safari not working js

How to Enable JavaScript on Apple Safari (iPad, iPhone iOS)

Are you having a hard time in trying to turn on JavaScript on your iPad or Apple iPhone device?

JavaScript has evolved into an essential tool that makes the web what it is today. It controls the dynamic elements of web pages, and most websites will fail to run correctly if your Apple Safari browser does not have its JavaScript enabled. Although disabling JavaScript offers browsers faster loading of a website, you should know that it reduces the overall browsing experience on your iPad or iPhone device.

Be it an iPhone 11, iPhone 10 or MacOS device, the steps in this guide will help you learn the simple process and benefits of enabling the JavaScript feature on your Safari browser.

Instructions for Web Developers

You may want to consider linking to this site, to educate any script-disabled users on how to enable JavaScript in six most commonly used browsers. You are free to use the code below and modify it according to your needs.

On enablejavascript.io we optimize the script-disabled user experience as much as we can:

• The instructions for your browser are put at the top of the page
• All the images are inlined, full-size, for easy perusing

We want your visitors to have JavaScript enabled just as much as you do!

What Is JavaScript and Why Do I Need It?

JavaScript is a type of code used by web developers to install and establish interactive content on websites – in essence, it allows web pages to dynamically load and send content in the background without page loads on your Apple Safari browser. Generally, JavaScript is used by modern websites to provide various features such as display advertisements – the reason why a small subset of internet users want it disabled.

However, disabling the JavaScript feature on your Safari web browser is much more of a hassle than it seems. If you turn off JavaScript on your browser, many websites won’t function properly. In most cases, you will also be unable to enjoy certain functions or view content that you are accustomed to accessing on JavaScript-based websites.

How to Enable JavaScript on Safari ​

Here’s how to turn on JavaScript on Safari:

1. Select the “Safari” icon on your home screen.

2. Scroll down the Settings page to find the menu item labelled “Safari”, and then select it.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the Safari menu and choose “Advanced” – choosing this will reveal the advanced settings for your Safari browser.

4. On the Advanced menu, find the option for enabling or disabling “JavaScript” for your Safari browser. On finding the JavaScript option, you’ll see a button next to it.

5. Now slide this button to the right to turn on JavaScript on your Safari browser.

6. That’s it! You’ve just enabled JavaScript.

How to Disable JavaScript on Safari ​

Here’s how to turn off JavaScript on Safari:

1. Tap on the “Settings” icon on your home screen.

5. Now slide this button to the left to turn off JavaScript on your Safari browser.

6. That’s it! You’ve just disabled JavaScript. ​

How to Enable JavaScript on Mac

Follow the steps below to activate JavaScript in Safari on Mac:

1. Open the Safari application by clicking on an icon that appears like a compass in your bottom toolbar.

2. Click on the “Safari” menu at the top left corner of the browser.

3. Under the Safari menu, find and click on “Preferences”. This will open a pop-up menu.

4. Move your cursor over to the “Security” tab and select it.

5. Now check the box beside “Enable JavaScript” to turn on JavaScript. Make sure the box is checked.

6. You can now close the “Preferences” window to apply your settings.

7. That’s it! You’ve enabled JavaScript.

8. Restart your browser.

How to Disable JavaScript in Safari on Mac

Follow the steps below to disable JavaScript in Safari on Mac:

2. Click on “Safari” menu at the top left corner of the browser.

3. Under the Safari menu, find and click on “Preferences”. This will open a dropdown menu.

4. Move your cursor over to the “Security” tab and then click on it.

5. Now uncheck the box beside “Enable JavaScript” to disable JavaScript.

7. That’s it! You’ve disabled JavaScript.

8. Restart your browser. 

Apple Safari comes built-in with a JavaScript engine that makes website elements interactive. And while it isn't actually necessary that you enable it to use your Safari browser, it's something that you'll perhaps want to do to enjoy a seamless browsing experience. Otherwise, many websites you visit will appear broken or won't even work.

