop
Chrome Edge Firefox Internet Explorer Opera Safari
Basic support Yes Yes 1 Yes Yes Yes
Mobile
Android webview Chrome for Android Edge Mobile Firefox for Android Opera for Android iOS Safari Samsung Internet
Basic support Yes Yes Yes 4 Yes Yes Yes
Server
Node.js
Basic support Yes

See also

© 2005–2018 Mozilla Developer Network and individual contributors.
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/RegExp/lastIndex