# Regular expression question - using 'not' logic with it

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regular-expression-question-using-not-logic-with-it/157217>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [January 8, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regular-expression-question-using-not-logic-with-it/157217 "2009-01-08T16:12:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mmcolli00](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@mmcolli00](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mmcolli00)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regular-expression-question-using-not-logic-with-it/157217/1 "2009-01-08T16:12:02Z")

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I know this is probably so easy, but I just can’t find any documentation  
on it because it is not character class value.

If 4 specific values exists, I do not want to output anything. How can I  
check that these values do not exist, otherwise output?

if overrideVal1 != /Stamp/ or overrideVal2 != /Create/ or overrideVal3  
!= /6400/ or overrideVal4 != /5400000/ then  
puts “No results”  
else  
#call method to output results  
getValues()  
end

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**Author:** ![mmcolli00](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@mmcolli00](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mmcolli00)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regular-expression-question-using-not-logic-with-it/157217/2 "2009-01-08T16:20:12Z")

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On Thu, Jan 8, 2009 at 4:11 PM, Mmcolli00 Mom [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
wrote:

> else  
> #call method to output results  
> getValues()  
> end

It’s not clear to me how many strings you have to check, but if you  
want to see if  
a string doesn’t match four possibilities in a regular expression this  
is one way:

irb(main):001:0\> a = “abcde”  
=\> “abcde”  
irb(main):004:0\> a !~ /Stamp|Create|6400|5400000/  
=\> true  
irb(main):005:0\> a = “TimeStamp”  
=\> “TimeStamp”  
irb(main):006:0\> a !~ /Stamp|Create|6400|5400000/  
=\> false

Jesus.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mmcolli00](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@mmcolli00](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mmcolli00)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regular-expression-question-using-not-logic-with-it/157217/3 "2009-01-08T16:25:35Z")

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Thanks!