JavaScript is enabled by default in Apple Safari, but you can verify if yours is active through the Safari tab. To do this, simply click on "Safari" at the top left of your screen to expand the Menu. Next, click on Preferences to reveal the Safari Preferences section. Now that you're in the Preferences section, find and click the "Security" tab to access the "Enable JavaScript" checkbox. If the checkbox has a tick symbol, it means JavaScript is active and working.

Millions of websites use JavaScript to display interactive elements, such as animations, special effects and more. If you browse them with JavaScript disabled in your Apple Safari, then you probably won't have the full experience that you normally would. Some JavaScript-based websites may appear dull or static, while others may not even work at all.

Olumide is a longtime writer who started his career as a digital marketer before transitioning into a copywriter almost eight years ago.

• – Google Chrome
• – Internet Explorer
• – Microsoft Edge
• – Mozilla Firefox
• – Apple Safari

How to enable JavaScript in your browser and why http://www.enablejavascript.io/

How to enable Javascript in Safari on a Mac computer to prevent website errors

• To enable Javascript on a Mac while using Safari , you'll need to open Safari and navigate to its Security menu.
• Enabling Javascript can help you view web pages properly — without it, many websites and programs may not load.
• It should only take a minute or so to enable Javascript in Safari on your Mac .
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

Javascript is an extremely common programming language that's used across the internet. 

And while it isn't necessarily required that you enable it in order to use Safari , it's something that you'll probably want to do. Otherwise, many websites you visit will look strange, or even broken.

Enabling Javascript in your Mac's default browser, Safari , is an easy process. In fact, it should only take you only a minute or so to complete.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Macbook pro (from $1,299.99 at best buy), how to enable javascript on a mac.

1. Open Safari (it's the compass icon that, by default, lives in your bottom toolbar).

2. In the top toolbar, select "Safari."

3. In the dropdown menu, click "Preferences."

4. Toggle over to the "Security" tab.

5. Check the box next to "Enable Javascript."

Once you've done that, you can close out the "Preferences" window, and you're good to go. 

If you use more than one browser, you may wish to enable it on those other browsers as well. On Chrome, for example, you'll still go through the "Preferences" menu at the top of the screen. Then type "Javascript" in the search bar and make sure that it says "Allowed" under "Javascript."

Related coverage from  How To Do Everything: Tech :

How to enable adobe flash player on a mac computer using safari, how to block pop-ups on a mac computer's safari browser, and avoid fraudulent websites, how to add websites to your favorites list on a mac's safari browser, making them easily accessible at any moment, how to save and delete webpages on the reading list in your mac computer's safari browser.

Insider Inc. receives a commission when you buy through our links.

Watch: Apple just launched a $6,000 Mac Pro, available this fall

• Main content

This page requires JavaScript.

Please turn on JavaScript in your browser and refresh the page to view its content.

If Safari isn't loading websites or quits on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

If you can't load a website or webpage, or Safari quits unexpectedly, follow these steps.

Connect to a different network

Try to load a website, like www.apple.com , using cellular data. If you don't have cellular data, connect to a different Wi-Fi network , then load the website.

If you're using a VPN (Virtual Private Network), check your VPN settings . If you have a VPN turned on, some apps or websites might block content from loading.

Restart your device

Turn off your device and turn it on again.

Restart your iPhone

Restart your iPad

Restart your iPod touch

Clear website data

You can clear website data occasionally to improve Safari performance.

Go to Settings > Safari.

Tap Clear History and Website Data.

Tap Clear History to confirm.

Turn on JavaScript

Turn on JavaScript if it's not already on.

Go to Settings > Safari > Advanced.

Turn on JavaScript.

Get more help

If the issue continues and only affects a certain website or webpage, check if you have Private Relay turned on. You can temporarily turn off Private Relay in iCloud Settings . If Safari still doesn't load websites and you tried all of these steps, contact the website developer for more help.

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Find what’s been asked and answered by Apple customers.

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Need more help? Save time by starting your support request online and we'll connect you to an expert.

