Regex match one of two words

🍎🍌 Regex Magic: Matching Either "Apple" or "Banana" 🧙‍♀️

Welcome, tech enthusiasts! Today, we are going to unravel the enchanting world of regular expressions, taking on the challenge of matching either "apple" or "banana" from a given input. 🧐

Understanding the Problem:

The scenario is quite simple: we have an input where the value can only be either "apple" or "banana." Now, our mission is to cast a spell using regex, ensuring that only these two magic words are accepted. 🔮

🔑 Secret Recipe for Regex Success:

To crack this magical code, we need to harness the power of alternation in regex. The alternation operator is denoted by the pipe symbol | and acts as an "or" statement, allowing us to match either "apple" or "banana." 🎩

Sorcery Unleashed:

To achieve this spellbinding result, we need to compose our regex pattern accordingly.

^(apple|banana)$

Let's break down this enchanting incantation piece by piece:

• ^ asserts the start of the input.

• (apple|banana) represents the alternation group capturing either "apple" or "banana."

• $ asserts the end of the input.

Examples of Magic in Action:

Now, let's put our magic to the test with some examples:

1. Match:

   • apple
   • banana

2. Don't Match:

   • orange
   • applepie
   • applebanana

Magical Tips and Tricks:

Here are a few additional magical tips and tricks to help you master your regex sorcery:

1. Case Insensitivity: To perform a case-insensitive match, add the i flag at the end of the pattern.

   /^(apple|banana)$/i

2. Matching on Word Boundaries: If you want to match only complete words "apple" or "banana," you can use the word boundary \b before and after the pattern.

   /\b(apple|banana)\b/

Time to Use Magic:

Now that you have unlocked the secrets of regex sorcery, it's time to put your new powers to the test! Run your spells on your favorite programming language, utilizing the appropriate regex functions or methods.

📣 Your Challenge:

We would love to see how you have mastered this magic spell! Share your experience in the comments below, along with any other regex conundrums you'd like us to unravel. Let's enchant the world of regex together! ✨✨

Remember, the power of regex is at your fingertips. With these newfound magical skills, you can conquer any pattern-matching problem that comes your way! 🚀

Happy coding and spell-casting! 🎩✨