Method: Regexp#match

Defined in:

re.c

#match(string, offset = 0) ⇒ MatchData^? #match(string, offset = 0) {|matchdata| ... } ⇒ Object

With no block given, returns the MatchData object that describes the match, if any, or nil if none; the search begins at the given character offset in string:

/abra/.match('abracadabra')      # => #<MatchData "abra">
/abra/.match('abracadabra', 4)   # => #<MatchData "abra">
/abra/.match('abracadabra', 8)   # => nil
/abra/.match('abracadabra', 800) # => nil

string = "\u{5d0 5d1 5e8 5d0}cadabra"
/abra/.match(string, 7)          #=> #<MatchData "abra">
/abra/.match(string, 8)          #=> nil
/abra/.match(string.b, 8)        #=> #<MatchData "abra">

With a block given, calls the block if and only if a match is found; returns the block’s value:

/abra/.match('abracadabra') {|matchdata| p matchdata }
# => #<MatchData "abra">
/abra/.match('abracadabra', 4) {|matchdata| p matchdata }
# => #<MatchData "abra">
/abra/.match('abracadabra', 8) {|matchdata| p matchdata }
# => nil
/abra/.match('abracadabra', 8) {|marchdata| fail 'Cannot happen' }
# => nil

Output (from the first two blocks above):

#<MatchData "abra">
#<MatchData "abra">

 /(.)(.)(.)/.match("abc")[2] # => "b"
 /(.)(.)/.match("abc", 1)[2] # => "c"

Overloads:

• #match(string, offset = 0) ⇒ MatchData^?

  Returns:

  • (MatchData, nil)
• #match(string, offset = 0) {|matchdata| ... } ⇒ Object

  Yields:

  • (matchdata)

  Returns:

  • (Object)

# File 're.c', line 3810

static VALUE
rb_reg_match_m(int argc, VALUE *argv, VALUE re)
{
    VALUE result = Qnil, str, initpos;
    long pos;

    if (rb_scan_args(argc, argv, "11", &str, &initpos) == 2) {
        pos = NUM2LONG(initpos);
    }
    else {
        pos = 0;
    }

    pos = reg_match_pos(re, &str, pos, &result);
    if (pos < 0) {
        rb_backref_set(Qnil);
        return Qnil;
    }
    rb_match_busy(result);
    if (!NIL_P(result) && rb_block_given_p()) {
        return rb_yield(result);
    }
    return result;
}