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loading.js not working in Safari (macOS and iOS) #48663

jeremiasjutz commented Apr 21, 2023

JesseKoldewijn commented Apr 21, 2023

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shuding commented May 2, 2023

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Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference to kick off June 10 at 10 a.m. PDT with Keynote address

The Keynote will be available to stream on  apple.com , the Apple Developer app, the Apple TV app, and the Apple YouTube channel. On-demand playback will be available after the conclusion of the stream.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

problem with javascript on safari

if I enable javascript in safari, I see blank screen for these websites

http://www.cnn.com

http://www.hsbc.co.in

if I disable javascript, I don't see the usual images etc.. Also, under plugins in preferences, I see adobe flash player is turned off by default for every website. How do I fix this? I installed adblock from App Store -and it seems to show that websites have ads and some other stuff to track users.

The details of safari are:-

Version 10.1.1 (12603.2.4)

This is on mac os sierra v 10.12.15

I would like to reset everything on my browser settings without losing my passwords, so that it works like it does for everybody else without compromising security.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Sep 4, 2017 9:49 PM

Posted on Sep 6, 2017 1:45 AM

kamal_prasad wrote: ... I think the websites use some plugins and my plugin for the system is not working correctly because of which same problem shows up on mozilla.

Neither one of those two sites require any Safari Plug-ins. Plug-ins may be required to enable certain website features, but they can also prevent websites from working properly.

Remove unwanted Plug-ins by following the instructions in How to use Internet plug-ins in Safari for Mac - Apple Support .

To ensure Safari Plug-ins are not affecting those sites, use Safari's Help menu > Installed Plug-ins . Make it look like this:

If no Plug-ins are installed, then something else is preventing those websites from rendering correctly.

• Shut down your Mac.
• Load macOS Recovery by holding ⌘ and r (two fingers) while you start your Mac with a third finger.
• At the macOS Utilities screen, release those two fingers.
• Choose Get Help Online .
• Safari will launch, but it will lack your bookmarks, favorites, history and other preferences.

While in that mode, determine if you can load either one of those problematic websites. Then, restart your Mac normally, and reply with your observations.

Loading page content

Page content loaded

Sep 6, 2017 1:45 AM in response to kamal_prasad

Sep 5, 2017 1:01 AM in response to kamal_prasad

To reset safari , enter into user library macOS Sierra: Library folder

Find a folder Preferences drag and drop com.apple.Safari.plist to the desktop , restart the machine the settings will go to default , you have to set the home page once again Safari for Mac: Set your homepage in Safari

For adobe flash player , open safari preferences > check the box of internet plugins > click on plug in settings and do the settings as per screen shot , also check the box of enable java script .

Sep 5, 2017 12:19 AM in response to kamal_prasad

There is no such thing as a factory reset. There are only modifications to Safari that you install – such as "adblock" – and only you can uninstall them.

Follow the instructions in these Apple Support documents:

If Safari doesn't load a page or webpage items are missing - Apple Support

If Safari is slow, stops responding, quits unexpectedly, or has other issues - Apple Support

How to use Internet plug-ins in Safari for Mac - Apple Support

Needless to say, if you are using any non-Apple "anti-virus", "cleaning", or "Internet security" products, anything at all in that broad category of garbage, don't. A lot of things won't work if you do.

Sep 5, 2017 1:42 PM in response to kamal_prasad

AdBlock works by blocking specific javascript execution for things that look like ads.

Disable that and see if everything works correctly. You'll need javascript enabled for most websites to function correctly.

If it is AdBlock, it might have some Whitelisting capability to allow those things to run on those websites.

Sep 5, 2017 8:48 PM in response to Barney-15E

I disabled Adblock and upgraded to mac os sierra 10.12.6 and even tried with mozilla, but cnn.com is still blank in both browsers. I think the websites use some plugins and my plugin for the system is not working correctly because of which same problem shows up on mozilla.

Sep 4, 2017 10:36 PM in response to kamal_prasad

Please read If Safari doesn't load a page or webpage items are missing - Apple Support .

Sep 4, 2017 11:58 PM in response to John Galt

I tried all that and it does not work. What is the procedure to factory reset safari without losing my passwords?

• Use the old theme

Home / Fixing WordPress / Jquery not working with Safari browser

Jquery not working with Safari browser

(@darrellwilde)

2 years, 1 month ago

Got an issue with a html form on my site.

