Javascript replace with reference to matched group?

Easy JavaScript Solution to Replace Matched Group with References

So you have a string, and you want to replace a certain pattern with a reference to the matched group using JavaScript. 🔄

Let's say you have a string like this:

const str = "hello _there_";

And you want to replace the underscores with <div> and </div> respectively, so the output looks like this:

const output = "hello <div>there</div>";

Sounds like a common issue. But don't worry, I've got your back! 🤩 Here are two easy solutions:

Solution 1: Using the replace() Method

You can use the replace() method in JavaScript along with a regular expression to achieve the desired result. Here's how you can do it:

const replacedStr = str.replace(/_(.*?)_/g, "<div>$1</div>");

In the regular expression /_(.*?)_/g:

• _ indicates the underscore character we want to replace,

• (.*?) represents the matched group,

• g is the global flag to match all instances in the string.

By using $1 in the replacement string, we can reference the matched group within the <div> tags.

You can see the code in action here:

const str = "hello _there_";
const replacedStr = str.replace(/_(.*?)_/g, "<div>$1</div>");

console.log(replacedStr); // Output: "hello <div>there</div>"

Solution 2: Using a Callback Function

Alternatively, you can use a callback function with the replace() method to achieve the same result. Here's an example:

const replacedStr = str.replace(/_(.*?)_/g, (match, group) => `<div>${group}</div>`);

In this case, the callback function takes two parameters:

• match: represents the matched group (same as before),

• group: represents the captured group (in this case, whatever is between the two underscores).

You can see the code in action here:

const str = "hello _there_";
const replacedStr = str.replace(/_(.*?)_/g, (match, group) => `<div>${group}</div>`);

console.log(replacedStr); // Output: "hello <div>there</div>"

Your Turn! 💪

Now that you have the solutions, it's time to put them to the test! Try them out with your own examples and see the magic happen. ✨

And if you have any other cool ideas or suggestions, feel free to share them in the comments below. Let's make this post even better together! 🤩

🎉 Happy coding! 🚀