How can I count dot in the string?

Question

I am trying to count number of dot . in the string. I am trying with match() function for counting the dot, but it does not working.

I tried same script to count other string, letter and - which is properly working. I have following string

var string = "How are you doing . - today? You . - are such a nice person!";

I tried following script

var num = string.match(/-/g).length; // output 2
var num = string.match(/are/g).length; // output 2
var num = string.match(/a/g).length; // output 4
var num = string.match(/./g).length; // output 60

Can someone guide me why it match function does not support . and how can i count it. I would like to appreciate.

Dot has a special meaning in regex, it matches with any character. Escape the dot ... `string.match(/\./g).length` — gurvinder372, Jan 08 '18 at 07:02
You can use this trick `string = "How are you doing . - today? You . - are such a nice person!.";console.log(string.split('.').length);` — RICKY KUMAR, Jan 08 '18 at 07:08

score 12 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 08 '18 at 07:03

12

The dot . is used in regex and matches a single character, without caring which character. You need to escape the dot, like string.match(/\./g).length. The \ is the escape, and says to treat the dot as a true ., instead of the special regex meaning.

answered Jan 08 '18 at 07:03

Matt Goodrich

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is it empty string safe? – Boris Gafurov Feb 14 '20 at 16:36
Empty string, yes. If the string is null, then you'll want to check `string != null` first to avoid an NPE. – Matt Goodrich Feb 14 '20 at 16:49

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 08 '18 at 07:03

2

Escape the .

var string = "How are you doing . - today? You . - are such a nice person!";
var num = string.match(/\./g).length;
console.log(num);

answered Jan 08 '18 at 07:03

lucky

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score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Jan 08 '18 at 07:03

Dot is a special character in regex and it matches with any char.

You have to use escape the dot.

var string = "How are you doing . - today? You . - are such a nice person!";
var num = string.match(/\./g).length; // output 60
console.log(num);

Another approach is to use brackets.

var num = string.match(/[.]/g).length;

How can I count dot in the string?

3 Answers3