So on a desktop in chrome the form submits fine and gives me a thank you pop alert and redirects to a page however on Safari it just clears the form. Not sure if it’s a conflict with something or there is a better way to program the form.

I’m using raw html for the form and code snippets plug-in to put the JavaScript in the head.

The page I need help with: [ log in to see the link]

(@kaavyaiyer)

Hi @darrellwilde ,

I wasn’t able to submit the form in both Chrome and Safari browsers. When I submit, it just clears my form. However, a couple of errors are being flagged on submit in the Network tab of Safari’s Developer Tools.

I have uploaded a screenshot of the error here .

You might want to check where these fields are coming from and remove/handle them accordingly.

I hope this helps!

There is already a JavaScript error when loading the page:

Uncaught TypeError: $(...).datepicker is not a function

You can see this when you open the JavaScript console: https://wordpress.org/support/article/using-your-browser-to-diagnose-javascript-errors/

If this is part of your scripts, you should correct it. It is because of this line:

$( "#datepicker" ).datepicker();

and the reason is that the library for the datepicker is not loaded.

Then I also notice that the page uses a mixture of http:// and https:// . Some browsers will prevent exactly that, causing them to load only parts of the page. Since you seem to have an SSL certificate, I would recommend switching any output to https:// . In the simplest case, you only need to adjust the page URL in the WordPress settings and save the permalinks once. See: https://wordpress.org/support/article/https-for-wordpress/

Possibly both will then also solve the problems with Safari.

@threadi Ok I found the datepicker script and removed it which has resolved the errors in javascript but the form still doesnt work in Safari only Chrome for some reason.

@kaavyaiyer Are you still getting these errors now i have removed the datepicker issue?

I have no idea where it is getting those extra fields from as they are not embedded on my page.

Unfortunately it still isnt working on Safari for me only chrome on desktop.

I have made a html page just with the javascript and form on and it works. See: https://www.activetalentagency.com/form_test.htm

It just seems to be something in WordPress which is preventing it on Safari and possibly other browsers.

I also see the errors mentioned by @kaavyaiyer and can understand the error he describes. The fields are also in the source code within your form and are added by a JavaScript that is in the HTML code of the page. Here is an excerpt of it:

if ($(form).attr("method") != "get") { $(form).append('<input type="hidden" name="aEyFekStThd" value="BmMx5_J@70z8u" />'); }

Your template does not contain these fields, nor does wordpress itself create them, which is why I suspect that some plugin in your system adds them. Possibly it is an anti-spam protection plugin.

My recommendation would therefore be to deactivate all plugins and see if this changes the situation. If not, you should also change the theme as a test.

@threadi @kaavyaiyer Well guys that was strange…. I disabled all plugins, activated them one by one and the mysterious extra fields disappeared.

I have no idea why… however now the form works for me on all browsers if you can test to make sure id be grateful.

Even if it works now, the strange source code is still included in the page. If your form processing can suddenly handle it, it’s fine – but surprising.

@threadi yes i think some of that source code is from plugins, but as long as it works its ok.

One thing i have noticed is that the search function of my site has stopped working im not sure whether this has been a conflict with the new form.

The fact that the search no longer works could have something to do with this strange script. You should get an overview of which plugin is responsible for what.

I tested your page on both the browsers and the errors are still there and it just clears my form. I think the best approach for troubleshooting, like @threadi mentioned, would be to figure out which plugin is causing the extra fields to be added to your form.

Are you using any plugin for the search feature?

@kaavyaiyer really? I’ve just tested on chrome safari and edge and all seem to be working for me now.

The only thing I am using for a plug-in to do with search is a live search plugin option.

Nothing else.

I deactivated all plugins and the search still didn’t work for some reason.

The search form cannot be submitted because the jQuery from https://malsup.github.io/jquery.form.js that is included via your code sets an event here that prevents the search form from being submitted.

@threadi even when i have removed this it still doesn’t work.

I can still see it in the source code of the page. Therefore the search still does not work.

