Several Unqork components support a Regular Expression Pattern (RegEx) field that restricts what end-users can enter. When a pattern is set, the field must match it before the module can be submitted. This guide explains how patterns work and provides common examples ready to use.
What Is a Regular Expression?
A regular expression, commonly called regex, is a sequence of characters that defines a rule for matching text. For example, ^\d{5}$ means exactly five digits and would match 90210 but reject 9021 or 9021A.
Regex patterns in Unqork follow standard JavaScript regex syntax.
How to Use a Pattern
In a supported component, enter the pattern in the Regular Expression Pattern (Regex) field. Use the Pattern Error Message field to provide a clear message when the value does not match, like "Please enter a valid US zip code."
Important: Test patterns before using them in production. The free tool at https://regex101.com lets Creators test a pattern against sample values and explains each part of the expression.
Common Patterns
Numbers
| Pattern | Matches | Example |
|---|---|---|
^\d+$ |
One or more digits only | 12345 |
^\d{5}$ |
Exactly five digits | 90210 |
^\d{1,10}$ |
Between 1 and 10 digits | 42 |
^[0-9]+(\.[0-9]{1,2})?$ |
Number with up to two decimal places | 9.99 |
Text
| Pattern | Matches | Example |
|---|---|---|
^[a-zA-Z]+$ |
Letters only, no spaces | Smith |
^[a-zA-Z\s]+$ |
Letters and spaces | John Smith |
^[a-zA-Z0-9]+$ |
Letters and numbers, no spaces | User123 |
^[a-zA-Z0-9\s\-]+$ |
Letters, numbers, spaces, and hyphens | New York-2 |
US Formats
| Pattern | Matches | Example |
|---|---|---|
^\d{5}(-\d{4})?$ |
US zip code (5-digit or ZIP+4) | 90210 or 90210-1234 |
^\d{3}-\d{2}-\d{4}$ |
Social Security Number | 123-45-6789 |
^\d{3}[.\-]?\d{3}[.\-]?\d{4}$ |
US phone number | 555-867-5309 or 5558675309 |
Dates
| Pattern | Matches | Example |
|---|---|---|
^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$ |
ISO date format | 2026-03-25 |
^\d{2}/\d{2}/\d{4}$ |
US date format | 03/25/2026 |
Web
| Pattern | Matches | Example |
|---|---|---|
^https?://[^\s]+$ |
URL beginning with http or https | https://example.com |
Pattern Syntax Reference
To match a special character, prefix it with \. For example, \. matches a period instead of any character.
| Syntax | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
^ |
Beginning of input | ^Hello matches strings that begin with Hello |
$ |
End of input | world$ matches strings that end with world |
\d |
Any digit (0–9) | \d\d\d matches three digits |
\s |
Any whitespace character | \s matches a space or tab |
[abc] |
Any character in the set | [aeiou] matches any vowel |
[a-z] |
Any character in the range | [a-z] matches any lowercase letter |
[^abc] |
Any character NOT in the set | [^0-9] matches any non-digit |
+ |
One or more of the preceding | \d+ matches one or more digits |
* |
Zero or more of the preceding | \d* matches zero or more digits |
? |
Zero or one of the preceding | \d? matches an optional digit |
{n} |
Exactly n repetitions | \d{5} matches exactly five digits |
{n,m} |
Between n and m repetitions | \d{3,5} matches three to five digits |
. |
Any character except newline | a.b matches axb, a1b, and so on. |
Changelog
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| — | Initial publication. |