[ios] Swift extract regex matches

I want to extract substrings from a string that match a regex pattern.

So I'm looking for something like this:

func matchesForRegexInText(regex: String!, text: String!) -> [String] {
   ???
}

So this is what I have:

func matchesForRegexInText(regex: String!, text: String!) -> [String] {

    var regex = NSRegularExpression(pattern: regex, 
        options: nil, error: nil)

    var results = regex.matchesInString(text, 
        options: nil, range: NSMakeRange(0, countElements(text))) 
            as Array<NSTextCheckingResult>

    /// ???

    return ...
}

The problem is, that matchesInString delivers me an array of NSTextCheckingResult, where NSTextCheckingResult.range is of type NSRange.

NSRange is incompatible with Range<String.Index>, so it prevents me of using text.substringWithRange(...)

Any idea how to achieve this simple thing in swift without too many lines of code?

This is a very simple solution that returns an array of string with the matches

Swift 3.

internal func stringsMatching(regularExpressionPattern: String, options: NSRegularExpression.Options = []) -> [String] {
        guard let regex = try? NSRegularExpression(pattern: regularExpressionPattern, options: options) else {
            return []
        }

        let nsString = self as NSString
        let results = regex.matches(in: self, options: [], range: NSMakeRange(0, nsString.length))

        return results.map {
            nsString.substring(with: $0.range)
        }
    }

The fastest way to return all matches and capture groups in Swift 5

extension String {
    func match(_ regex: String) -> [[String]] {
        let nsString = self as NSString
        return (try? NSRegularExpression(pattern: regex, options: []))?.matches(in: self, options: [], range: NSMakeRange(0, count)).map { match in
            (0..<match.numberOfRanges).map { match.range(at: $0).location == NSNotFound ? "" : nsString.substring(with: match.range(at: $0)) }
        } ?? []
    }
}

Returns a 2-dimentional array of strings:

"prefix12suffix fix1su".match("fix([0-9]+)su")

returns...

[["fix12su", "12"], ["fix1su", "1"]]

// First element of sub-array is the match
// All subsequent elements are the capture groups

My answer builds on top of given answers but makes regex matching more robust by adding additional support:

• Returns not only matches but returns also all capturing groups for each match (see examples below)
• Instead of returning an empty array, this solution supports optional matches
• Avoids do/catch by not printing to the console and makes use of the guard construct
• Adds matchingStrings as an extension to String

Swift 4.2

//: Playground - noun: a place where people can play

import Foundation

extension String {
    func matchingStrings(regex: String) -> [[String]] {
        guard let regex = try? NSRegularExpression(pattern: regex, options: []) else { return [] }
        let nsString = self as NSString
        let results  = regex.matches(in: self, options: [], range: NSMakeRange(0, nsString.length))
        return results.map { result in
            (0..<result.numberOfRanges).map {
                result.range(at: $0).location != NSNotFound
                    ? nsString.substring(with: result.range(at: $0))
                    : ""
            }
        }
    }
}

"prefix12 aaa3 prefix45".matchingStrings(regex: "fix([0-9])([0-9])")
// Prints: [["fix12", "1", "2"], ["fix45", "4", "5"]]

"prefix12".matchingStrings(regex: "(?:prefix)?([0-9]+)")
// Prints: [["prefix12", "12"]]

"12".matchingStrings(regex: "(?:prefix)?([0-9]+)")
// Prints: [["12", "12"]], other answers return an empty array here

// Safely accessing the capture of the first match (if any):
let number = "prefix12suffix".matchingStrings(regex: "fix([0-9]+)su").first?[1]
// Prints: Optional("12")

Swift 3

//: Playground - noun: a place where people can play

import Foundation

extension String {
    func matchingStrings(regex: String) -> [[String]] {
        guard let regex = try? NSRegularExpression(pattern: regex, options: []) else { return [] }
        let nsString = self as NSString
        let results  = regex.matches(in: self, options: [], range: NSMakeRange(0, nsString.length))
        return results.map { result in
            (0..<result.numberOfRanges).map {
                result.rangeAt($0).location != NSNotFound
                    ? nsString.substring(with: result.rangeAt($0))
                    : ""
            }
        }
    }
}