My advice would be that you look for someone who can support you directly. Within the framework of the forum this becomes more and more difficult.

• The topic ‘Jquery not working with Safari browser’ is closed to new replies.
• In: Fixing WordPress
• 3 participants
• Last reply from: darrellwilde
• Last activity: 2 years, 1 month ago
• Status: not resolved

Topics with no replies

Non-support topics, resolved topics, unresolved topics.

Browser Support

Link current active support, link desktop.

• Chrome: (Current - 1) and Current
• Edge: (Current - 1) and Current
• Firefox: (Current - 1) and Current, ESR
• Internet Explorer: 9+
• Safari: (Current - 1) and Current
• Opera: Current

link Mobile

• Stock browser on Android 4.0+ [1]
• Safari on iOS 7+ [1]

[1] : Workarounds for Android Browser 4.0-4.3 & iOS 7 are present in the code base, but we no longer actively test these versions. iOS 8 & newer versions are tested.

Any problem with jQuery in the above browsers should be reported as a bug in jQuery.

(Current - 1) and Current denotes that we support the current stable version of the browser and the version that preceded it. For example, if the current version of a browser is 24.x, we support the 24.x and 23.x versions.

Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release) is a Firefox version for use by organizations including schools, universities, businesses and others who need extended support for mass deployments. It is based on a regular release of Firefox and synced from the next regular Firefox every few releases - example ESR versions include Firefox 47, 52 & 60. At any given time there are at most two ESR versions available; jQuery supports both of them. See the Mozilla site for more information.

If you need to support older browsers like Internet Explorer 6-8, Opera 12.1x or Safari 5.1+, download jQuery 1.12 instead.

link Unsupported Browsers

While jQuery might run without major issues in older browser versions, we do not actively test jQuery in them and generally do not fix bugs that may appear in them.

Similarly, jQuery does not fix bugs in pre-release versions of browsers, such as beta or dev releases. If you find a bug with jQuery in a pre-release of a browser, you should report the bug to the browser vendor.

link About Browser Support

jQuery is constantly tested with all of its supported browsers via unit tests. However, a web page using jQuery may not work in the same set of browsers if its own code takes advantage of (or falls prey to) browser-specific behaviors. Testing is essential to fully support a browser.

Only the most current version of jQuery is tested and updated to fix bugs or add features. Users of older versions that find a bug should upgrade to the latest released version to determine if the bug has already been fixed. The jQuery Migrate plugin may be helpful in identifying and fixing problems during a version upgrade.

link About CSS Selector Compatibility

Regardless of a browser's support of CSS selectors, all selectors listed at https://api.jquery.com/category/selectors/ will return the correct set of elements when passed as an argument of the jQuery function.

CSS styles applied with jQuery's .css() method are dependent on the browser's level of support. In general, jQuery does not attempt to overcome the limitations of a browser's style rendering. (One exception is opacity , which jQuery "shims" for older Internet Explorer's alternative implementation.) Furthermore, prior to version 1.8, jQuery does not normalize vendor-prefixed properties.

Run Node.js scripts from the command line

The usual way to run a Node.js program is to run the globally available node command (once you install Node.js) and pass the name of the file you want to execute.

If your main Node.js application file is app.js , you can call it by typing:

Above, you are explicitly telling the shell to run your script with node . You can also embed this information into your JavaScript file with a "shebang" line. The "shebang" is the first line in the file, and tells the OS which interpreter to use for running the script. Below is the first line of JavaScript:

Above, we are explicitly giving the absolute path of interpreter. Not all operating systems have node in the bin folder, but all should have env . You can tell the OS to run env with node as parameter:

To use a shebang, your file should have executable permission. You can give app.js the executable permission by running:

While running the command, make sure you are in the same directory which contains the app.js file.

• Pass string as argument to node instead of file path

To execute a string as argument you can use -e , --eval "script" . Evaluate the following argument as JavaScript. The modules which are predefined in the REPL can also be used in script.

On Windows, using cmd.exe a single quote will not work correctly because it only recognizes double " for quoting. In Powershell or Git bash, both ' and " are usable.

