🔤 Regex Without the Pain
Need to validate email? Extract phone numbers? Parse log files? Describe it in English, AI writes the regex.
The Regex Prompt
Create a regex pattern that matches: [Describe what you want to match] Requirements: - Provide the regex pattern - Explain each part of the pattern - Give 5 examples that MATCH - Give 5 examples that DON'T match - Show how to use it in [Language: JavaScript/Python/C#] Be strict with validation.
Real Examples
📧 Email Validation
Prompt: "Email that allows only company domain @company.com" Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@company\.com$ Matches: john@company.com, jane.doe@company.com Rejects: john@gmail.com, john@company.co
📱 Phone Number (US Format)
Prompt: "US phone with optional country code, area code required"
Pattern: ^(\+1)?[-.\s]?\(?(\d{3})\)?[-.\s]?(\d{3})[-.\s]?(\d{4})$
Matches: (555) 123-4567, +1-555-123-4567, 555.123.4567
Rejects: 123-4567, 555-12-3456
💳 Credit Card (Visa/Mastercard)
Prompt: "Visa (starts with 4) or Mastercard (51-55), 16 digits"
Pattern: ^(?:4\d{12}(?:\d{3})?|5[1-5]\d{14})$
Matches: 4111111111111111, 5500000000000004
Rejects: 3782822463100005 (Amex), 411111
🎯 Pro Tips
- Be specific: “Phone number” is vague. “US phone in format (XXX) XXX-XXXX” is clear.
- Request test cases: Ask AI to generate matching/non-matching examples.
- Ask for explanation: Learn regex by understanding what AI generates.
- Language-specific: Regex syntax varies slightly (JavaScript vs Python).
“Spent 2 hours on regex for parsing log files. Asked AI, got working pattern in 30 seconds with full explanation. Now I understand regex better than before.”