Regex for http:// but not https://

Question

I need to flag a textarea that contains a URL starting with http://, but not with https://. I thought this should work, but I'm getting the alert even when all URLs are https.

$('#template_form').submit(function() {
    alert("this is the text: " + $("#template_data").val() );
    val = $("#template_data").val();
    if (val.search(/^http:\/\//)){
        alert("there's a URL in there...");
        return false;
    }
    return true;
});

<textarea id="template_data">This is a test of the new URL validation. Let's add a link to https://www.test.com</textarea>

This should only present the second alert if the URL were http://www.test.com, but it's throwing it even as is, with https://. What am I doing wrong?

Why can't you just try with \http:\g ?

Mustofa Rizwan
– Mustofa Rizwan

2016-10-04 16:32:09 +00:00
Commented Oct 4, 2016 at 16:32 — Mustofa Rizwan
– Mustofa Rizwan, Commented Oct 4, 2016 at 16:32
search returns -1 for no match, which evaluates to true.

Tibrogargan
– Tibrogargan

2016-10-04 16:34:04 +00:00
Commented Oct 4, 2016 at 16:34 — Tibrogargan
– Tibrogargan, Commented Oct 4, 2016 at 16:34
If you want a boolean use regexp.test(string).

user663031
– user663031

2016-10-04 16:36:14 +00:00
Commented Oct 4, 2016 at 16:36 — user663031
– user663031, Commented Oct 4, 2016 at 16:36

baao · Accepted Answer · 2016-10-04 16:39:40Z

From the documentation for search():

A String method that tests for a match in a string. It returns the index of the match, or -1 if the search fails.

-1 will make the if statement evaluate to true (if (-1) {alert("true");}. So either switch to match() or test(), or check for if (val.search(...) > -1)

Also the ^ is wrong in your regex, it would only match from the start of the string.

$('#template_form').submit(function() {
  alert("this is the text: " + $("#template_data").val());
  val = $("#template_data").val();
  if (val.match(/http:\/\//)) {
    alert("there's a URL in there...");
    return false;
  }
  return true;
});

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<form id="template_form">
  <textarea id="template_data">This is a test of the new URL validation. Let's add a link to https://www.test.com</textarea>
  <input type="submit" value="submit">
</form>

Álvaro González · Accepted Answer · 2016-10-04 16:33:11Z

0

String.search() is not boolean:

Return value
The index of the first match between the regular expression and the given string; if not found, -1.

Further in that same piece of documentation:

When you want to know whether a pattern is found and also its index in a string use search() (if you only want to know it exists, use the similar test() method, which returns a boolean)

answered Oct 4, 2016 at 16:33

Álvaro González

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Comments

DanGrim83 · Accepted Answer · 2016-10-04 16:44:08Z

0

$('#template_form').submit(function() {
  if ($("#template_data").val().indexOf("http:\/\/") > -1) {
    return false;
  }
  return true;
});

Here is another way.

answered Oct 4, 2016 at 16:44

DanGrim83

171 bronze badge

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