• Restart the application automatically

As of nodejs V16, there is a built-in option to automatically restart the application when a file changes. This is useful for development purposes. To use this feature, you need to pass the `--watch' flag to nodejs.

So when you change the file, the application will restart automatically. Read the --watch flag documentation .

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Regular expressions

Regular expressions are patterns used to match character combinations in strings. In JavaScript, regular expressions are also objects. These patterns are used with the exec() and test() methods of RegExp , and with the match() , matchAll() , replace() , replaceAll() , search() , and split() methods of String . This chapter describes JavaScript regular expressions. It provides a brief overview of each syntax element. For a detailed explanation of each one's semantics, read the regular expressions reference.

Creating a regular expression

You construct a regular expression in one of two ways:

• Using a regular expression literal, which consists of a pattern enclosed between slashes, as follows: js const re = / ab + c / ; Regular expression literals provide compilation of the regular expression when the script is loaded. If the regular expression remains constant, using this can improve performance.
• Or calling the constructor function of the RegExp object, as follows: js const re = new RegExp ( "ab+c" ) ; Using the constructor function provides runtime compilation of the regular expression. Use the constructor function when you know the regular expression pattern will be changing, or you don't know the pattern and are getting it from another source, such as user input.

Writing a regular expression pattern

A regular expression pattern is composed of simple characters, such as /abc/ , or a combination of simple and special characters, such as /ab*c/ or /Chapter (\d+)\.\d*/ . The last example includes parentheses, which are used as a memory device. The match made with this part of the pattern is remembered for later use, as described in Using groups .

Using simple patterns

Simple patterns are constructed of characters for which you want to find a direct match. For example, the pattern /abc/ matches character combinations in strings only when the exact sequence "abc" occurs (all characters together and in that order). Such a match would succeed in the strings "Hi, do you know your abc's?" and "The latest airplane designs evolved from slabcraft." . In both cases the match is with the substring "abc" . There is no match in the string "Grab crab" because while it contains the substring "ab c" , it does not contain the exact substring "abc" .

Using special characters

When the search for a match requires something more than a direct match, such as finding one or more b's, or finding white space, you can include special characters in the pattern. For example, to match a single "a" followed by zero or more "b" s followed by "c" , you'd use the pattern /ab*c/ : the * after "b" means "0 or more occurrences of the preceding item." In the string "cbbabbbbcdebc" , this pattern will match the substring "abbbbc" .

The following pages provide lists of the different special characters that fit into each category, along with descriptions and examples.

Assertions include boundaries, which indicate the beginnings and endings of lines and words, and other patterns indicating in some way that a match is possible (including look-ahead, look-behind, and conditional expressions).

Distinguish different types of characters. For example, distinguishing between letters and digits.

Groups group multiple patterns as a whole, and capturing groups provide extra submatch information when using a regular expression pattern to match against a string. Backreferences refer to a previously captured group in the same regular expression.

Indicate numbers of characters or expressions to match.

If you want to look at all the special characters that can be used in regular expressions in a single table, see the following:

Note: A larger cheat sheet is also available (only aggregating parts of those individual articles).

If you need to use any of the special characters literally (actually searching for a "*" , for instance), you must escape it by putting a backslash in front of it. For instance, to search for "a" followed by "*" followed by "b" , you'd use /a\*b/ — the backslash "escapes" the "*" , making it literal instead of special.

Similarly, if you're writing a regular expression literal and need to match a slash ("/"), you need to escape that (otherwise, it terminates the pattern). For instance, to search for the string "/example/" followed by one or more alphabetic characters, you'd use /\/example\/[a-z]+/i —the backslashes before each slash make them literal.

To match a literal backslash, you need to escape the backslash. For instance, to match the string "C:\" where "C" can be any letter, you'd use /[A-Z]:\\/ — the first backslash escapes the one after it, so the expression searches for a single literal backslash.

If using the RegExp constructor with a string literal, remember that the backslash is an escape in string literals, so to use it in the regular expression, you need to escape it at the string literal level. /a\*b/ and new RegExp("a\\*b") create the same expression, which searches for "a" followed by a literal "*" followed by "b".

