If you need to extract a part of string from the input string, we can use capture groups of regex.

For this example, we'll start with a simple phone number regex:

\d{3}-\d{3}-\d{4}

If parentheses are added to the regex, each set of parentheses is considered a capturing group. In this case, we are using what are called numbered capture groups:

(\d{3})-(\d{3})-(\d{4})
^-----^ ^-----^ ^-----^
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3

Before we can use it in Java, we must not forget to follow the rules of Strings, escaping the backslashes, resulting in the following pattern:

"(\\d{3})-(\\d{3})-(\\d{4})"

We first need to compile the regex pattern to make a Pattern and then we need a Matcher to match our input string with the pattern:

Pattern phonePattern = Pattern.compile("(\\d{3})-(\\d{3})-(\\d{4})");
Matcher phoneMatcher = phonePattern.matcher("abcd800-555-1234wxyz");

Next, the Matcher needs to find the first subsequence that matches the regex:

phoneMatcher.find();

Now, using the group method, we can extract the data from the string:

String number = phoneMatcher.group(0); //"800-555-1234" (Group 0 is everything the regex matched)
String aCode = phoneMatcher.group(1); //"800"
String threeDigit = phoneMatcher.group(2); //"555"
String fourDigit = phoneMatcher.group(3); //"1234"

Note: Matcher.group() can be used in place of Matcher.group(0).

Java 7 introduced named capture groups. Named capture groups function the same as numbered capture groups (but with a name instead of a number), although there are slight syntax changes. Using named capture groups improves readability.

We can alter the above code to use named groups:

(?<AreaCode>\d{3})-(\d{3})-(\d{4})
^----------------^ ^-----^ ^-----^
AreaCode           Group 2 Group 3

To get the contents of "AreaCode", we can instead use:

String aCode = phoneMatcher.group("AreaCode"); //"800"

A Pattern can be compiled with flags, if the regex is used as a literal String, use inline modifiers:

Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile("foo.", Pattern.CASE_INSENSITIVE | Pattern.DOTALL);
pattern.matcher("FOO\n").matches(); // Is true.

/* Had the regex not been compiled case insensitively and singlelined,
 * it would fail because FOO does not match /foo/ and \n (newline)
 * does not match /./.
 */

Pattern anotherPattern = Pattern.compile("(?si)foo");
anotherPattern.matcher("FOO\n").matches(); // Is true.

"foOt".replaceAll("(?si)foo", "ca"); // Returns "cat".

Generally

To use regular expression specific characters (?+| etc.) in their literal meaning they need to be escaped. In common regular expression this is done by a backslash \. However, as it has a special meaning in Java Strings, you have to use a double backslash \\.

These two examples will not work:

"???".replaceAll ("?", "!"); //java.util.regex.PatternSyntaxException
"???".replaceAll ("\?", "!"); //Invalid escape sequence

This example works

"???".replaceAll ("\\?", "!"); //"!!!"

Splitting a Pipe Delimited String

This does not return the expected result:

"a|b".split ("|"); // [a, |, b]

This returns the expected result:

"a|b".split ("\\|"); // [a, b]

Escaping backslash \

This will give an error:

"\\".matches("\\"); // PatternSyntaxException
"\\".matches("\\\"); // Syntax Error

This works:

"\\".matches("\\\\"); // true

To match something that does not contain a given string, one can use negative lookahead:

Regex syntax: (?!string-to-not-match)

Example:

//not matching "popcorn"
String regexString = "^(?!popcorn).*$";
System.out.println("[popcorn] " + ("popcorn".matches(regexString) ? "matched!" : "nope!"));
System.out.println("[unicorn] " + ("unicorn".matches(regexString) ? "matched!" : "nope!"));

Output:

[popcorn] nope!
[unicorn] matched!

If you need to match characters that are a part of the regular expression syntax you can mark all or part of the pattern as a regex literal.

\Q marks the beginning of the regex literal. \E marks the end of the regex literal.

// the following throws a PatternSyntaxException because of the un-closed bracket
"[123".matches("[123");

// wrapping the bracket in \Q and \E allows the pattern to match as you would expect.
"[123".matches("\\Q[\\E123"); // returns true

An easier way of doing it without having to remember the \Q and \E escape sequences is to use Pattern.quote()

"[123".matches(Pattern.quote("[") + "123"); // returns true

If you want to match a backslash in your regular expression, you'll have to escape it.

Backslash is an escape character in regular expressions. You can use '\' to refer to a single backslash in a regular expression.

However, backslash is also an escape character in Java literal strings. To make a regular expression from a string literal, you have to escape each of its backslashes. In a string literal '\\' can be used to create a regular expression with '\', which in turn can match ''.

For example, consider matching strings like "C:\dir\myfile.txt". A regular expression ([A-Za-z]):\\(.*) will match, and provide the drive letter as a capturing group. Note the doubled backslash.

To express that pattern in a Java string literal, each of the backslashes in the regular expression needs to be escaped.

   String path = "C:\\dir\\myfile.txt";
    System.out.println( "Local path: " + path ); // "C:\dir\myfile.txt"
    
    String regex = "([A-Za-z]):\\\\.*"; // Four to match one
    System.out.println("Regex:      " + regex ); // "([A-Za-z]):\\(.*)"
    
    Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile( regex );
    Matcher matcher = pattern.matcher( path );
    if ( matcher.matches()) {
        System.out.println( "This path is on drive " + matcher.group( 1 ) + ":.");
        // This path is on drive C:.
    }

If you want to match two backslashes, you'll find yourself using eight in a literal string, to represent four in the regular expression, to match two.

   String path = "\\\\myhost\\share\\myfile.txt";
    System.out.println( "UNC path: " + path ); // \\myhost\share\myfile.txt"
    
    String regex = "\\\\\\\\(.+?)\\\\(.*)"; // Eight to match two
    System.out.println("Regex:    " + regex ); // \\\\(.+?)\\(.*) 
    
    Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile( regex );
    Matcher matcher = pattern.matcher( path );
    
    if ( matcher.matches()) {
        System.out.println( "This path is on host '" + matcher.group( 1 ) + "'.");
        // This path is on host 'myhost'.
    }

Syntax

• Pattern patternName = Pattern.compile(regex);
• Matcher matcherName = patternName.matcher(textToSearch);
• matcherName.matches() //Returns true if the textToSearch exactly matches the regex
• matcherName.find() //Searches through textToSearch for first instance of a substring matching the regex. Subsequent calls will search the remainder of the String.
• matcherName.group(groupNum) //Returns the substring inside of a capturing group
• matcherName.group(groupName) //Returns the substring inside of a named capturing group (Java 7+)

Remarks

Imports

You will need to add the following imports before you can use Regex:

import java.util.regex.Matcher
import java.util.regex.Pattern

Pitfalls

In java, a backslash is escaped with a double backslash, so a backslash in the regex string should be inputted as a double backslash. If you need to escape a double backslash (to match a single backslash with the regex, you need to input it as a quadruple backslash.

Important Symbols Explained

Further reading

The regex topic (opens new window) contains more information about regular expressions.