"prefix12 aaa3 prefix45".matchingStrings(regex: "fix([0-9])([0-9])")
// Prints: [["fix12", "1", "2"], ["fix45", "4", "5"]]

"prefix12".matchingStrings(regex: "(?:prefix)?([0-9]+)")
// Prints: [["prefix12", "12"]]

"12".matchingStrings(regex: "(?:prefix)?([0-9]+)")
// Prints: [["12", "12"]], other answers return an empty array here

// Safely accessing the capture of the first match (if any):
let number = "prefix12suffix".matchingStrings(regex: "fix([0-9]+)su").first?[1]
// Prints: Optional("12")

Swift 2

extension String {
    func matchingStrings(regex: String) -> [[String]] {
        guard let regex = try? NSRegularExpression(pattern: regex, options: []) else { return [] }
        let nsString = self as NSString
        let results  = regex.matchesInString(self, options: [], range: NSMakeRange(0, nsString.length))
        return results.map { result in
            (0..<result.numberOfRanges).map {
                result.rangeAtIndex($0).location != NSNotFound
                    ? nsString.substringWithRange(result.rangeAtIndex($0))
                    : ""
            }
        }
    }
}

@p4bloch if you want to capture results from a series of capture parentheses, then you need to use the rangeAtIndex(index) method of NSTextCheckingResult, instead of range. Here's @MartinR 's method for Swift2 from above, adapted for capture parentheses. In the array that is returned, the first result [0] is the entire capture, and then individual capture groups begin from [1]. I commented out the map operation (so it's easier to see what I changed) and replaced it with nested loops.

func matches(for regex: String!, in text: String!) -> [String] {

    do {
        let regex = try NSRegularExpression(pattern: regex, options: [])
        let nsString = text as NSString
        let results = regex.matchesInString(text, options: [], range: NSMakeRange(0, nsString.length))
        var match = [String]()
        for result in results {
            for i in 0..<result.numberOfRanges {
                match.append(nsString.substringWithRange( result.rangeAtIndex(i) ))
            }
        }
        return match
        //return results.map { nsString.substringWithRange( $0.range )} //rangeAtIndex(0)
    } catch let error as NSError {
        print("invalid regex: \(error.localizedDescription)")
        return []
    }
}

An example use case might be, say you want to split a string of title year eg "Finding Dory 2016" you could do this:

print ( matches(for: "^(.+)\\s(\\d{4})" , in: "Finding Dory 2016"))
// ["Finding Dory 2016", "Finding Dory", "2016"]

Most of the solutions above only give the full match as a result ignoring the capture groups e.g.: ^\d+\s+(\d+)

To get the capture group matches as expected you need something like (Swift4) :

public extension String {
    public func capturedGroups(withRegex pattern: String) -> [String] {
        var results = [String]()

        var regex: NSRegularExpression
        do {
            regex = try NSRegularExpression(pattern: pattern, options: [])
        } catch {
            return results
        }
        let matches = regex.matches(in: self, options: [], range: NSRange(location:0, length: self.count))

        guard let match = matches.first else { return results }

        let lastRangeIndex = match.numberOfRanges - 1
        guard lastRangeIndex >= 1 else { return results }

        for i in 1...lastRangeIndex {
            let capturedGroupIndex = match.range(at: i)
            let matchedString = (self as NSString).substring(with: capturedGroupIndex)
            results.append(matchedString)
        }

        return results
    }
}

I found that the accepted answer's solution unfortunately does not compile on Swift 3 for Linux. Here's a modified version, then, that does:

import Foundation

func matches(for regex: String, in text: String) -> [String] {
    do {
        let regex = try RegularExpression(pattern: regex, options: [])
        let nsString = NSString(string: text)
        let results = regex.matches(in: text, options: [], range: NSRange(location: 0, length: nsString.length))
        return results.map { nsString.substring(with: $0.range) }
    } catch let error {
        print("invalid regex: \(error.localizedDescription)")
        return []
    }
}

The main differences are:

1. Swift on Linux seems to require dropping the NS prefix on Foundation objects for which there is no Swift-native equivalent. (See Swift evolution proposal #86.)