If escape strings are not already part of your pattern you can add them using String.prototype.replace() :

The "g" after the regular expression is an option or flag that performs a global search, looking in the whole string and returning all matches. It is explained in detail below in Advanced Searching With Flags .

Why isn't this built into JavaScript? There is a proposal to add such a function to RegExp.

Using parentheses

Parentheses around any part of the regular expression pattern causes that part of the matched substring to be remembered. Once remembered, the substring can be recalled for other use. See Groups and backreferences for more details.

Using regular expressions in JavaScript

Regular expressions are used with the RegExp methods test() and exec() and with the String methods match() , matchAll() , replace() , replaceAll() , search() , and split() .

When you want to know whether a pattern is found in a string, use the test() or search() methods; for more information (but slower execution) use the exec() or match() methods. If you use exec() or match() and if the match succeeds, these methods return an array and update properties of the associated regular expression object and also of the predefined regular expression object, RegExp . If the match fails, the exec() method returns null (which coerces to false ).

In the following example, the script uses the exec() method to find a match in a string.

If you do not need to access the properties of the regular expression, an alternative way of creating myArray is with this script:

(See Using the global search flag with exec() for further info about the different behaviors.)

If you want to construct the regular expression from a string, yet another alternative is this script:

With these scripts, the match succeeds and returns the array and updates the properties shown in the following table.

As shown in the second form of this example, you can use a regular expression created with an object initializer without assigning it to a variable. If you do, however, every occurrence is a new regular expression. For this reason, if you use this form without assigning it to a variable, you cannot subsequently access the properties of that regular expression. For example, assume you have this script:

However, if you have this script:

The occurrences of /d(b+)d/g in the two statements are different regular expression objects and hence have different values for their lastIndex property. If you need to access the properties of a regular expression created with an object initializer, you should first assign it to a variable.

Advanced searching with flags

Regular expressions have optional flags that allow for functionality like global searching and case-insensitive searching. These flags can be used separately or together in any order, and are included as part of the regular expression.

To include a flag with the regular expression, use this syntax:

Note that the flags are an integral part of a regular expression. They cannot be added or removed later.

For example, re = /\w+\s/g creates a regular expression that looks for one or more characters followed by a space, and it looks for this combination throughout the string.

You could replace the line:

and get the same result.

The m flag is used to specify that a multiline input string should be treated as multiple lines. If the m flag is used, ^ and $ match at the start or end of any line within the input string instead of the start or end of the entire string.

Using the global search flag with exec()

RegExp.prototype.exec() method with the g flag returns each match and its position iteratively.

In contrast, String.prototype.match() method returns all matches at once, but without their position.

Using unicode regular expressions

The u flag is used to create "unicode" regular expressions; that is, regular expressions which support matching against unicode text. An important feature that's enabled in unicode mode is Unicode property escapes . For example, the following regular expression might be used to match against an arbitrary unicode "word":

Unicode regular expressions have different execution behavior as well. RegExp.prototype.unicode contains more explanation about this.

Note: Several examples are also available in:

• The reference pages for exec() , test() , match() , matchAll() , search() , replace() , split()
• The guide articles: character classes , assertions , groups and backreferences , quantifiers

Using special characters to verify input

In the following example, the user is expected to enter a phone number. When the user presses the "Check" button, the script checks the validity of the number. If the number is valid (matches the character sequence specified by the regular expression), the script shows a message thanking the user and confirming the number. If the number is invalid, the script informs the user that the phone number is not valid.

The regular expression looks for:

• the beginning of the line of data: ^
• followed by three numeric characters \d{3} OR | a left parenthesis \( , followed by three digits \d{3} , followed by a close parenthesis \) , in a non-capturing group (?:)
• followed by one dash, forward slash, or decimal point in a capturing group ()
• followed by three digits \d{3}
• followed by the match remembered in the (first) captured group \1
• followed by four digits \d{4}
• followed by the end of the line of data: $

An online tool to learn, build, & test Regular Expressions.

An online regex builder/debugger

An online interactive tutorials, Cheat sheet, & Playground.

An online visual regex tester.