How to exclude in RegEx GREP search pattern matches

Forum|Forum|11 months ago
January 28, 2025
1 reply
1102 views

I am trying to validate my RegEx GREP search match in the following way:

Match results in the string (TEST)

The word TEST starts the pattern (^TEST) but a white space (\s) is required for any other character to follow.

Valid strings:

TEST

TEST 123

TEST abc

Invalid strings:

TEST1

TESTa

Looking for a method where the pattern match returns the string (TEST) and not (TEST ) with the white space included. At the same time the match needs to fail if any character other than the white space immediatly follows TEST.

Correct answer m1b

@nutradial by the way, you can combine them using an OR:

/^TEST(?=\s|$)

CarlosCanto

Community Expert

try this pattern

/^TEST(?=\s)/

N

nutradialAuthor

Known Participant

Better together ... thanks for your help and for teaching me the use of the positive lookahead and how it does not include it in the results.

/(^TEST$)?(^TEST(?=\s))?/

This seems to work a little better ... it takes care of the TEST1 or TESTa as that they were being included in the original search pattern.

m1bCorrect answer

Community Expert

@nutradial by the way, you can combine them using an OR:

/^TEST(?=\s|$)

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