2. Swift on Linux also requires specifying the options arguments for both the RegularExpression initialization and the matches method.

3. For some reason, coercing a String into an NSString doesn't work in Swift on Linux but initializing a new NSString with a String as the source does work.

This version also works with Swift 3 on macOS / Xcode with the sole exception that you must use the name NSRegularExpression instead of RegularExpression.

update @Mike Chirico's to Swift 5

extension String{



  func regex(pattern: String) -> [String]?{
    do {
        let regex = try NSRegularExpression(pattern: pattern, options: NSRegularExpression.Options(rawValue: 0))
        let all = NSRange(location: 0, length: count)
        var matches = [String]()
        regex.enumerateMatches(in: self, options: NSRegularExpression.MatchingOptions(rawValue: 0), range: all) {
            (result : NSTextCheckingResult?, _, _) in
              if let r = result {
                    let nsstr = self as NSString
                    let result = nsstr.substring(with: r.range) as String
                    matches.append(result)
              }
        }
        return matches
    } catch {
        return nil
    }
  }
}

If you want to extract substrings from a String, not just the position, (but the actual String including emojis). Then, the following maybe a simpler solution.

extension String {
  func regex (pattern: String) -> [String] {
    do {
      let regex = try NSRegularExpression(pattern: pattern, options: NSRegularExpressionOptions(rawValue: 0))
      let nsstr = self as NSString
      let all = NSRange(location: 0, length: nsstr.length)
      var matches : [String] = [String]()
      regex.enumerateMatchesInString(self, options: NSMatchingOptions(rawValue: 0), range: all) {
        (result : NSTextCheckingResult?, _, _) in
        if let r = result {
          let result = nsstr.substringWithRange(r.range) as String
          matches.append(result)
        }
      }
      return matches
    } catch {
      return [String]()
    }
  }
} 

Example Usage:

"someText ?? pig".regex("??")

Will return the following:

["??"]

Note using "\w+" may produce an unexpected ""

"someText ?? pig".regex("\\w+")

Will return this String array

["someText", "?", "pig"]

Swift 4 without NSString.

extension String {
    func matches(regex: String) -> [String] {
        guard let regex = try? NSRegularExpression(pattern: regex, options: [.caseInsensitive]) else { return [] }
        let matches  = regex.matches(in: self, options: [], range: NSMakeRange(0, self.count))
        return matches.map { match in
            return String(self[Range(match.range, in: self)!])
        }
    }
}

This is how I did it, I hope it brings a new perspective how this works on Swift.

In this example below I will get the any string between []

var sample = "this is an [hello] amazing [world]"

var regex = NSRegularExpression(pattern: "\\[.+?\\]"
, options: NSRegularExpressionOptions.CaseInsensitive 
, error: nil)

var matches = regex?.matchesInString(sample, options: nil
, range: NSMakeRange(0, countElements(sample))) as Array<NSTextCheckingResult>

for match in matches {
   let r = (sample as NSString).substringWithRange(match.range)//cast to NSString is required to match range format.
    println("found= \(r)")
}

Big thanks to Lars Blumberg his answer for capturing groups and full matches with Swift 4, which helped me out a lot. I also made an addition to it for the people who do want an error.localizedDescription response when their regex is invalid:

extension String {
    func matchingStrings(regex: String) -> [[String]] {
        do {
            let regex = try NSRegularExpression(pattern: regex)
            let nsString = self as NSString
            let results  = regex.matches(in: self, options: [], range: NSMakeRange(0, nsString.length))
            return results.map { result in
                (0..<result.numberOfRanges).map {
                    result.range(at: $0).location != NSNotFound
                        ? nsString.substring(with: result.range(at: $0))
                        : ""
                }
            }
        } catch let error {
            print("invalid regex: \(error.localizedDescription)")
            return []
        }
    }
}

For me having the localizedDescription as error helped understand what went wrong with escaping, since it's displays which final regex swift tries to implement.