JavaScript: invalid quantifier when searching URL string for '?'

Question

I just want to test the URL for a question mark ? however I keep getting an invalid quantifier error message...

alert(window.location.href.search('?'));

I then tried things like...

alert(window.location.href.search('\?'));

/

alert(window.location.href.search(\?));

...without any luck.

Rob W · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-06 20:23:14Z

4

.search converts the argument to a RegExp./?/ is an invalid RegExp. The escape does not work either, because a single backslash in the string is not converted to a RegExp-escaping backslash.

Use indexOf instead:

location.href.indexOf('?') !== -1; // If true, then found

answered Mar 6, 2012 at 20:23

Rob W

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Comments

John · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-07 00:41:21Z

1

You need to supply a RegExp pattern for the "?" to be found by .search():

alert(window.location.href.search(/\?/));

edited Mar 7, 2012 at 0:41

John

1

answered Mar 6, 2012 at 20:27

Petr Vostrel

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2 Comments

John Over a year ago

Thanks, while client-side I'm less fanatical against using regex I'm going to use indexOf (been doing too much PHP of late). Still your code worked, thanks!

Petr Vostrel Over a year ago

No problem. I may have as well post it just as a comment to your question, as it's not an answer anyway ;)

kirilloid · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-06 20:51:43Z

0

Actually doubly-escaped window.location.href.search('\\?') will work

answered Mar 6, 2012 at 20:51

kirilloid

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