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Regex Task

Overview

The Regex Task uses regular expressions to extract, validate, replace, or match patterns in text. Use it for complex data extraction, input validation, text cleaning, or pattern-based transformations.

When to use this task:

  • Extract specific patterns (emails, phones, URLs)
  • Validate input formats
  • Clean and normalize text
  • Parse structured data from unstructured text
  • Find and replace patterns
  • Split text by complex patterns
  • Extract multiple matches
  • Data scraping and parsing

Key Features:

  • Full regex pattern support
  • Multiple extraction modes
  • Capture groups
  • Find and replace
  • Match validation
  • Global and case-insensitive matching
  • Extract all matches
  • Comprehensive output fields

Quick Start

  1. Add Regex task
  2. Select operation (Extract/Replace/Match)
  3. Input text to process
  4. Write regex pattern
  5. Test with sample data
  6. Save

Simple Example:

Operation: Extract
Input: {{task_49001_message}}
Pattern: [a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}
Output: {{task_10001_match}} = extracted email

Operations

Extract (Most Common)

Extract data matching pattern.

Configuration:

Operation: Extract
Input: {{task_49001_text}}
Pattern: Your regex here

Output:

  • {{task_10001_match}} - First match
  • {{task_10001_matches_all}} - All matches (comma-separated)
  • {{task_10001_found}} - true/false
  • {{task_10001_count}} - Number of matches

Replace

Find pattern and replace with text.

Configuration:

Operation: Replace
Input: {{task_49001_text}}
Pattern: \d{3}-\d{3}-\d{4}
Replace With: [PHONE REDACTED]

Output:

  • {{task_10001_result}} - Text with replacements

Match/Validate

Check if text matches pattern.

Configuration:

Operation: Match
Input: {{task_49001_email}}
Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$

Output:

  • {{task_10001_matches}} - true/false
  • {{task_10001_found}} - true/false

Common Patterns

Email Addresses

Pattern:

[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}

Example:

Input: "Contact us at support@example.com or sales@company.org"
Output: {{task_10001_match}} → "support@example.com"
Output: {{task_10001_matches_all}} → "support@example.com, sales@company.org"

Phone Numbers

US Format (123-456-7890):

\d{3}-\d{3}-\d{4}

International (+1-123-456-7890):

\+?\d{1,3}[-.\s]?\(?\d{1,4}\)?[-.\s]?\d{1,4}[-.\s]?\d{1,9}

Example:

Input: "Call me at 555-123-4567 or +1-555-987-6543"
Output: {{task_10001_matches_all}} → "555-123-4567, +1-555-987-6543"

URLs

Pattern:

https?://[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}(/[^\s]*)?

Example:

Input: "Visit https://example.com or http://test.org/page"
Output: {{task_10001_matches_all}} → "https://example.com, http://test.org/page"

Numbers

Integers:

\d+

Decimals:

\d+\.\d+

Currency:

\$\d+(?:,\d{3})*(?:\.\d{2})?

Example:

Input: "Total: $1,234.56 and shipping: $45.00"
Pattern: \$\d+(?:,\d{3})*(?:\.\d{2})?
Output: {{task_10001_matches_all}} → "$1,234.56, $45.00"

Dates

MM/DD/YYYY:

\d{2}/\d{2}/\d{4}

YYYY-MM-DD:

\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}

Example:

Input: "Event on 02/08/2026 or 2026-02-08"
Pattern: \d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}
Output: {{task_10001_match}} → "2026-02-08"

Usernames/IDs

Pattern:

@[a-zA-Z0-9_]{3,20}

Example:

Input: "Mentioned @john_doe and @jane_smith in the thread"
Output: {{task_10001_matches_all}} → "@john_doe, @jane_smith"

Order/Invoice Numbers

Pattern:

(ORD|INV)-\d{4,}

Example:

Input: "Orders ORD-5560 and INV-12345 are ready"
Output: {{task_10001_matches_all}} → "ORD-5560, INV-12345"

Capture Groups

Extract specific parts of matches.

Example - Extract Name and Email:

Pattern: ([A-Za-z\s]+)<([^>]+)>
Input: "John Doe <john@example.com>"

Outputs:
{{task_10001_match}} → "John Doe <john@example.com>" (full match)
{{task_10001_group_1}} → "John Doe" (first group)
{{task_10001_group_2}} → "john@example.com" (second group)

Example - Extract Domain:

Pattern: @([a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,})
Input: "support@example.com"

Output:
{{task_10001_group_1}} → "example.com"

Example - Parse Order Details:

Pattern: Order\s+(\w+-\d+)\s+for\s+\$(\d+\.\d{2})
Input: "Order ORD-5560 for $129.99 shipped"

Outputs:
{{task_10001_group_1}} → "ORD-5560"
{{task_10001_group_2}} → "129.99"

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Lead Email Domain Classification

Workflow:

  1. Form Submission - Lead form
  2. Regex - Extract email domain
  3. Code Task - Check if business email
  4. If Task - Route based on email type

Extract Domain:

Operation: Extract
Input: {{task_49001_email}}
Pattern: @([a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,})

Output: {{task_10001_group_1}} → "example.com"

Check Business Email (Code Task):

const domain = input.task_10001_group_1 || '';
const freeProviders = ['gmail.com', 'yahoo.com', 'hotmail.com', 'outlook.com', 'aol.com'];
const isBusiness = !freeProviders.includes(domain.toLowerCase());

return {
  is_business_email: isBusiness,
  domain: domain,
  classification: isBusiness ? 'Business' : 'Personal',
};

Route:

If {{task_42001_is_business_email}} = true:
  → High priority sales path
Else:
  → Standard nurture path

Example 2: Extract and Validate Order Information

Workflow:

  1. Inbound Email - Order confirmation email
  2. Regex - Extract order number
  3. Regex - Extract order total
  4. Regex - Extract tracking number
  5. MySQL Query - Insert order data

Extract Order Number:

Operation: Extract
Input: {{task_50001_body}}
Pattern: Order\s+#?(\w+-\d+)

Output: {{task_10001_group_1}} → "ORD-5560"

Extract Total:

Operation: Extract
Input: {{task_50001_body}}
Pattern: Total:\s*\$(\d+(?:,\d{3})*\.\d{2})

Output: {{task_18002_group_1}} → "1,234.56"

Extract Tracking:

Operation: Extract
Input: {{task_50001_body}}
Pattern: Tracking:\s*([A-Z0-9]{10,})

Output: {{task_18003_group_1}} → "1Z999AA10123456784"

MySQL Query:

INSERT INTO orders (order_number, total, tracking_number, received_at)
VALUES (?, ?, ?, NOW())

Parameters:

{{task_10001_group_1}}
{{task_18002_group_1}}
{{task_18003_group_1}}

Example 3: Phone Number Validation and Cleaning

Workflow:

  1. Form Submission - Contact form
  2. Regex - Validate phone format
  3. If Task - Check if valid
  4. Regex - Extract digits only
  5. Phone Formatter - Format to E.164

Validate Format:

Operation: Match
Input: {{task_49001_phone}}
Pattern: ^[\+]?[(]?[0-9]{3}[)]?[-\s\.]?[0-9]{3}[-\s\.]?[0-9]{4,6}$

Output: {{task_10001_matches}} → true/false

If Valid:

Condition: {{task_10001_matches}} = true
True: Continue processing
False: Email admin about invalid phone

Extract Digits:

Operation: Extract
Input: {{task_49001_phone}}
Pattern: \d+
Extract: All digits

Output: {{task_18002_matches_all}} → "5551234567"

Example 4: Parse Structured Email Content

Workflow:

  1. Inbound Email - Vendor invoice email
  2. Regex - Extract invoice date
  3. Regex - Extract line items
  4. Loop - Process each item
  5. MySQL Query - Insert items

Extract Invoice Date:

Operation: Extract
Input: {{task_50001_body}}
Pattern: Invoice\s+Date:\s*(\d{2}/\d{2}/\d{4})

Output: {{task_10001_group_1}} → "02/08/2026"

Extract Line Items:

Operation: Extract (All Matches)
Input: {{task_50001_body}}
Pattern: (\w+)\s+Qty:\s*(\d+)\s+Price:\s*\$(\d+\.\d{2})
Flags: Global

Outputs (for each match):
{{task_18002_group_1}} → Product name
{{task_18002_group_2}} → Quantity
{{task_18002_group_3}} → Price

Code Task (Parse All Items):

const body = input.task_50001_body;
const pattern = /(\w+)\s+Qty:\s*(\d+)\s+Price:\s*\$(\d+\.\d{2})/g;
const items = [];
let match;

while ((match = pattern.exec(body)) !== null) {
  items.push({
    product: match[1],
    quantity: parseInt(match[2]),
    price: parseFloat(match[3]),
  });
}

return { items_json: JSON.stringify(items) };

Example 5: Redact Sensitive Information

Workflow:

  1. CRM Trigger - Note added
  2. Regex - Redact SSN
  3. Regex - Redact credit cards
  4. Regex - Redact phone numbers
  5. Edit Client - Update with clean note

Redact SSN:

Operation: Replace
Input: {{task_47001_note}}
Pattern: \b\d{3}-\d{2}-\d{4}\b
Replace With: [SSN REDACTED]

Output: {{task_10001_result}}

Redact Credit Cards:

Operation: Replace
Input: {{task_10001_result}}
Pattern: \b\d{4}[\s-]?\d{4}[\s-]?\d{4}[\s-]?\d{4}\b
Replace With: [CARD REDACTED]

Output: {{task_18002_result}}

Redact Phones:

Operation: Replace
Input: {{task_18002_result}}
Pattern: \b\d{3}[-.]?\d{3}[-.]?\d{4}\b
Replace With: [PHONE REDACTED]

Output: {{task_18003_result}}

Update Note:

Contact ID: {{task_47001_contact_id}}
Append Note: {{task_18003_result}}

Advanced Patterns

Lookahead and Lookbehind

Extract text between markers:

Pattern: (?<=START)(.+?)(?=END)
Input: "START important data END"
Output: " important data "

Extract price without currency symbol:

Pattern: (?<=\$)\d+\.\d{2}
Input: "Total: $99.99"
Output: "99.99"

Non-Capturing Groups

Extract domain without protocol:

Pattern: https?://([a-z0-9.-]+)
Input: "https://example.com"
Output: {{task_10001_group_1}} → "example.com"

Alternation (OR)

Match multiple patterns:

Pattern: (Mr|Mrs|Ms|Dr)\.?\s+([A-Za-z]+)
Input: "Dr. Smith and Ms. Jones"
Outputs multiple matches with titles and names

Greedy vs Non-Greedy

Greedy (default):

Pattern: <(.+)>
Input: "<div>content</div>"
Output: "div>content</div" (matches to last >)

Non-Greedy:

Pattern: <(.+?)>
Input: "<div>content</div>"
Output: "div" (matches to first >)

Flags and Options

Case Insensitive

Match regardless of case:

Pattern: email
Flags: Case Insensitive (i)
Matches: "Email", "EMAIL", "email"

Global

Find all matches (not just first):

Pattern: \d+
Flags: Global (g)
Input: "1 2 3 4 5"
Output: {{task_10001_matches_all}} → "1, 2, 3, 4, 5"

Multiline

^ and $ match line starts/ends:

Pattern: ^Name:.+
Flags: Multiline (m)
Matches each line starting with "Name:"

Best Practices

Pattern Design

  1. Be specific - Narrow patterns reduce false matches
  2. Test thoroughly - Use regex testers (regex101.com)
  3. Escape special characters - ., *, +, ?, [, ], (, ), {, }, ^, $, |, \
  4. Use character classes - \d for digits, \w for word chars
  5. Anchor when validating - Use ^ and $ for full string match

Performance

  1. Avoid catastrophic backtracking - Be careful with nested quantifiers
  2. Use specific patterns - \d{3} better than .+ for 3 digits
  3. Limit scope - Extract small text sections first
  4. Cache patterns - Reuse same regex in Variable task
  5. Don't overuse - Simple string operations might be faster

Maintainability

  1. Comment complex patterns - Document what pattern does
  2. Break into steps - Multiple simple regex > one complex
  3. Test edge cases - Empty strings, special characters
  4. Provide examples - Document expected inputs/outputs
  5. Version patterns - Track changes to regex patterns

Data Quality

  1. Validate before extract - Check if text exists
  2. Handle no matches - Provide defaults
  3. Trim whitespace - Clean extracted data
  4. Validate extractions - Verify format of extracted data
  5. Log failures - Track when patterns don't match

Troubleshooting

Pattern Not Matching

Check:

  1. Escape special characters (\. \$ \* etc.)
  2. Case sensitivity needed?
  3. Anchors correct (^ and $)?
  4. Pattern tested on actual data?

Debug: Test pattern at regex101.com with sample input

Too Many/Wrong Matches

Issue: Extracting unwanted text

Solutions:

  • Make pattern more specific
  • Use anchors (^ $)
  • Use non-greedy quantifiers (? after + or *)
  • Add negative lookaheads

Capture Groups Not Working

Issue: {{task_10001_group_1}} is empty

Check:

  • Using parentheses () for groups?
  • Pattern actually matching?
  • Accessing correct group number?

Example:

Pattern: (\d+)-(\d+)
Input: "123-456"
Group 1: "123"
Group 2: "456"

Performance Issues

Issue: Regex takes too long

Causes:

  • Catastrophic backtracking
  • Very long input text
  • Overly complex pattern

Solutions:

  • Simplify pattern
  • Use more specific character classes
  • Process smaller chunks
  • Use Code task for complex parsing

Special Characters Breaking Pattern

Issue: Pattern fails with special input

Solution: Escape special regex characters:

. → \.
* → \*
+ → \+
? → \?
[ → \[

Frequently Asked Questions

What regex flavor does BaseCloud use?

JavaScript regex (ECMAScript). Most common patterns supported.

Can I test patterns before deploying?

Yes, use regex101.com with JavaScript flavor selected.

How many capture groups can I use?

Up to 9 groups ({{task_ID_group_1}} through {{task_ID_group_9}})

Can regex replace variables?

No, replacement is static text. Use Code task for dynamic replacements.

What if no match found?

Output fields are empty. Check {{task_10001_found}} = false.

Can I extract all matches separately?

Yes, use Global flag. Access via {{task_10001_matches_all}} (comma-separated).

How to match across multiple lines?

Use Multiline flag (m) and DOTALL flag (s) if available.

Can regex parse HTML/XML?

Not recommended. Use dedicated parser or Code task with DOM methods.

How to make pattern optional?

Use ? quantifier: https? matches "http" or "https"

  • Code Task - Complex text processing
  • Formatter Task - Simple text transformations
  • If Task - Conditional logic based on regex results
  • Variable Task - Store regex results
  • Phone Formatter - Phone-specific patterns