---
title: Regex operator -> Regular expression (Regex)
description: "A regular expression is like a smart search — it helps the system find patterns in text, not just exact words. Think of it like telling the system: "Look for anything that looks like this, not just ex"
---
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# Regex operator -\> Regular expression (Regex)
#### What Is a Regular Expression?
A **regular expression** is like a smart search — it helps the system **find patterns in text**, not just exact words.
Think of it like telling the system:
> "Look for anything that **looks like this**, not just exactly this."
#### Everyday Analogy:
### Supermarket Example
You tell a store assistant:
> “I want any fruit that **starts with A** and **ends with E**.”
Instead of checking every single word, the assistant understands the **pattern** and brings you:
- Apple
- Artichoke
That’s **what regex does** — it looks for matching patterns, not exact words.
#### Easy Examples
### 1. Find postal codes that start with "23"
**Value:** `^23`
- `^` means “starts with”
- `23` is the number you want
**Matches:**
- `23456` ✅
- `23999` ✅
- `12345` ❌ (doesn’t start with 23)
---
### 2. Find postal codes that end with "89"
**Value:** `89$`
- `$` means “ends with”
- `89` is the number you want
**Matches:**
- `4789` ✅
- `2289` ✅
- `8923` ❌ (doesn’t end with 89)
---
### 3. Match any number with exactly 5 digits (like a postal code)
**Value:** `^\d{5}$`
- `^` means “starts with”
- `\d` means any digit (0–9)
- `{5}` means exactly 5 digits
- `^` and `$` mean “start and end”
**Matches:**
- `12345` ✅
- `90210` ✅
- `1234` ❌ (only 4 digits)
- `123456` ❌ (too many digits)
---
### 4. Match any text that **contains the word “Spain”**
**Value:** `Spain`
**Matches:**
- `Order from Spain` ✅
- `Shipped to Spain via DHL` ✅
- `German order` ❌
✅ This is the **simplest** use — just searching for the word.
---
### 5. Match emails
**Value:** `[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-z]{2,}`
#### ✅ Examples that Match the Pattern
| Email | Matches? | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `john.doe@example.com` | ✅ | Standard email with dot in name |
| `test123@sub-domain.co.uk` | ✅ | Includes subdomain and multiple parts |
| `name+tag@company.org` | ✅ | Uses `+` symbol, which is valid |
| `user_01@mail-server.net` | ✅ | Underscore `_` and hyphen `-` are allowed |
❌ Examples that Don’t Match
| Email | Matches? | Why Not |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `justtext` | ❌ | Missing `@` and domain |
| `user@.com` | ❌ | Domain is missing before the dot |
| `user@site.c` | ❌ | Domain extension only has 1 letter (needs 2 or more) |
| `@example.com` | ❌ | No username before `@` |
---
### Postal Code example: ⬇️
### 1. **Postal codes that start with 23**
**Value:** `^23`
#### What it means:
| Symbol | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `^` | Start of the value (e.g., beginning of the postal code) |
| `23` | The exact numbers we want at the start |
Matches:
- `23000` ✅ (starts with 23)
- `23456` ✅
- `23999` ✅
#### Doesn’t match:
- `12345` ❌ (doesn't start with 23)
---
### 2. **Postal codes that end with 89**
**Value:** `89$`
#### What it means:
| Symbol | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `89` | The exact numbers we want at the end |
| `$` | End of the value (e.g., end of the postal code) |
#### Matches:
- `4789` ✅ (ends with 89)
- `9989` ✅
#### Doesn’t match:
- `8912` ❌ (89 is at the start, not the end)
- `12345` ❌
---
### 3. **Exactly 5-digit postal codes**
**Value:** `^\d{5}$`
#### What it means:
| Symbol | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `^` | Start of the value |
| `\d` | A single digit (0–9) |
| `{5}` | Exactly 5 of the thing before it (here: 5 digits) |
| `$` | End of the value |
So it checks:
➤ “Starts with a digit, has exactly 5 digits, and nothing more after that.”
#### Matches:
- `12345` ✅(start with a digit, it has only 5 digits, nothing more after that )
- `90210` ✅
#### Doesn’t match:
- `1234` ❌ (only 4 digits)
- `123456` ❌ (6 digits)
- `12A45` ❌ (contains a letter)
---
### 4. **Postal codes that contain "00" anywhere**
**Value:** `00`
#### What it means:
| Symbol | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `00` | Simply looks for the number sequence “00” anywhere in the value |
#### Matches:
- `10023` ✅
- `23001` ✅
- `80000` ✅
#### Doesn’t match:
- `12345` ❌
- `23456` ❌
---
### 5. **Postal codes that start with 2 and end with 6**
**Value:** `^2.*6$`
#### What it means:
| Symbol | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `^` | Start of the value |
| `2` | Must start with the number 2 |
| `.*` | Any number of characters (digits or letters) in between |
| `6` | Ends with the number 6 |
| `$` | End of the value |
> `.*` = Think of it as a “wildcard” — it means "any characters in the middle"
#### Matches:
- `2006` ✅
- `23456` ✅
- `2v9456`✅
- `298456` ✅
#### Doesn’t match:
- `12346` ❌ (starts with 1, not 2)
- `23457` ❌ (ends with 7, not 6)
---
### 6. **Postal codes with two values in one field**
****
**Value:** `^(?:(06039|06059))$`
This is a **regular expression** used to match **specific postal codes** — in this case, either `06039` or `06059`.
`^` -\> The beginning of the string. It means the match must start at the very beginning.
`(?:..)` -\> A **non-capturing group**. This groups options **without saving them** for later. Think of it as a simple container.
`06039|06059` -\> Inside the group, the \*\*pipe (\`
`$` -\> The end of the string. It means the match must **end here**, with nothing after.
---
### Summary of Common Symbols
| Symbol | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `^` | Start of the value (e.g., the beginning of a postal code) |
| `$` | End of the value |
| `.` | Any one character |
| `*` | Zero or more of the previous thing (used with `.` in `.*`) |
| `\d` | A digit (0–9) |
| `{5}` | Exactly 5 of the thing before it |
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