regexSearch helper

Tom Santiago

Updated August 06, 2025 21:00

Locate the position (0-based index) of the first substring that matches a regular-expression pattern within a string.

Usage

{{regexSearch field regex [options]}}

field – Text field or variable to search (e.g., record.total).
regex – Regular-expression pattern.
options(optional) – Regex flags such as "i" (case-insensitive) or "m" (multiline).

The helper returns the numeric index of the match, or -1 when the pattern is not found.

Locating a character in a price
```
{{regexSearch record.total "5"}}
```
If record.total is "$1499.95", the helper returns 7 (the “5” is the eighth character).
Finding the decimal point
```
{{regexSearch record.total "\."}}
```
Returns 5 for "$1499.95"—the "." is at index 5.
Case-insensitive search in notes
```
{{regexSearch record.comment "celigo" "i"}}
```
With record.comment = "HELLO Celigo", the helper returns the index of "Celigo" even though the case differs.

The index is zero-based (0, 1, 2, …).
If no match is found, expect -1 and handle that outcome in subsequent mappings.
Triple braces ({{{ }}}) are usually unnecessary here—the helper returns a plain number that is not subject to Celigo’s automatic string formatting.