regexp_instr function

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Applies to: check marked yes Databricks SQL check marked yes Databricks Runtime 11.3 LTS and above

Returns the position of the first substring in str that matches regexp.

Syntax

regexp_instr( str, regexp )

Arguments

  • str: A STRING expression to be matched.
  • regexp: A STRING expression with a pattern.

Returns

A STRING.

The regexp string must be a Java regular expression. String literals are unescaped. For example, to match '\abc', a regular expression for regexp can be '^\\abc$'. In case of a malformed regexp the function returns an INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE error. If either argument is NULL or the pattern is not found, the result is NULL.

Examples

> SELECT regexp_instr('Steven Jones and Stephen Smith are the best players', 'Ste(v|ph)en');
 1

> SELECT regexp_instr('Mary had a little lamb', 'Ste(v|ph)en');
 0

> SELECT regexp_instr(NULL, 'Ste(v|ph)en');
 NULL

> SELECT regexp_instr('Mary had a little lamb', NULL);
 NULL