BytePane

Whitespace Trimmer Regex Pattern

Matches leading and trailing whitespace for trimming. Equivalent to the trim() method in most languages.

T
Text & Strings
Beginner
Difficulty
Universal
Language
gm
Flags
// Regular Expression
/^\s+|\s+$/gm

Live Regex Tester

Pattern Breakdown

^\s+|\s+$
Character class [ ]
Group ( )
Quantifier { }
Anchor ^ $
Repetition * + ?
Escape \
Alternation |
Any char .

Code Examples

JavaScript

const regex = /^\s+|\s+$/gm;
const test = "  hello  ";
console.log(regex.test(test)); // true

// Extract matches
const matches = test.match(regex);
console.log(matches);

Python

import re

pattern = r'^\s+|\s+$'
test = "  hello  "
match = re.findall(pattern, test)
print(match)  # Found!

Go

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "regexp"
)

func main() {
    re := regexp.MustCompile(`^\s+|\s+$`)
    fmt.Println(re.MatchString("  hello  ")) // true
}

Common Use Cases

Text cleanupinput sanitizationdata normalization

Match Examples

InputResult
hello Match
helloNo Match

About the Whitespace Trimmer Regex

Matches leading and trailing whitespace for trimming. Equivalent to the trim() method in most languages.

Regular expressions (regex) are powerful pattern matching tools used across virtually all programming languages. The whitespace trimmer pattern is classified as beginner difficulty in the text & strings category. It works in all major programming languages.

When using this regex, always consider edge cases and test thoroughly with real-world data. Use the interactive tester above to validate the pattern against your specific inputs before deploying to production.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Whitespace Trimmer regex pattern?

Matches leading and trailing whitespace for trimming. Equivalent to the trim() method in most languages.

How do I use the Whitespace Trimmer regex?

Use the pattern /^\s+|\s+$/gm in your code. In JavaScript: new RegExp('^\s+|\s+$', 'gm'). Test it above with your own input.

What does this Whitespace Trimmer regex match?

This pattern matches: " hello ". It does NOT match: "hello". Text cleanup, input sanitization, data normalization.

Is the Whitespace Trimmer regex beginner-friendly?

This pattern is rated Beginner. It uses basic regex syntax and is easy to understand.

What languages support the Whitespace Trimmer regex?

This pattern works in all major programming languages including JavaScript, Python, Java, C#, Go, Ruby, PHP, and more. Syntax may vary slightly between regex engines.

Can I modify the Whitespace Trimmer regex for my use case?

Yes! Use the interactive tester above to modify the pattern and test with your own data. Common modifications include making it case-insensitive (add 'i' flag), matching globally (add 'g' flag), or adjusting character classes.

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