# How to matching "\[" in string

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-matching-in-string/60185>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [May 10, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-matching-in-string/60185 "2006-05-10T23:27:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sed\_nivo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sed\_nivo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sed_nivo)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-matching-in-string/60185/1 "2006-05-10T23:27:20Z")

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Hi,

How to matching “[” in string with regular expressions?

“[” =~ /[/ – don’t work.

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**Author:** ![sed\_nivo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sed\_nivo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sed_nivo)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 11:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-matching-in-string/60185/2 "2006-05-10T23:34:54Z")

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On May 10, 2006, at 4:27 PM, sed\_nivo wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> How to matching “[” in string with regular expressions?
> 
> “[” =~ /[/ – don’t work.

Says who? 😉

> > “[” =~ /[/ ? “It matched!” : “No match.”  
> > =\> “It matched!”

James Edward G. II

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**Author:** ![sed\_nivo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sed\_nivo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sed_nivo)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-matching-in-string/60185/3 "2006-05-10T23:38:00Z")

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On 10-May-06, at 5:27 PM, sed\_nivo wrote:

> How to matching “[” in string with regular expressions?
> 
> “[” =~ /[/ – don’t work.

What do you mean by “don’t work”? What do you expect? Have you read  
the documentation for String#=~?

ratdog:~ mike$ irb  
irb(main):001:0\> “[” =~ /[/  
=\> 0  
irb(main):002:0\> “x” =~ /[/  
=\> nil  
irb(main):003:0\> “this[that]” =~ /[/  
=\> 4

Mike

–

Mike S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
[http://www.stok.ca/~mike/](http://www.stok.ca/~mike/)

The “`Stok’ disclaimers” apply.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sed\_nivo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sed\_nivo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sed_nivo)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-matching-in-string/60185/4 "2006-05-10T23:45:14Z")

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Sorry and thx  
I have expected 1, count of matching